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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2005cat will *not* accept oral medication
sorry this is a bit long ... Well, I blithely said I was giving my cat oral medication - huh!! she's on a course of medication which comes one week on one week off, and the first week I managed to get most of it into her via her food, but by the last meal she rejected it out of hand, and it sat there for 24 hours. The reason I was giving it to her that way, is that she is very difficult with oral stuff - though basically good-natured. Anyway this a.m. we were due to start on the next weeks med, and I decided to give it to her (via syringe) directly. Now I'm not an expert cat medicator, but our other cat (a tom) obeys the general rules (hold between knees, tip head back, open mouth etc) This cat is nothing like that. Hold between knees, tip head back, any attempt to open mouth, or introduce syringe into mouth corner results in fantastic rapid powerful head shaking so that I feel I could (maybe) only restran her by hurting her (clearly not an option) The vet was very stern with me about this until he tried to look in her ears - even with one person holding her body, and another holding her head he could't get his scope in her ear canal. On top of this, this cat doesn't eat treats. She eats dry food, and has part of a sachet of wet food each day for variety, some of which she sometimes eats. I mean *no* treats. Not cream, not meat paste, not prawns, chicken, not nothing :-( But I have to get this medicine into her. (This is Itrafungol for ringworm - itraconazole and this med is expensive £50 / course - I rejected griseofulvin £4 / course because I understand it's problematic for cats.) Think that's the full story. Any ideas? Jim My cat has to have a tablet each day. Fortunately she is really good. Meanwhile I had to learn the best method - despite the vet initially demonstrating. I have found the easiest and best way is 1. Put the cat on the floor with the wall behind her so she cannot reverse. 2. With tablet in one hand bend down over her and make a small fuss of her with the other hand so you are above her at all times. 3. The small fuss of her will relax her. Whilst this is going on I find you can deftly place your free hand under her chin to make her look up at you. It's whilst she is in this position you can swiftly and gently prise open the mouth slightly and pop the tablet in towards the back. I find it much easier than trying to medicate her when she is on a higher or same level as me as she looking up, the mouth opens naturally and more easily with little effort from you and you can quickly pop the tablet in. Well, it works for me anyway. sarah >My cat has to have a tablet each day. Fortunately she is really good. >Meanwhile I had to learn the best method - despite the vet initially [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Well, it works for me anyway. Thanks Sarah - it would probably work with our tom-cat too - but if you imagine winding up a spring till it's powerful enough to turn you upside down and blow your ears off, and then imagine that spring being released when you touch you cat's nose - that's our Tabby :-) Jim >But I have to get this medicine into her. I think I got flamed the last time I discussed this trick, but I'll give it another go. There's a groomer/vet/vet tech trick for getting cats to calm down when being restrained. One scruffs the cat with one hand, and then gently taps the cat's forehead, just back from the eyes repetitively with the index finger on the other hand. When done properly, most cats will immediately stop struggling and just sort of zone out while the tapping goes on. Hell if I know exactly how it works, it just does. It allows another person to shave, inject, whatever, the cat more safely. This would mean you'd need a helper to pill the kitty, but it might work. Orchid See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid > I think I got flamed the last time I discussed this trick, but > I'll give it another go. There's a groomer/vet/vet tech trick for [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > whatever, the cat more safely. This would mean you'd need a helper to > pill the kitty, but it might work. You got flamed for that? That's what we do at the shelter when trying to calm down a cat being vetted. All it is is lightly tapping a cat with a finger or pen.  Signature-Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net "Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG >You got flamed for that? That's what we do at the shelter when trying to >calm down a cat being vetted. All it is is lightly tapping a cat with a >finger or pen. Yeah, but I was accused of 'thumping' a cat, and people went off on how 'If anybody thumps my cat I'm thumping them!'. As a groomer safe gentle restraint is a very important part of my job, and some people here got very upset at the idea of it. I asked a vet friend of mine if she knew about the tap trick, and she said that she used it and she thinks it hits an acupressure point. Orchid See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid >>But I have to get this medicine into her. