How do you give your cat meds

[dlaura]

Hi all,
Well now that April is on two pills a day - possibly for the remainder of her life- I am wondering how everyone medictes their cat without the cat starting to hate you?

[tiffers]

...try putting it in some kind of treat. We have these things called 'Pill Pockets'. It's a treat that wraps around the pill and the cat, if they like them, eats the treat with the pill inside. Also, if it's too much work and too stressful, you can get the other form of the medication that you wipe on their ear and it's absorbed.

[dlaura]

'Thanks Tiffers! The first pill yesterday didn't go real well and it was upsetting. Bob was upset that April will grow to hate us for doing this twice a day for the remainder of her life. This morning I put the pill inside a glob of whipped cream cheese and she just licked it all off my finger. I think she may have picked up on something in there but it was too late as she swallowed automatically. So I figured I had better have a full bag of tricks for when she figures this one out.

Is Methimazole tablets 5 mg (Tapazole) what your office would prescribe for hyperthyroidism. I was concerned that she started her on two a day rather then 1 a day. What are your thoughts on that?

[tiffers]

...it is what we use, and I think it's the only one out there, but I'm not sure. There are some dogs and cats that do need them two times a day, eventually when things get back to where they need to be, your dose may change in size or frequency. The only side-effects I know of are 'unmasking' prexisting diseases like liver or kidney disease. It does cause liver damage, that's why it's incredibly important to keep up with that maintenance bloodwork. Those are just side-effects, like with humans...not everyone experiences them, I hope I didn't just give you heart attack. :)

[dlaura]

No, you didn't just give me a heart attack as my vet had already explained all that to me. It is just me wanting to get as much info/verification as I can. She has already told me we need to re-check in a month and routinely for the remainder of April's life. Is it too soon for us to be seeing some improvement in April? I appreciate your help and input.

[tiffers]

...I don't think so. I don't really know, as the kitties we have on thyroid medication are rarely seen. They don't do the maintenance or anything of the sort. I'd imagine the first thing you'll notice is the hair coat...and maybe some energy in her.

[beasgal]

When I have to give Mackie medication in pill form, I usually grind it down and mix it in with his wet food. This works well for me because he eats the whole can of food at one time. I guess it wouldn't work to well if April is the kind of cat the only eats dry food or snacks all day long.

[dlaura]

When I have to give Mackie medication in pill form, I usually grind it down and mix it in with his wet food. This works well for me because he eats the whole can of food at one time. I guess it wouldn't work to well if April is the kind of cat the only eats dry food or snacks all day long.


I had thought of grinding it down and putting it in her food - except that she has become very finicky lately and sometimes will not eat what we put down right away and if it becomes dried out she just will not eat it at all. So I was concerned about getting her back on eating two/three times a day first and then maybe doing it that way. April was eating canned cat food every hour practically and eating like she hadn't eaten in a week - yet not putting on weight.

[tiffers]

Talk to your vet first, but with some medications you can grind them, and mix them with water or something and squirt them down her. I'm not sure if the water would do anything to Tapazole though.

[KathyW]

During our recent pill battles with our kitten, I came across someone who advocated a "compounding pharmacy", basically mixing the meds in a tasty liquid that her cat liked to eat. We do this for people too--I've worked for doctors who ask local pharmacists to mix meds into all kinds of things, from topicals (creams, ointments) to liquids for children. I wasn't going to go to those lengths for a 10 day course of treatment, but for 2 pills/day for the rest of her life, I'd definitely look into it if I couldn't come up with something else.

Other strategies I've heard of include (some of which have already been mentioned):

1. Pill pockets.

2. Grinding up the medicine (if that's possible) and mixing it with wet food. If they won't eat it themselves, some people smear it on the cat's teeth or fur and they lick it off. I tried the teeth method, and I couldn't get a lot on there at once, so I had to keep repeating the procedure. I imagine the fur method could get awfully messy. I wound up mixing the meds with a tiny amount of baby meat which I gave her via syringe.

