Desperate

Ok, I know we've had many threads (and jokes ) on pilling a cat in the past. All 5 of my kitties have URIs and all of them take their pills pretty well except my psycho cat Kiri. The first day I wrapped it in a little cheese and that worked fine. The next day she ate the cheese and left the pill, so later on when she was relaxed I quickly grabbed her scruff and poked the pill in. It worked like a charm.

Well...today I tried the grabbing the scruff trick and not only did she spit it out, she ripped my hands to shreds. I have huge puncture marks in my hand and she still hasn't swallowed the darn pill.

I'm running out of patience and ideas . We have 7 more days of this ahead of us, and I don't particularly like bleeding all over the floor every day at pill taking time. My last ditch effort to be tried later today is a long shot- I dissolved her pill in a tiny bit of tuna water and put it in a small syringe which I will attempt to squirt into her mouth once I manage to scruff her again.

Keeping in mind that I have nobody to help me with this, does anyone have any other suggestions providing the tuna water trick fails?

Well I crush the pills up - really powdered, no solid bits (can be done by placing pill on small spoon and pushing down in it with the back of another small spoon. Gently at first otherwise it sprays everywhere. Then I make sure kitty is hungry - not startving, but hungry enough to gobble food down without thinking too long about it.

I usually mix it with either cooked chicken, cooked liver, prawns or tinned tuna (with the water). That way they don't notice it so much.

However it doesn't work with worming pills only anti-biotics. It worked for Balie when he had cystitis.

Good luck.

I tried crushing the pill and putting it in a tiny bit of wet cat food, she sniffe it and then turned her back to it. She becomes beyond irate when I try to hold on to her to medicate her in any way- like she'd actually kill me to get away

Hmmm. Guess she's smarter than my little bundle of fluff.

Actually maybe because my cat's got a flat face maybe it's affecting his sense of smell?

What about wrapping her up in a towel and placing her on her back on your lap while you administer the pill?

I know this is beginning to sound a little like 'Cat Pills', but may be worth a shot. Also gloves - either gardening or building gloves which will offer some protection.

She won't let me within 5 feet of her with a towel , but I do like the gloves idea, I'm going to pick up some heavy gardening gloves today. Thanks so much for your suggestions, Yola. I truly appreciate it :rainbow:

tell your vet what is happening and ask for the liquid version - if it is Amoxicillin the pink liquid tasts great and you can add it to the wet food without a problem - mine boy who is so bad about this never knew the difference. If it is not Amoxicillin ask to get a liquid version of your your pill (it's a process called compounding), you can choose from various flavor such as tuna, chicken, etc. and add to wet food.

Good luck!!

Well, it seems shes not fond of wet food with or without the medication in it Shes only been fed dry food since I've had her, and won't eat the wet food. Shes as stubborn as they come... She's off hiding in the house somewhere right now, but when I find her I'll try the syringe idea I came up with and let you know how it works.. These are all excellent suggestions, thank you

Hmmm - ughhh - how frustrating! That is one of the reasons I continue feeding wet as a treat, eventhough he rarely eats the meatcubes but loves the sause.

Melissa, talk to your vet about an alternative to this medicine.

They can prescribe creams you rub on the ears to absorb through the skin that work the same way as the pills, it just depends on your vet and the pharmacy he uses.

I feel for you, I have one kitty here that is feral and god forbid she ever get sick because the most I can do is to get two pills down her before she either tries skinning me alive or she takes off for parts unknown.

Another thing you can do for this URI's is to put GSE in their water bowl. 3 drops in a water bowl will do the trick until you change the water again. Good luck!

Once upon a time, I had a sick little kitty girl who wouldn't take her medications ... and what worked for me was cream cheese and peanut butter. *grin*

My girl ~loved~ both, and would readily lick them off my hands so I would simply put the pill inside the glob of cream cheese or peanut butter and down it went without a problem. On a slightly amusing note, watching my cat trying to swallow the peanut butter was hysterically funny to watch, but on a more serious level, you have to be real careful about how much you give in order to prevent choking. Cream cheese is a better idea.

