Kitty help?

[MoonCat]

I hope the liquid works. Try squirting it into the corner of her mouth, sometimes this works better than aiming for the center (not always, if one doesn't work try the other).

GK, a little story: My cat Rocky, years ago, suffered from a type of stomatitis that made his mouth extremely sore. He could barely eat. After trying several things, my vet decided to try a rather expensive medication that was seeing some good results with other cats. He wrapped Rocky in a towel (he was a big cat), put the pill on the end of a pet piller, and popped it into Rocky's mouth. Vet says, "don't worry, I'm really good at this."

The pill went in, and the vet tech rubbed his throat to get him to swallow. Instead, Rocky shot that pill out with such force, it ricocheted off three walls and landed in the corner. The vet said, "I give up."

(He only gave up on that med, actually and eventually Rocky did recover. He lived to be 21.)

[NYTCRAWLER94]

What Kittish said.



Hell, when I adopted Hunter (my Black Lab), he had kennel cough at the time, so we were sent home with his kennel cough meds, which....Surprise, surprise, he didn't like to take alone...Dad and I cooked up a little scheme, where we heated up a cheddarwurst, sliced it down the middle, and then we put the pill in that way (sometimes, he'd be sneaky and take the pill out, but, anyways).



Bottom line, here, is yes....See if your cat will accept her meds, mixed in with her food...I don't see why that wouldn't work, though I've not had any experience with cats, so take what I say with a grain of salt

[protege]

Place cat on bath towel. Fold over one side and wedge it under the cat as tightly as you can. Repeat with the other side. The goal is a burrito with only the head sticking out. burrito can be positioned to allow droppers or pills to be pushed into the mouth with a minimum of fuss. Gravity is your friend.

I had to do that with Baxter. He got a nasty cut on his neck from his collar. I washed the cut out with soap and water, then took him to the vet. Since the area was slightly inflamed, he was on an antibiotics. I wasn't about to get my arms and legs all cut up from flailing claws, so I wrapped him up in a blanket, then gave him the pill. I had to hold his mouth shut until he swallowed, and he wasn't happy about that. But, eventually the cut healed up, and he forgave me.

[Fudgethatkay]

I had to wrestle her...

She won't eat unless I take the cone off either. (Little diva) So I give her a little food at a time, take off the cone, watch her like a hawk, then put it back.

All that medicine spit up got on her face fur though. And she isn't really fond of me at the moment.

But she is going back to her moody self, which I actually miss. Sure she isn't a cuddly girl unless its night-time or you have food, but I like her the way she is.

Her mother is next week. ._.

[strawbabies]

Ugh, those exist? My vet didn't even offer that option. I eventually had to go Steve Irwin on her as it was the only way to get her any medication into her. I'm lucky she didn't bleed me out. Mine needed not just oral meds but also ear drops. Its difficult to say which was more challenging to apply.

I work for a vet. The med-infused treats are something we have to get a compounding pharmacy to make for the pet. We call in the prescription, and then the pet's owner has to go pick it up from them.

[Gravekeeper]

The pill went in, and the vet tech rubbed his throat to get him to swallow. Instead, Rocky shot that pill out with such force, it ricocheted off three walls and landed in the corner. The vet said, "I give up."

See "projectile vomiting" above. >.>

A cat spits in the same manner as a snake ( Which is to say it just sprays saliva at you ). Which is exactly what a cat is mimicking when it hisses and spits at a threat. Its saying "Fuck off, I'm actually venomous". It can't spit like a primate or camelid ( We who are capable of targeting disgusting singular projectiles at foes ).

It suddenly occurs to me that I may watch far too many BBC documentaries.

I work for a vet. The med-infused treats are something we have to get a compounding pharmacy to make for the pet. We call in the prescription, and then the pet's owner has to go pick it up from them.

Ahh, I see. Next time she needs something I'll ask the vet about it.

[fireheart]

"cat burrito" *snerk*

we had to burrito our Tonk when he was still alive and a kitten, whenever we had to trim his claws. Back paws were fine, front paws he'd freak out. So we had to burrito him everytime. In the end, we just gave up and let the vet do it.
we also had to semi-burrito the same cat when we first brought him home as a kitten. He wouldn't stop mewing the entire trip home (about a 30-minute drive), so about 5-10 minutes away from the house, we finally pulled over and mum pulls him out of the carrier. He refused to let go of the blanket, so mum just burritoed him up in it.

