Please help my itchy kitty!

[rupie's mom]

Rupert is a 9 year-old DSH with terrible allergies. We've ruled out fleas, mites, fungus, mange, and food. It's likely a pollen or something else airborne. Up until last year, he'd get a cortisone shot a couple of times a year, and would be fine. But, his last injection put him into heart failure, and the treatment for that put him into kidney failure. Against ALLLLL odds, he survived, and has made a nearly full recovery!!

YAY RUPIE! The docs see no reason why he won't be with me for years to come.

Unfortunately, his allergies are back with a vengeance. I've tried EVERYTHING. He will not wear a baby shirt. When I put it on him. He lays in the same place and won't eat or use the litter box. It doesn't get better with time. He's gone an entire day like that. Same situation with the e-collar (except, add "will only walk backwards" to the list of behaviors). He will NOT take a pill, either. If you put a pill in his food, he will not eat. Period. For days, if that's how long you leave a pill in his food. Or, he will eat around it if you put it in dry food. If I try to pill him, he foams at the mouth - like, drooling gallons - so that, even if I can get the pill in his mouth, he dribbles it out. Or, he'll hide it in his cheek like a chipmunk and spit it out 30-45 minutes later. He is the world's coolest cat, but is WAY too smart for his own good.

Do any of you have ANY suggestions for what I can do for my poor baby? He's tearing himself to pieces, and it's making both of us miserable. ANY suggestions are welcome.

What's the story with Benedryl? I've heard conflicting things on giving Benedryl to cats. I could probably force him to swallow the dye-free baby liquid, but I don't want to do anything to hurt him. He has a cardiologist and a renal doctor who are out of ideas, except that we see the dermatologist. He is only in the office one day a month though, and appointments are months out.

I just want this kitty to feel better! I would be forever in your debt if you could offer any suggestions for us.

Thank you!!!!

 

[esrandall2000]

Have you tried putting his pill in a gelcap? Then I put the gelcap in a pill pocket which gives me enough traction to slide it just behind my kitty's tongue. The gelcap protects the pill from dissolving in his mouth, hence no foaming.

 

[rupie's mom]

I've tried the Greenies pill pockets. He won't touch them. I haven't tried to pill him with one, though. I'll give that a shot. Thank you for the tip!

 

[esrandall2000]

Originally Posted by Rupie's Mom

I've tried the Greenies pill pockets. He won't touch them. I haven't tried to pill him with one, though. I'll give that a shot. Thank you for the tip!

Good luck!!!!!!! I'm also fortunate in that though I have to pill my cat 5 times in the morning and again in the evening, it feels like cheating because he doesn't have any teeth! Vibes for you and your baby::vibe s:: vibes:

 

[carolina]

Something else you can do, is to put butter on the pill, before pilling him, and then putting it as far back in his throat as you can... The butter makes the pill go right in, so he can't spit it off, it also prevents the foaming, as it covers the pill, so the kitty doesn't taste the bitterness...
Do you have a pill popper? That would also help you to put the pill far on his throat - you can get one from your vet. Put a lot of butter in the pill first (unsalted), then in the pill popper.

 

[the_food_lady]

You can buy various sized empty gelatin capsules, both at healthfood stores and online (eg: www.iherb.com) that are great for giving pet meds. You simple open up the empty gelcap, pop the pill in, I always lube up one end of the gelcap (the one going into the mouth first) with a touch of butter or olive oil......get it as far back in the mouth as possible.......massage the chin following to stimulate them to swallow..........then you MUST very slowly squirt about 2-3 cc's of water (in a syringe) into the mouth........to ensure the gelcap (or any pill) goes down and doesn't get stuck somewhere in the esophagus (which can cause erosive esophagitis).

Have you considered that it might be something in your home that's causing the problem?

Do you use plug-in air fresheners?

Those deodorized carpet powders that you sprinkle on the carpet then vacuum up?

Scented candles in your home?

(just like in humans, cats can have "inhalant allergies", too. Meaning, something they're inhaling causes an allergic reaction).

Do you by any chance bathe your cat? I ask because some people, unfortunately, think a cat needs to be regularly bathed which is a big no-no.

Could it be some kind of reaction to chemicals in your laundry products or whatever you might use to wash your cat's blankets, cat beds, or areas where cat lays? Have you tried hypoallergenic laundry soap?

Do you regularly change your furnace filter?

 

[rupie's mom]

I hadn't thought about the air fresheners. Unfortunately, I just moved into my house, and the prior owners' pets peed EVERYWHERE. We didn't know about it until after I moved in (of course), so the carpet had to be treated repeatedly. I used the air fresheners to help with the terrible odor. I was able to change the carpet pad, but did not budget for recarpeting the house, and just couldn't do it right now. I think it may be something in the carpet that has aggravated his allergies, but he's had them the entire 7 years that I've had him. I have terrible allergies and lung problems, so I religiously change filters and only use the highest quality. I will unplug the air fresheners though, now that majority of the smell is gone...

Thank you for the tip! And for all of the pilling suggestions. I do have a piller, so combining that with the gelcaps may help...

 

[the_food_lady]

It's possible that the previous owners, prior to moving, shampooed the crap out of the carpets with all kinds of carpet cleaning solutions, anything to try to get rid of the stains/odor. Not sure if you have this where you live but here where I am, there are professional carpet cleaning companies that clean only with hot steam. Speaking of which, they're coming this afternoon to mine LOL. Maybe you could find one who does this........and have your carpeted areas super steam-cleaned; that might help to get rid of the residue of cleaners and chemicals. Might be good for you, too!

 

[girlsetsfiyah]

Hi there!

Just wanted to mention we have the same issue going on with the new shelter kitty we adopted.