3. Putting the cat in the sink so s/he can't back away from you to adminster the pill. Make sure the head is cocked all the way back so you can drop it straight down. Sounds like you need at least 4 hands for this. :p

4. Coating the pill with margarine/cream cheese/something slippery so it masks the taste and slides down easier.

5. Pill pushers like vets use, although the average person seems to have trouble with these. Most people seem to be worried they're going to harm the back of their cat's throat or accidentally push the pill into the windpipe.

Anyone have anything else to add to the list?

[tiffers]

We have a compound pharamcy here, too. I had forgotten about that.

[nanamouse]

I've had luck with mixing the crushed pill into just a teaspoon or so of wet food and giving it to them before the regular feeding when the cat is hungrier and less likely to be picky. Chances are that once ya'll are less nervouse about giving her the pill, and she gets used to taking them, she'll just start to accept the whole procedure as normal.

[dlaura]

OK - they syringe method had occurred to me and I couldn't think of what to mix it with. Baby food is a great idea. I will certainly keep this in mind. Thanks for the advice KathyW.

Nanamouse this cat manages to clamp her mouth so tight that I am concerned about accidentally hurting her while trying to force the issue. She just seems so fragile to me at the moment. Yet when the vet & her asst took her in back room to draw blood the vet returned and said that she was a very fiesty cat. I noticed that the original vet asst did not return - another did so I wonder if she was scratched or something. The vet said that she opted to trim April's nails for us because we would most likely have to administer meds.

[tiffers]

I noticed that the original vet asst did not return - another did so I wonder if she was scratched or something.
Not necessarily true, she may just have been starting the bloodwork and sent someone in to assist the doctor. :)

[dlaura]

Not necessarily true, she may just have been starting the bloodwork and sent someone in to assist the doctor. :)


That is good to know - I felt kind of bad there. I know that April can be a tiger when she feels like we've abandoned her. As long as I was with her she had cooperated well.

[nanamouse]

Wow, doesn't sound like she'll get used to it. I've had a few that could smell the crushed pill through the smelliest of canned cat foods and refuse to eat a bite, too. I like the sound of that stuff Tiffers mentioned that is absorbed through the ear.

[dlaura]

I am concerned about her not getting used to it myself and becoming wise to the cream cheese trick. When you pet her and stroke her down her back you can feel the spine and how bumpy it is -- I am so afraid of a bone breaking or snapping while one of us holds her and the tries to get the pill down her throat. I was so thrilled this morning when it only took one of us and I will continue doing it that way as long as it works.

[Julia423]

Oh boy, I sure don't envy you. Good luck...I use the long pill pusher the vet gave me when I need to get a pill into Charlie. Thank goodness it's not too often.

[special]

Hi all,
Well now that April is on two pills a day - possibly for the remainder of her life- I am wondering how everyone medictes their cat without the cat starting to hate you?

My cat with the seizure disorder: I give him his pill twice a day with a spoon and a little milk. I let the milk come to room temp, then say "Tolly time for your pills!" He comes, reluctantly, peeping in protest. I drop the pill into the milk, pry open his mouth with one hand and tip the milk and pill into his mouth. He gets a treat of a dot of mayonnaise after. He has been taking these pills for over five years.

I use milk because the pill dissolves too quickly in water. He also takes a liquid medicine every morning, I squirt it right down (after letting it warm to room temperature)

My senior kitty who takes 9 pills a day: Four in the morning, three at midday (one is a capsule) and two at night. Currently: I get a spoon full of yogurt and let it warm up to room temp. I gather her into my lap and put a dot of yogurt on her nose, she licks it off. this gets her saliva going so the pills don't stick.

One at a time I pry open her mouth and put a pill in as far back as I can, then close her mouth gently. I then put another dot of yogurt on her nose, when she licks it off and swallows, the pill goes down too. However she has become expert at pill hiding and, even while swallowing she sometimes can hide the pill and spit it out later, so now I have to hold her an extra long time to make sure the pills go down.