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >whatever, the cat more safely. This would mean you'd need a helper to >pill the kitty, but it might work. Thanks Orchid - certainly worth a try, and interesting whatever ... Jim > sorry this is a bit long ... > [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > > Jim This is how I do it: http://www.lbah.com/ear_cleaning.htm#fr snip >This is how I do it: http://www.lbah.com/ear_cleaning.htm#fr lovely cat - and so calm - I really need to take some pictures to put alongside those put your cat on the towel - scrabble scrabble - pick up the towel, and cat, try to lay out towel while cat rotates all four legs in different drections like mad helicopter ... Get towel more or less round cat, and front part up to neck. Push escapiing front leg back down neck part while trying to ignore back paw getting perilously close to tender bits of anatomy .... Cat now wrapped in towel, but wriggling like maniac, so get second victim, sorry helper to hold cat abd collect randomly appearing legs. Attempt to tilt cat's head backwards, cat goes rigid. Insert tip of finger and thumb into sides of mouth. Ooo - I can feel teeth ... low growls suggest cat can feel fingers. Approach cat with pill/piller/ syringe/good intentions. Cat withdraws head and neck at stupendous speed while rotating head 90% left and right, breaking grip, surprising helper, and spreading medication all over floor. Now, let me just check your pictures again ... Nope, not much like that I guess :-) Jim > snip > > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Jim I recently had to give Clavamox to a foster kitty. My first attempt was done with the help of my dh. One of us held the cat and the other opened her mouth with the intent of squirting the meds in from a syringe. She shook her head so violently that the dh and I wore the medication she got none. Ok back to drawing board. Next attempt : dh scruffs the cat, I wrap scruffed cat very securely with towel with only the head sticking out. I get wrapped cat into a reasonable position for me to squirt in medications and have the dh scruff her again. This pretty much immobilizes her head so I can squirt in the medication a little at a time giving her opportunity to swallow. The next time I didn't need her scruffed once she was wrapped and by the time she was done taking the meds I just had to put her in my lap and squirt some in the side of her mouth. The same approach can be taken with pilling. I find I do best with my reluctant cats if I slip the pill in the side of their mouth near the back. That way it's near the back of their mouth already and they have less opportunity to chomp on my finger. Good luck! W JIM! You certainly are trying! LOL Can you get your cat into a pillow case? If so, once in, tighten pillow case around the neck & safety pin it. If you can feel the cat's claws thru the pillow case, then you might try the "burrito" town wrap over the pillow case. (Pillow case idea is from a suggestion a long time ago - if there's a fire & you need to get your pets out - shove them in pillow cases). When trying to get her into the pillow case, try grabbing the scruff of the neck & see if she calms down just a bit, enuf to get her into the case. I saw this technique used on Animal Planet on big cats. Remember, the scruff of the neck is the way her mom picked her up. Hope "this" helps a bit! Joan >snip >> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > >Jim Fla Joan >I blithely said I was giving my cat oral medication - huh!! > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >The reason I was giving it to her that way, is that she is very difficult with >oral stuff - though basically good-natured. Hi Jim, Can your vet get this prescription in a chewable flavored form? Most antibiotics and meds like tapazole are available here in a chewable flavored suspension that has no med taste at all. -mhd > sorry this is a bit long ... > [quoted text clipped - 55 lines] > > Jim This describes the process chez Zythophile; http://www.catclinic.co.uk/fun/givepill.htm SignatureZ 51? 37' 23" N, 3? 56' 27" W snip >This describes the process chez Zythophile; >http://www.catclinic.co.uk/fun/givepill.htm that's the model of cat I was thinking of :-) anyway, I was wondering if getting mediation as powder / ground up pill, mixed with butter and applied to surface of cat (like front of forelegs), might be a way... J > anyway, I was wondering if getting mediation as powder / ground up pill, > mixed [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > J Can this medicine be compounded into a transdermal cream at all? The cream can be rubbed into the ear. My cat Dash was very hard to medicate and I had the pharmacist do this for her Tapazole, although she eventually caught on to that, too. I finally found one way that Dash would take her pill: I would put it in a blob of salmon flavored hairball remedy, and she would like it all up. Very strange cat. Signature-Kelly kelly at farringtons dot net "Wake up, and smell the cat food" -TMBG Have similar problem with our kitty and am currently giving her three different liquid meds twice daily. What a picnic! Her doses are 1cc of two and 0.3cc of one. I've found that using a 1cc syringe works best - the vet had provided 3cc syringes to use for the 1cc doses. After trying the 3cc once I opted for the smaller. The much smaller diameter makes it easier to get into her mouth. Also, I wait until she's comfortably curled up in a chair or on the bed and then have a go at it. I reach around the back of her head with my left hand, tip her head back a little and at that point she'll usually open her mouth to protest. A quick squirt of the syringe and the evil deed is done. I wait about 30-45 minutes before trying the second dose. I find that the less I have to try and restrain her the easier it is to give her the meds. Hope this helps - and best of health to your kitty! Jenny's mom
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