My own quote:

Quote:

I can't take it anymore!

Medicating the Cat! Well, it's not that bad, but almost. I thought I'd start a thread on this topic because we all experience emotional "trauma" to one degree or another (from what I've read and experienced) when we have to medicate our sweet little kitties.

I also thought we might have some tips to offer - and get from one another.

It's stressful for the cats.....and it's stressful for us. I just finished with Jeremy. Now it's Molly. I thought Jeremy would be much more difficult to medicate, but it's just the opposite. The key with him would be to set 2 treats about an inch away from his nose so he could "focus" on them. And he did. He would go through anything to get a treat! It was relatively easy to give him both liquid meds and a pill once the transition was over. Most of the fear was mine.

Molly is a different story. She loves treats, but hates being medicated more. It is a trauma for her.....so it becomes one for me. She fights like crazy when I'm giving her the medication and I have to pin her down which I hate. I put her between the wall and my thigh - or between my two thighs because she is very strong.

Trust becomes an issue. She runs from me all of the time now when I walk toward her. She will still come and beg to sit on my lap during the day and purrs, but she doesn't like me walking toward her at all. She used to look up at me as I pass her by, but now she runs under the bed. She also spends too much time under the bed and I can't figure out if it's because she doesn't feel good, is stressed or she is hiding from me. When I go to pet her, she ducks. Aaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhh! I think she is losing trust in me.

Yesterday it was a disaster. The petsitter is very good at giving medication as she does this for many of her clients. She owns her own petsitting business, small as it is. She is very kind and she loves Molly and Jeremy. She is also my part-time secretary/assistant so the cats are used to her and aren't afraid of her. She gave Jeremy his medication without any problem. Well, Molly saw the syringe unfortunately and she could not get Molly out from under the bed - Molly ran under the bed on one side and out the other. The petsitter called me after coaxing Molly with treats, and anything else she could think of.

I'm usually away for a break for one 24-hour period a week since I live where I work (a small house for medically fragile women). It's important for me to get away, but I came back early to give Molly her medication. I'm going to call the vet to see if I can give her the antibiotic just one time once a week - a double dose. I know I could do this with my own antibiotic once in a while. I don't think it matters that much after the first few days as long as all the medication is given - and it's not done frequently.

At any rate, Molly is now sneezing like crazy. I think it's stress related because she is taking the same antibiotic Jeremy had for a cold. Jeremy used to get a lot of colds - and we discovered it was always when he was stressed. With Jeremy, I was told not to give him medication for his colds for the first 3 days to see if it was stress - and sure enough, every time, the sneezing would stop.

I would love to know how to help Molly not be so afraid. I know she will come around again, but it's hard.

I don't know how Margaret and Mark - and anyone else with a cat who has a chronic illness does it. I guess biting the bullet and doing the best you can works best.

Any tips?

Maria

Maria:

First, let me state that I am not an expert in medicating cats. Far from it! In fact, I can’t pill a cat, so I have been trying to get Evan to eat his pill by mixing it with food or putting it in a Pill Pocket.

What I do know is that my cats will sense my fear or concern and react accordingly. So, for me, the biggest issue is dealing with my own emotions. Once I get them under control, things are better for everyone concerned. This much, I have learned in the past week giving Evan his sup-q fluids.

One thing I have learned as a leader / manager / officer (I have trained hundreds of teenagers in various leadership and / or search and rescue skills) is that success breeds success. For me, it was doing Evan’s first sub-q fluid at the vet’s office, and having it go good. At that point, I realized that I could do it (before I was in the state that I knew that I had to do it, but was not sure I could do it). I detail it in a program called the “Four Steps for Effective Teaching”. You can see that on my website at

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My next step is to learn pilling. When I take Evan to his appointment next Thursday for his blood work, I’m going to have the vet’s office show me how to pill him, and I’m going to do it there before we come home. Once I know I can do it, the fear or concern will go away. Pilling Evan (or the rest of the cats tehn will become easy. It’s just learning the technique.

Mark

Maria,

We have run the gamut of pill giving. Simon is usually very easy to do and even when a little reluctant, we do eventually get it down him. Sumner, on the other hand, requires special treatment, approach, gear, medical equipment, etc.