One of her pills is a capsule and it goes down so easy I wondered if I could get empty capsules and put her other pills into them, and then just pop a capsule into her mouth with all four (or two) pills in it each time. I asked her compound pharmacist and he said if I get a prescription from my vet he can sell me the empty gel caps at $5 for 100. That would be about a month's supply, so I will have my vet write me a prescription for three months at a time. I am very excited about this, I think it will make things a lot easier on her. She has been taking pills for 18 months.

She also takes mineral oil in a small amount of food twice a day, and she gets 1/8 teaspoon of pure psyllium once a day, this I mix with a 1/2 teaspoon of water, it forms a pasty lump, and I put it on my finger and just wipe it into her mouth and she kind of chews it and swallows it. She also get subq fluids four times a week.

The tapazole can be given transdermal, you rub it into the cat's ear, if the pill giving becomes too stressful for her or you or both.

Keep in mind that anything like this takes time and practice. After awhile it becomes routine for both of you, hopefully. Try to keep yourself calm, and hold her and explain to her what you are doing and why. You'll figure out a system that works for you after awhile.

[special]

During our recent pill battles with our kitten, I came across someone who advocated a "compounding pharmacy", basically mixing the meds in a tasty liquid that her cat liked to eat. We do this for people too--I've worked for doctors who ask local pharmacists to mix meds into all kinds of things, from topicals (creams, ointments) to liquids for children. I wasn't going to go to those lengths for a 10 day course of treatment, but for 2 pills/day for the rest of her life, I'd definitely look into it if I couldn't come up with something else.



I use a compunding pharmacy for my senior cat's medicine. I LOVE my compounding pharmacist.

http://fingerlakesrx.com/index.htm (click on veterinary)

John Platt RPh, Compounding Pharmacist
Finger Lakes Compounding Center
located at the Medicine Shoppe
32 E Genesee St.
Auburn, NY 13021
phone 315-253-7777 fax 315-253-6527
toll free voice: 888-253-7702

[special]

Other strategies I've heard of include (some of which have already been mentioned):


2. Grinding up the medicine (if that's possible) and mixing it with wet food. If they won't eat it themselves, some people smear it on the cat's teeth or fur and they lick it off. I tried the teeth method, and I couldn't get a lot on there at once, so I had to keep repeating the procedure. I imagine the fur method could get awfully messy. I wound up mixing the meds with a tiny amount of baby meat which I gave her via syringe.

?

be sure to check wiht your vet or pharmacist about this. Some medicines need to dissolve in certain areas of the body (stomach or intestine for example) or should take a certain amount of time to dissolve and should not be ground up.

I would worry about if the cat was getting the full dose with the "wiping method" .



3. Putting the cat in the sink so s/he can't back away from you to adminster the pill. Make sure the head is cocked all the way back so you can drop it straight down. Sounds like you need at least 4 hands for this. :p



This might be okay for a short term med, but sounds terribly stressful for life time twice a day. If you do use this method, be sure to let her put her head back down (while holding mouth closed) so she can swallow. Try swallowing with your chin pointing up, it's not easy!

For any pilling procedure, any mehtod you use, I have found that putting a dot of something the cat especially likes (mayonaise, yogurt, butter etc) will make the cat lick her nose and after she licks she swallows, and down the pill goes.

D

5. Pill pushers like vets use, although the average person seems to have trouble with these. Most people seem to be worried they're going to harm the back of their cat's throat or accidentally push the pill into the windpipe.

Anyone have anything else to add to the list?

I have heard people who "blow softly in the cat's face" to make her swallow, though I never had any luck with that.

I also know someone who swears by "giving the cat a kiss on the nose" to make her swallow, but that didn't work for me either.

Some cats can accept a capsule better, I am just finding out about this, place the pill in an empty gel cap and slide it in to the back of her throat, dot her nose with her treat, this will work for cats who take multiple pills like one of mine, or for very bitter tasting pills, but again, check with your vet or pharmacist to make sure it's okay with the particular medicine.....

Since I currently have two cats who take life maintenance pills, and have had other cats in the past on life maintenance pills I have tried many tricks! Not every method works for every cat, and you are getting some good ideas here, dlaura!

Patience and practice and time are usually the answer, and it will someday become almost routine, but some cats just will NOT ever get used to it. That's when you go to transdermal!

I understand the worry that she will come to fear or hate you. And she might, at first, run away a lot. But like I say, from much experience, it gets better, it DOES, and becomes routine. The key is for YO to stay calm and not let your anxiety at pill time show.

OH! One more idea.....this is how I started with my seizure kitty...I would wait until he was asleep, then sneak in and pry open his mouth and tip the pill and milk down before he knew it. Now, more than five years later, he actually comes when I call him, to take his pills.

[dlaura]

Wow, those are some great ideas special! Thanks so much for sharing them with me and giving me hope that this will become routine and easier with practice. You really have a day full of med giving there and must be a pro at it by now.

[Evey]

Diane, see if you can get the med put into a trans dermal. The compounding pharmacy should be able to do this. Then you can just rub it onto her ear. I don't know if there are limitations to the kinds of meds they can do this with, but it is worth looking into.

[special]

Wow, those are some great ideas special! Thanks so much for sharing them with me and giving me hope that this will become routine and easier with practice. You really have a day full of med giving there and must be a pro at it by now.

Yes indeed, I spend a lot of time medicating cats<s> But there is also plenty of time for loving them up and lots of play time and grooming time too. I am fortunate that I am able to arrange my schedule to accomodate my cats' needs.

I do kind of consider myself an expert (no false modesty here haha) but there may yet be a cat who is my match. My Lovey cat does not tolerate any messing about, so if she ever has to be on maintenance meds, I sure hope there's a transdermal for it!

She tolerates stuff going into her ears, which I know becuse she came to me from the shleter with a eyast infection in both ears.

Luckily the three times she's had to be on medication in her short life (she's only 3, but has FLUD and has had three UTIs) I discovered by some blessed interventin that she acutally LIKES the clavomox pills and thinks they are a treat. I just mix it into her food. No need for crushing even.

the first time I did this, she ate all around the pill, licked the plate, AND the pill clean, and I thought oh rats, it's not going to work, when she suddenly scooped the pill up and ate it. She saves it for last becuase she thinks it's a treat!

She also has to have laxatone every day, because she cannot bring up hairballs. She used to eat it off my finger but now lately she won't. I tried the smearing method and that did not go over well at ALL. So now I put a blob of it on the floor and she comes over and licks it off the floor.

With my Bibbs(rb) who had cancer, she was on Baytril for a long time and that is the bittest tasting medicine! For Bibbs I had to use a "pil popper"

My cat Baby(rb) was on prednisone for asthma. He was a fighter at first, but fter awhile just allowed it, like my current redboy does.

Here is a link to a video put out by Cornell University Hosptial for Animals that you may find useful.

http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/pill_or_capsule/index.shtml

[salukigirl]

if they dont just get used to it this is what we used to do with our old FIV cat. He was about 20 lbs so he put up quite a fight. We would just wrap a towel around his whole body making sure his paws were tucked in there also. And my boyfriend would help me hold him so I could just open his mouth and push the pill down. we tried liquid on his food, we tried covering it in cheese, we tried crushing it....he would always eat around it. so we just did that. it actually worked quite well. except that you have to catch him and then get the towel because if he ever saw a towel he would just run under the couch.

[special]

if they dont just get used to it this is what we used to do with our old FIV cat. He was about 20 lbs so he put up quite a fight. We would just wrap a towel around his whole body making sure his paws were tucked in there also. And my boyfriend would help me hold him so I could just open his mouth and push the pill down. we tried liquid on his food, we tried covering it in cheese, we tried crushing it....he would always eat around it. so we just did that. it actually worked quite well. except that you have to catch him and then get the towel because if he ever saw a towel he would just run under the couch.

Wrapping the cat is a very good idea, if all else fails. Like any other method, it takes practice to get good at it.

