Giving tablet to a cat - getting desperate!!!

Froglet

HOW TO GIVE A CAT A PILL


1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees. Hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check the label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbour’s shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for the date of last tetanus jab. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Ring Fire Brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid the cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat’s paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to Casualty, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for RSPCA to collect cat and ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters. ....


HOW TO GIVE A DOG A PILL. Wrap it in bacon

Mrs_Z

Hello to all who have been reading this thread.

Just to update you on the situation - the results of the blood tests came back with kidneys ok, liver ok:ish but T4 off the scale. Yesterday vet gave an injection of anti-biotics and anti-inflammatory in case the cat had sore teeth (they look ok) and said it would also act as an appetite stimulant.

This morning we had to give her the pill 'manually' - wrapped her in towel and down the hatch, so to speak. Result: pill was spat out in seconds but the repeated attempt seems to have worked we think. Lots of fuss and cat was sitting next to me purring a little while later so does not seem to hold a grudge.

She also ate 1-2 mouthfuls of food, so I'm praying that her appetite will return to normal and the cream cheese will do the trick as in the past.

rochja

Glad to hear there are signs of progress. My only words of comfort are: It could be worse - you could be administering pessaries

Nearlyuseless

We have a cat with an enlarged heart so I have been desperate at times about him taking his medication on time. He has to take tablets 3 times a day.

I have found this to work nearly all of the time, I use Purely Scrummy Chicken Chunks that you can buy in 25g pkts from Pets at Home.
I dampen a chunk with a little water and mold it around the tablet and then put it into a little food, when he has eaten that I give him the rest of the food.

The chunks are very strong smelling so he can't smell the tablet at all.
We also found that he took the chunk best in a small amount of Gourmet Solitaire which is quite dear but is on offer now at Pets at Home, Tesco and Sainsburys at 5 for £3 ( he doesn't like the chicken one too much though and the tuna and shrimp one is complementary for some reason.)
It is worth it for peace of mind though and our cat really enjoys it, we only really give it to him with his tablets.

I hope that you will try this and that it works for you, he may eat the chunk without you putting it into his food now and then.

I know how very worrying and stressful it is when a pet doesn't get the medication that they desperately need, so Good Luck with her.

Mrs_Z

Thank you Nearlyuseless - i'll keep those in mind.

It looks as though we might have just turned a corner, I've managed to get her to take the tablet in a bit of king prawn. After having performed microsurgery on a small bit of prawn by removing some of the flesh, putting in the tablet and topping it with some of the removed flesh - being also very careful minimising touching the tablet in any way. Then cutting the rest of the prawn into various sizes and putting it out all in a plate for her. That worked yesterday and today and she's definitely brighter than she's been, but she's spending all of her time under the sofabed but purring. I just hope she's going to make it!

Nearlyuseless

That's a great idea Mrs Z I'm very glad that something has worked for you so far , if she still isn't eating very much though perhaps you could just try her on the Gourmet Solitaire as cats really do seem to love it.

Also as this is a complete cat food it has the taurine and the vitamins that cats need of course (except for the one with shrimp).

We have 3 other cats and they all make a dash for it when they can, and wolf down any that our poorly cat has left.

I hope that your luck lasts and she gets stronger.

GemJar_2

I've not read all the posts here so sorry if this has been mentioned but is your cat affected at all by catnip? I only ask because one of my cats is an absolute nightmare at taking tablets and I hated forcing it down his throat, and although he's a food monster too he wouldn't touch food with a tablet crushed into it.

This is where the catnip came in handy, he loves the stuff and in its dried plant form seemed to disguise the smell/taste of the tablet (apparently catnip is good for their digestive system too), and my kitty had a lovely half hour of being high as a kite too

Mrs_Z

Nearlyuseless wrote: »

if she still isn't eating very much though perhaps you could just try her on the Gourmet Solitaire as cats really do seem to love it.

Just been to Sainsbury's to stock up on Gourmet Solitaire - they had them on offer! They definitely like the one with tomato sauce, we've had this before, I could not remember which Gourmet it was.