First, catch him. Hmmmmm. He usually seems to know what's coming. Then, hold him in such a way that he can not claw us nor squirm out of our grasp. This often requires wrapping him in a towel AND holding him between Margaret's knees while she kneels on the floor. Then, we have to pry his mouth open and quickly, and I mean QUICKLY, pop the pill in the back of his mouth while simulataneously closing his mouth and keeping it closed until he swallows. This often means gently stroking under his chin to induce a swallow. If we don't succeed, we try again. If it does succeed, we let him go and then we bandage ourselves.

Obviously, whenever possible, Sumner gets liquid medicine. Those two are the opposite ends of the spectrum. Sumner always comes back to me that day and wants his attention, petting, etc. As for Molly, you gotta do what you gotta do and hope she'll forgive you. She will but it may take some time. Remember, you are not doing this TO her but FOR her. Eventually, she'll get accustomed to the ritual and settle down. Hang in there.

Jim

Sparky is the hardest to pill for me - he will do ANYTHING to get away and - as Jim said - THEN we break out the bandages.

I always try to do liquid meds myself - only because I think it was Milo who started gagging on a pill that wouldn't quite go all the way down and there was nothing I could do for him at that point. It really scared me. Since then, I have a fear of pilling anybody. Especially when you get those HUGE pills that are almost the size of the cat's head. Those don't go so well.....even broken in half because they have a width about them that I can't see will fit in a cat's tiny throat.

I have to catch the victim first....hehehe....that's always a treat. Use a squirt gun if one gets under the bed to run them out of there.... that always seems to work. Sparky will get totally soaked before he comes out though.... strange boy that he is.

I also put them between my knees like Margaret does - never thought of using a towel though but only Sparky has front claws. With Sparky, I need Neil to hold his front legs so he doesn't turn into a mommy hand shredder....

Like Mark said - it's attitude. You have to do it with conviction. YOU are in control and you have to believe it to make them believe it.

As for them running everytime you approach them....I deal with that daily from Muffin just because of the combing issues. She sees that comb (even when it's behind my back!!!) and she runs for the under the bed space.

Peaches - for totally UNKNOWN reasons, always ducks when I try to pet her too.... so I know how that feels. I don't know how to correct either of these behaviors - I just take them as being little idiosycracies of those cats. BOTH, however, WILL come to sit on my lap and purr and be petted when it is THEIR decision to do so. I will never understand cats, but then, I don't think we're ever supposed to. God is laughing at us for trying. It was his plan.

Michelle,
What we do, as far as the combing is concerned, is keep a comb within reach of all the places our cats like to be when they get petted. One where Margaret sits at the computer - for Galen, Minerva, Sumner, and Jolie especially. One at the table where I sit to drink coffee - mostly for Sumner who loves to be near me and occasionally for Minerva or Seamus. Seamus lets us catch him and do whatever we need to do. He's the most amenable to that sort of stuff and really loves being around his Humans. Simon will let us groom him too. He doesn't shed much and never has hairballs (I can't remember a single one from him). His shedding season usually last 2-3 days and he's done and not much comes off him either. We keep another one on the table on our back porch for when we hang out there in the evenings. These multible combs in popular places really helps.

Jim

That's an excellent idea Jim, but then I would have to leave a comb on top of the box that Muffin sleeps on and as soon as she would see me heading for her she would run.....she's a VERY skittish kitty girl. As it is now, I have a $6 or $7 comb for her that I keep on the couch and MOST OFTEN she sleeps next to me on the arm of the couch. That's where I can catch her the most. I would love it if she would just shed the hair - instead they stay in her next to the skin and make mats..... She's the only one this happens to. I don't understand it.

I think that if I put that many combs around the house, poor Muffin would always feel like she's walking through a mine field. She's very easily stressed and has had health issues arise from it as well in the past.

I never thought I could do what I have been doing for FB with the diabeties. I do know that i couldn't have done it without Margaret's help when this all first started. It is 2 years this month!!! When I first started the shots, Randy had to do them because FB will let Randy do just about anything to him. I think FB reconnizes Randy as the alpha male in the house. Besides, Randy is a no-nonsense kind of guy and I think FB sees that too. But then I started with the morning shots, and slowly got into the evening shots till now I do them all. It is much easier than I would ever have thought possible. It is too the point that if it is time for a shot, FB TELLS me that it is time by complaing loudly for it at the firdge door. I know this is far different from pilling or giving fluids, but it is the only experience I have had with dealing with long term care of an ill animal.