I bet you and BF are experts! It's not something I've ever had much experience with, yet, but I may some day because that Lovey cat will NOT take a pill. So in the event she needs a med that she won't eat, and that doesn't come transdermally, wrapping may be my only answer. I'll have to learn how to do it on my own though.

Could you give us a step by step descriptin of how you do it?

Some cats will even learn to accept the twice daily wrapping, though I know it sounds stressful for the cat. Cats are amazingly adaptable creatures!

And of course, you have to worry about the fragility of the animal too.

However, since the tapazole DOES come in transdermal form, if the pilling does not get better for April and dlaura, they can go to that method.

[salukigirl]

its ok to do by yourself. just wrap the towel around him, it helps if the end of the towel is on top of him, makes it harder for him to squirm out of it. and then just kinda stratle him....trying not to make this sound too adult here lol its easier to give to them if instead of prying their mouths open you pull on the skin on the backs of their necks. that opens their mouths and puts them in a submissive position so theyre less likely to swipe. it kinda catches them off guard. with a smaller cat you might not even have to wrap him up, you can just pull on their necks like a mama cat and that might be enough. the only reason we had to wrap him was because he was so big. also another thing i didnt mention, he had been a street cat his whole life and no one knew how old he was. he had some grey fur though and we guess about 7-10 years old. he had been hanging out in the neighborhood for a long time before we finally took him in. so he was massive.

now one of our cats, consuela, she just lays on her back, lets you open her mouth and physically push the pill down her throat. ive never had a cat be that okay with meds though.

another reason we used the towel is because he had claws on all 4 of his paws. i know special wont declaw lol but anyone else it might not be that drastic. i have found that the grabbing on the back of the neck does wonders though if wrapping him up seems a little too cruel. i felt bad about it at first. then got a bunch of cuts and scars on my arm, then i was fine with it lol

[phillydogs]

We always have to wrap Earl to do anything with him, even cut his nails. You just toss a towel over them from behind, scoop 'em up then wrap like a burrito with just the head sticking out. Much easier to work with.

Liquid medication always seems to work best for us. Having to stick the pill in his mouth every day was horrible and he would bite my finger up every time. A syringe or baby dropper worked best for us but many times I crushed the pills and put it only in a little bit of a 'treat' food like tuna for him. But read labels! As Tiffers so awesomely pointed out not long ago, a lot of tunas have other crap in them like onion and chile powder! Even ones that just say 'tuna in water'.

[dlaura]

Well hubby tried a variation of something mentioned above and it is working like a charm. The vet had said it would be ok to crush the pill and mix it in something. So, Bob (hubby) crushes the pill and puts a little milk on a tablespoon, calls April who is watching from the family room and she trots right over and laps the milk off the spoon. Bob adds a tiny bit more milk and she again laps it up. Repeats one more time to be sure all the pill is gone. She feels like she got a treat and we are happy the pill went down so easily.

Again, thank you all for your thoughts and tips.

[special]

Well hubby tried a variation of something mentioned above and it is working like a charm. The vet had said it would be ok to crush the pill and mix it in something. So, Bob (hubby) crushes the pill and puts a little milk on a tablespoon, calls April who is watching from the family room and she trots right over and laps the milk off the spoon. Bob adds a tiny bit more milk and she again laps it up. Repeats one more time to be sure all the pill is gone. She feels like she got a treat and we are happy the pill went down so easily.

Again, thank you all for your thoughts and tips.

Yay! that's great, thanks for the update!

Keep in mind that milk can cause diahrrea in some cats so keep a close eye on her litter box for a few days to make sure the milk isn't bothering her. (It never has bothered my cat who gets it twice a day) And if there are some days she won't accept the milk, you might see right now if you can find other things she will eat, like yogurt (one of mine loves it) or mayonaise (two of mine love it) or even baby food (no onion or garlic)for back up.

I can feel your relief form here!<ggg>

[dlaura]

Thanks special. I had thought of the milk possibly bothering her and will suggest to hubby we switch around so she doesn't tire of any one thing. Do you use plain yogurt? I know she likes mayo so that is another thing we can use. Yes, I am greatly relieved that April is taking her med cooperatively.