A note on crushing pills - there are certain types of medication in pill form which contain a wax web which helps the medication to be delivered at a slower rate over a course of time. Crushing such a pill will severely lessen it's ability to metabolize correctly, and in some instances, can cause more harm than good. Veterinary-formula medications often contain this wax web so it would be good to either check with your vet or pharmacist, and see if the medication you've been prescribed must be dosed over a course of time consistantly and shouldn't be crushed. As a note from the voice of experience, most vets don't know squat about how pills are manufactured, so it is best to check with the pharmacist or even contact the drug company itself. Most have websites and a place to email them your questions/concerns.

On pilling without bloodshed, for me, the best way to do it is when kitty is sleepy and relaxed. Using the thumb and middle fingers of your left hand, reach upwards under the chin and gently squeeze the corners of kitty's mouth. This will cause the jaw to open. Then, using your right hand, quickly place the pill in the back of the mouth - don't shove it down the throat, this could cause kitty to panic, choke and spit out pill - remove fingers from mouth - this is all-important, get your hands out of - then remove fingers from the sides of the mouth, and stroke downwards under the chin on the throat area using a small amount of pressure against the esophagus. This will stimulate kitty to swallow. I also normally have a bowl of fresh, clean water to offer in case kitty wants a cool sip afterwards. They normally do.

Best of luck, please let us know how it is going for you,

Gaye

Well, my plan was a complete failure. I've been torn up yet again, and she STILL has not taken the pill. the day is nearly over and she hasn't had her meds. I assume she won't get better without them, so I don't know what on earth to do. I feel like jumping up and down in frustration. Now I have a terrified, and unmedicated kitty who won't even stay in the room with me. The Vet office is closed until Monday, and even if they weren't and I COULD get the meds in liquid form, she'd never let me near her to get them into her. I'm out of ideas.

Mel can you confine her in a room and stick her meds in a piece of fish or chicken? Or dissolve it in hot chicken broth, let it cool down and give it to her that way? I hope you are tending to your own wounds as well.

Tigger didnt like me giving her pills, either, when she had her URI! They were tiny pills, so I just caught her off guard. When it was time for her meds, I put her up on the counter, got the pill out, and tipped her head back, opened her jaws up, & down the pill went. Try to see if that works......

Melissa
This may sound funny, but have you tried giving the pill without scruffing her? I have a few cats and my mom has one who goes bolistic when scruffed. I just put them in my lap and ease it in.

Sandie- the very first time I tried to medicate her I sat her in my lap like I do with the other cats and she freaked out, I still have scars from that one. Thats why I thought scruffing her would be good, to immobilize her. I'm so worried about her, she needs these meds

Can your hubby help you?

I usually crush up my pills and put them into mayo. When Rocket needed pills for a tooth infection I gave them to him that way. worked like a charm each time. Mind you I also gave our other cats some maye before I gave it to Rocket that way he would think it was a treat and want it more since the others got it first and he didn't...
Good luck..

Could you dissolve the pill in water and put it in a syringe and squirt it in. I feel you pain. I have a cat that has to have thyroid meds twice a day and it took awhile before I found a way that she would except the meds.

I hold her like a baby with her head laying on the elbow part of my arm and push the pill at the side of her mouth and down her throat (gently). Reassuring her the whole time. When I get her in my arms I just pet her awhile, and she thinks were just going cuddle and then I sneak the pill in. It works great for us, but it took awhile.

Good Luck!!!

Melissa,
Any luck? How is everyone?

Hey Sorry i didn't see this until now, I've been offline for a while. We have three more days of pills left, and I can't say its gone well at all. My arms are nothing but scars and Loco gets so upset he foams at the mouth now. Thank goodness we're almost at the end and they are feeling better. From what I can see the only one showing anymore symptoms is Onyx, and thats just a little mucus in his throat. I'm glad the meds are working because I wouldn't be thrilled to have to go throuhe another 10 days of this . Thanks for asking about my babies :rainbow: