Hi all,
I'm new to the Cat Site, but our cat is elderly. Teela is 16 and she's been diagnosed with a heart murmur and hypertropic cardiomyopathy (causing a thickened left ventricle). She's been prescribed benazepril (an ACE inhibitor) and frusemide (a diuretic).
Teela's taking the Frusemide, but I think the benazepril must be very bitter, because no matter what we put it in (cheese, cream cheese, margarine, even tuna) she detects it, and she won't have more than the first nibble. I worry that her heart murmur won't be properly managed if she won't take her ACE inhibitor. I don't want to have to resort to more forceful methods until I've tried everything else (she's never taken medication before; and she's only been our cat for a few years - she belonged to a relative who passed on).
Yesterday, I tried giving her a small treat of cheese with a few grains of sugar (precisely eight grains, mixed in with her pill). For the first time, she actually took her pill. But now I'm concerned.
Is it safe to continue giving this small amount of sugar with her benazepril? Otherwise, I worry she won't take it, but I don't want to do her further harm. We've had cats before, but never a senior kitty-zen, nor a cat with health problems. I love this little tabby and I want her to have as long and healthy a life as possible.
Thank you in advance,
Teela's mummy
I'm new to the Cat Site, but our cat is elderly. Teela is 16 and she's been diagnosed with a heart murmur and hypertropic cardiomyopathy (causing a thickened left ventricle). She's been prescribed benazepril (an ACE inhibitor) and frusemide (a diuretic).
Teela's taking the Frusemide, but I think the benazepril must be very bitter, because no matter what we put it in (cheese, cream cheese, margarine, even tuna) she detects it, and she won't have more than the first nibble. I worry that her heart murmur won't be properly managed if she won't take her ACE inhibitor. I don't want to have to resort to more forceful methods until I've tried everything else (she's never taken medication before; and she's only been our cat for a few years - she belonged to a relative who passed on).
Yesterday, I tried giving her a small treat of cheese with a few grains of sugar (precisely eight grains, mixed in with her pill). For the first time, she actually took her pill. But now I'm concerned.
Is it safe to continue giving this small amount of sugar with her benazepril? Otherwise, I worry she won't take it, but I don't want to do her further harm. We've had cats before, but never a senior kitty-zen, nor a cat with health problems. I love this little tabby and I want her to have as long and healthy a life as possible.
Thank you in advance,
Teela's mummy