He's easy to pill, thank god (put it in a food meatball and he gobbles it up!) But long story short, we still have no idea what his allergy is. We think it may be chicken, however, even with transitioning to hypo foods, he still scratches like a maniac sometimes, I'm constantly cleaning/picking scabs off. We now have him taking prednisone, which is helping, however I feel that the dusty litter and dry apartment may not be helping. Goal for this weekend: Find new litter that's clumping and low on dust (Help? I heard Tidy Cat is good?), and buy a humidifier. He's not bad to the point where his skin is a mess and we have to keep a cone on him, though.

Being a vet assistant, I understand your woes trying to pill a "too smart for his own good" cat! What is the type of pill you're using? Is it a capsule, or a tablet? I found with capsules if you wet it slightly (or butter as suggested), it will go down better and not cause a foamy mess! Are you giving a water "chaser" afterwards? Ask your vet, or pick up a small syringe (no needle!) at a drug store. After you get the pill as far back in the throat as possible, shoot in a small amount of water and massage the throat gently. keep giving small amounts of water. Hopefully that will help get it down!

Alternatively, if nothing will get the pill into him, call your vet and ask if it's possible to have the medication compounded into a gel (done with meds such as tapazole) and it's put on the ear and absorbed. Is the med avaliable in liquid form and you can just syringe it in the mouth?

If all else fails, call your vet. Explain how impossible he is to pill, and see what they can suggest, or do to help.

Sorry for the long post! I hope it helps! Good luck!

 

[rupie's mom]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks again for all of the tips! I did get in touch with Rupie's vets, and they told me I can give him Benedryl until he's able to see the dermatologist. He is allowed to have 12.5 mg, 2-3x/day. I got liquid because of the whole pilling issue. He drooled it out, and then made himself throw up. UNBELIEVABLE. I'm definitely getting the dermatologist to compound a paste for his ear...

 

[bunnelina]

Do check for other environmental triggers in your new place, which could be making the poor fellow even worse. I hope it is the air fresheners. I have asthma and I can't be in any place that has them. They constrict my lungs in a few seconds. Open windows, air the place out....

It sounds like your cat is an ideal candidate for injected medications. If you can get his meds compounded into a subcutaneous injection (a fine needle that goes just under the fur, which is super-easy, a bit like injecting a sweatshirt

) you will be able to give him his meds in seconds. Often my cats didn't even know I was doing it. I sneaked up behind them when they were eating and they barely twitched.

If you are stuck with giving pills, another option is rolling it in a tiny bit of Laughing Cow soft cheese. Try giving some as a treat first, a few hours before your pill session; my cats love cheese as treats. It is stickier than butter and very hard to spit out. I had better results with it than with a pill shooter, greenies, liquids in a syringe, or anything else. Before I tried the cheese, I was wondering if my cat was capable of ejecting pills from her EARS — the next day!

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried Claritin? I give my girl 1/4-1/2 tablet daily. It dissolves easily in water, so I mix it with her wet food concoction and add a dash of water. Drop the pill in the water part, let it dissolve and mix it all together. I get the generic form at Wal-Mart (Equate brand, Loratidine, 10 mg). So much easier than pilling her!

Also, you might want to add some fish oil to his/her diet. This has helped with the dryness issue of skin and fur with my girls.

 

[rupie's mom]

Thanks everyone!

I've tried a bunch of different things, and Rupie keeps figuring out a way around ALL of them. I ended up bathing him last night because he was just a mess from all of the chewing and licking. He seemed to be okay, but then went under the bed and hasn't come out. I had to leave him to go to work, so hopefully he's okay...

He is going in to see a dermatologist next week, so we'll see what they can come up with. He had to have sub-q fluids when he was in kidney failure, so maybe that will be an option. He has figured out how to take off the baby shirt, spit out the pill or avoid anything with a pill hidden in it (even his favorite - chicken & dumplings), and scratched at the e-collar so much that he ripped a huge hole in his neck. Sheesh!

Wish us luck at the dermatologist next week. Not sure what this is going to take...

 

[maiseycat]

Your vet didn't teach you how to pill a cat? Maisey has a food allergy and the vet prescribed Prednisone because Maise has a heart murmur so she couldn't have a cortisone shot. These are teeny pills, but my cat is very finkicky about food and I don't think wet food would be a good idea with her vomiting lately. Anyway, you get one person to hold her with one arm and prop her head straight up with the other hand (this sounds difficult, but Maisey is very calm with my mom for some reason). I squirt a syringe of water in Maise's mouth which (should but not always) open it up enough to drop the pill in. When my vet and I did this, I thought I'd never be able to do it at home esp. since Maise is very jumpy, but she responds so well to my mom. We've had zero problems getting the pills in her. Good luck!

 

[rupie's mom]

Sadly, the problem with Rupert is not getting pill in his mouth, the problem is that he DROOLS until the pill dribbles out. It's amazing to witness, honestly. I should film it and post the video...

He's seeing the dermatologist on Monday. I'm hoping they'll compound SOMETHING into a paste that I can put in his ear. I've tried EVERYTHING to keep him from getting to his skin. The e-collar, a baby shirt, nasty tasting hot-spot spray, fish oil, vitamin E oil, Benedryl... NOTHING works. Ugh! Cross your fingers for me!

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by Rupie's Mom

Sadly, the problem with Rupert is not getting pill in his mouth, the problem is that he DROOLS until the pill dribbles out. It's amazing to witness, honestly. I should film it and post the video...

Put the pill inside of a pill pocket before pilling him, that will prevent the drooling... Don't give it to him as a treat - actually pill him by putting the pill all the way on the back of his throat, but inside of a pill pocket. You can help it to go down by squirting some water with a little syringe afterwords...