[tiffers]

That's awesome! I'm glad you guys found something that's less forceful! :)

[dlaura]

That's awesome! I'm glad you guys found something that's less forceful! :)

Thanks Tiffers! Well April has been watching our birds sip off a spoon and has been wanting to have a spoon to eat off also. Except we've had no reason to really do that - well now we do and she is "being a bird" I guess. :)

[tiffers]

That's cute...let her think she's a bird, and you'll get quite a show I'm sure. :)

[lexi]

Hi dlaura My 3 1/2 year old cat was just diagnosed with asthma. The vet put her on oral steroids and an anti biotic in pill form. After dealing with a number of cats for the past 20 years, I've tried everything. Olivia does not like any table food or treats so I just open her mouth and drop the pill into her mouth then I hold her mouth closed until she swallows the pill. So far I haven't delt with large pills but I guess I'll cross that bridge wihen I come to it. However I'm thinking of using an inhaler so that should be a challange

[d_broncochic]

Hi to old buddies and hello to new folks.

....
my thoughts on getting cats to take anything...they are soooo independant.... is.. TUNA! What cat can resist? So what if you dissolve the pills in some tuna juice and then add some tuna to the mixture for a tasted medicated treat?

[katiebug]

I know I am late replying to this tread, but my parents have a senior cat that is on the same thyroid medication, the pills twice a day. They buy the very soft cat treats at the store and we mold them around the pill, she doesn't even notice. When we've had to give medication and the pills are too big to be disguised in a treat easily, we will cut the pills into smaller pieces and spread them over a few treats. Always seems to work. We have tried grinding pills in the past and spreading them over food (when they are in powder form), but this has never worked because I suspect the medicine has a taste to it, and no cat we've had has ever fallen for it. They will just walk away from the food without touching it. When I've had to give Julie medication, I try to get liquid if it as possible and I just use a syringe (no needle, just the plastic body) and I hold her mouth open gently and squirt it in. She swallows it all down. Plus we have a pharmacy that caters to pet medications and will add any flavor that you want to liquid medication; chicken, turkey, tuna, etc. We get tuna, and she has no problems with it. :)

[Extremis]

With the doggies, in a piece of Cheddar Cheese (low fat) or in a piece of Banana works :)
(also crushing the pills and mixing in with their food works too, especially if I add some fresh cooked veggies--blended in the blender--to the mix)

With the kitties, Cheddar Cheese (low fat) also works :)
As well as crushed into their food.
(If you mix it in Tuna, I'd suggest the no-salt version,packed in water)

[special]

Thanks Tiffers! Well April has been watching our birds sip off a spoon and has been wanting to have a spoon to eat off also. Except we've had no reason to really do that - well now we do and she is "being a bird" I guess. :)

AWWWWWW, now she gets the same "treat" as the bird! I bet she feels really special!

My Lovey gets jealous when my senior lady gets her meds and treats, though not as jealous as she used to. So now Lovey gets her blob of laxatone while my senior lady gets her morning meds.

As for my senior kitty and her yogurt, she'll eat just about any flavor I've offered. She especially likes the Yoplait (only kind I get) orange cream, but she likes the strawberry or the vanilla too. Not blueberry. Cherry (MY favorite) is okay but she'd rather have somehting esle. I open a yogurt and scoop a few teaspoonfuls into a small plastic container and keep it in the fridge. When it's gone (about a week) I put a differnt flavor in for the next week.

[xpalaboyx]

...try putting it in some kind of treat. We have these things called 'Pill Pockets'. It's a treat that wraps around the pill and the cat, if they like them, eats the treat with the pill inside. Also, if it's too much work and too stressful, you can get the other form of the medication that you wipe on their ear and it's absorbed.


nice idea... Giving medicine to my pets is one of the hardest task a pet owner need to do... Specially if the pet doesnt like the taste of the medicine.