[Fudgethatkay]

two days later...she isn't using the litterbox even though I put newspapers strips in it....but she did go potty somewhere...I smell it.

I hope this isn't going to be a long habit

[lordlundar]

I've considered ordering chain mail gloves to deal with baths, groomings and medications. -.-

Won't help. Chain mail works against slashing and bludgeoning weapons. All that will happen is the cat will get more hooked into you and then you BOTH will be screwed.

[Geek King]

Have you explored the art of the cat burrito?

Place cat on bath towel. Fold over one side and wedge it under the cat as tightly as you can. Repeat with the other side. The goal is a burrito with only the head sticking out. burrito can be positioned to allow droppers or pills to be pushed into the mouth with a minimum of fuss. Gravity is your friend.

Back when I was pilling my cat, I found sticking her in an empty pillow case with just the head exposed worked fairly well. She used the claws for purchase rather than attack because of the nebulous bottom of the pillowcase.

[Kittish]

two days later...she isn't using the litterbox even though I put newspapers strips in it....but she did go potty somewhere...I smell it.

I hope this isn't going to be a long habit

Cats don't like change. Newspaper strips in her litterbox may have been an 'ewww, no' moment for her. Times I've had cats spayed, I kept their usual litter in the box, just made sure it was really clean and scooped the box a few times a day. Then keep an eye on the incision and make sure it stays clean. In about a week it'll be mostly healed up.

For cleaning up the oops spot, get some enzymatic cleaner. It breaks down the residual odor so the spot doesn't keep smelling like a good spot to potty. If you have carpeting, be sure you apply enough to soak the pad under the carpet as well.

[bbbr]

My family had a cat that was a nasty little sod when it can to pills, ear mite cleaning or general wound debriding (he would routinely tangle with and kill possums...). We wound up making a cat burrito with 2" velcro strips along the length of it as a way to keep him contained. Otherwise he would escape and shred whoever had the gall to hold him down.

Very affectionate cat otherwise

[Moirae]

Have you explored the art of the cat burrito?

Place cat on bath towel. Fold over one side and wedge it under the cat as tightly as you can. Repeat with the other side. The goal is a burrito with only the head sticking out. burrito can be positioned to allow droppers or pills to be pushed into the mouth with a minimum of fuss. Gravity is your friend.

Your results may vary.

lol. This is what I was going to suggest in different terms. It works wonderfully.

[Sapphire Silk]

If it's liquid, easiest to mix with a bit of canned cat food. Never yet met a cat who didn't love that stuff.

You haven't met Taz, then. She won't eat canned cat food. I've offered several varieties as a treat and she won't eat them.

And yes, cats chew. I watch mine chew pretty thoroughly when I give them chicken, especially when it's raw. They gnaw off bits small enough to swallow. Most dry kibble is small enough that most cats don't NEED to chew it, so a lot of times won't.

Taz chews. The left over bits of her kibble litter the bowl and the floor after every meal.

two days later...she isn't using the litterbox even though I put newspapers strips in it....but she did go potty somewhere...I smell it.

I hope this isn't going to be a long habit

Probably not. Cats will avoid the litter box if they associate it with pain. The newspaper may throw her off enough that she thinks she can't use it. When the stitches heal, you can remove the newspaper and she'll go back to using it.

[MoonCat]

GK, it may technically be projectile vomiting, but in effect it was spitting. Cats can use their tongues to push pills out pretty fast when they want to, so it amounts to the same thing. Whatever it's called, they can make it difficult to get meds in, that's for sure, and I've put a lot of meds into cats (including fluids by needle, insulin injection by needle, liquid meds by mouth, pills in various ways. Loads of fun....not), with varying success over the years.

SapphireSilk, I have a cat who doesn't care much for canned food. She loves the dry stuff, and she'll eat a little bit of canned when she feels like it, but usually she snubs the canned stuff. She'll try to bury it sometimes and she's not saving it for later --- just doesn't care for it.