Andy feral cat loves: Yummy puree for hiding medicines : Hartz Delectables Tuna and Salmon puree

[Ms.Shane]

Hell everyone,
I've a feral rescue "Andy" that can't be handled...surprise. To get medications into him or Gabapentin for sedation to handle him when needed, I use Delectables by Hartz. It is a squeeze tube filled with tuna & salmon puree. He loves it!. I've finished 10 days of antibiotic treatment using it. Tomorrow morning, I will put 100 mg of Gabapentin in the Delectable puree to sedate him enough to apply Revolution+ flea medication. "Andy" has fleas bad. I hope the Gabby works after 4 hours, if not enough I will give him an extra 50 mg and wait. Since he's in an outdoor escape proof kennel (southern California, where it's warmish) I don't want to leave him overnight drugged without supervision. I cannot catch him or bring him indoors. I will make the kennel as warm as possible and have an extra bed on the floor. I don't know how wobbly he might be. He is sweet, but very untrusting. He has moved from completely hiding to greeting me with tail up for feeding time. If all goes well, I will open his kennel and garage door for him to roam a bit. I hope he has bonded to our yard and pets after 7 weeks in the kennel. He was badly beaten up, front legs were black with blood, his face was black with mouth blood. He drooled horribly when I spotted him coming to my house for his feeding. He had not been here for 2days. I did manage to capture him...he did it himself, poor baby. He walked into the animal trap I had set under a tarp in the rain. I was so relieved. This was 2 weeks of trying to catch him. Each time he came back, he was in worse condition. The vet discovered the drooling was a torn tongue...a hole in the middle of it. The left front leg had perhaps twenty puncture wounds and a laceration. The right leg was just a couple wounds. His poor face was cut up. It broke my heart to see him, the feeling was overridden by relief that I could now help him. Thanks goodness he finally went into the trap and my vet could help him. All his wounds have healed. He eats like a champ and looks like a bright young cat with a friendly meow every time he sees me.
Photo #1 Andy after surgery

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello, and welcome to the both of you! What a terrific story of a cat needing help, and finding the person to give it, who was able to find just the ticket in the lickable treat

He has moved from completely hiding to greeting me with tail up for feeding time.

He's beautiful, and bless your heart for sharing him with us!

 

[Ms.Shane]

Furballsmom, thank you for the kind reply. I will tell Andy too!

 

[tabbytom]

All his wounds have healed. He eats like a champ and looks like a bright young cat with a friendly meow every time he sees me.

And welcome to TCS!

for your love and for taking care of Andy

 

[poolcat]

Andy is so lucky that you rescued him! Gabapentin works pretty quickly. I remember being told that it can be given the night before a vet visit and a few hours before. This site confirms that: Reduce Feline Stress For Better Vet Visits Good luck at the vet's tomorrow.

 

[Ms.Shane]

thank you so much for more informative sites to check out. Andy will not be going to the vet. He needs flea meds. I plan to give him Gabapentin 100mg to 150mg at 6:00 am tomorrow morning. I think he will be drowsy enough to medicate in 4 hours. If not, I will give him another 50mg. I say this as my vet told he I could safely give him up to 300mg. I don't want to give that much. so tomorrow will be a test of his susceptibility to Gabby. I simply (hah!) have to put Revolution + on his shoulder blade area. He's got fleas and hates them. Since he won't let me touch him, using Gabapentin is the only way I know how to accomplish this. The following day I plan to open the kennel he's been recuperating in for 7 weeks and let him roam. It worries me that he will just leave. My other 3 cats have visited him outside the kennel, as have the dogs. All seems fine, but I know things will be different once the fence is no longer between them. He was a stray/feral when I finally caught him and got him to the vet for wound care and surgery. Any advice will be appreciated. He likes me, yet is still very cautious. I don't want my other rescue/feral Kitty Boy, now a cuddly boy, to chase him off. They pretend to tolerate each other....thru the kennel fence. I will leave the kennel gate semi open for his return and yet not wide enough for the dogs to get in. Any ideas for a barrier he could maneuver, but not the dogs would be great. Thanks again for the encouraging words.

 

[poolcat]

Since you've been his source of food for quite a while, I doubt he'd leave for good unless something is seriously bothering him at your place.

There are two flea meds (Credelio and Comfortis) that may be easier to give. I use Credelio on a feral cat I'm feeding -- smush the tablet up and mix it in his wet food. It requires a prescription, but I've gotten a few rebates from the manufacturer. Fast and Effective Tick and Flea Protection for Dogs

Edit: That link says Dogs, but it leads to their cat page

 

[Ms.Shane]

Pool Cat, thank you so much for your reply. The consideration shown on this site is most gratifying.
I have used Comfortis, but am uncomfortable giving him poison internally several days in a row. He got relief for about three days. This morning at 6am he got 150mg of Gabapentin. (my vet said I could go as high as 300mg for him, I chose a more conservative amount) I will check on him at 10:00 and hope to apply Revolution+ then. I use it on my other 3 cats with good effect. Amy Cakes finally stopped scratching hair off her ears when using Revolution+.

 

[poolcat]

Oh, that's scary! Both of those edible flea treatments are supposed to work for a month, so of course you wouldn't want to give either more often than that.

 

[Ms.Shane]

Hi there poolcat, thank you again for your reply. the short answer is Capstar, Capaction and Comfortis all only work for 24 hourss. (see copy/paste info below:
My cat Andy is a semi feral. He's loving and friendly, but a touch-me -not. So I need a flea preventative solution for Mr. Touch Me Not.
REVOLUTION PLUS is expensive, but I found a UK pet supply, PeetCareClub.com, that ships to the US, the cost is much better and no prescription is needed. The Product is labeled Stronghold, by Zoetis..It's the same Revolution Plus/ same manufacturer packaged to sell in Europe.
It does take 2 weeks to ship. But I am happy with the service and product.
I did some research:
Capstar, Capaction and Comfortis all only work for 24 hours, killing only the fleas that bite the cat's skin. It is said you can use it daily for several treatments. It is also used together with a Preventative flea medication:
althought I dearly want to use Revolution Plus, I find it highly effective, Andy may make me look for something else as a preventative.

Here is info I copied fromFeral Cat site:

CREDELIO AND COMFORTIS INFO:

 

[poolcat]

Yes, Capstar and Capaction kill fleas for only about 24 hours, but Comfortis is a once-a-month medication. So it states on the manufacturer's website at Prescription Flea Medicine For Dogs & Cats | Comfortis (spinosad) From the paragraph on that page that's below the blue band: "Comfortis kills fleas before they lay eggs and keeps killing fleas for a full month with each dose."

That's wonderful that you've found an affordable source for Rev Plus. My vet says it's the most effective one available right now. I hope it does the trick for your boy Andy. I have a skittish former feral/stray who's been moved inside. He doesn't eat enough wet food to use the edible stuff; and applying his topical flea meds is always a challenge. I get really nervous about doing it since it's so important to put it where he won't be able to lick it off