Cheese lovers (the food!) - help needed please

rileydog

Wasn't really sure where to post this, not sure there is a 'cheese' board!

I'm trying to find a cheese that is waxy/moist rather than dry and crumbly so that we can cut a slit in a cube of it and poke a tablet in for my Mum's cat. The ideal texture would be where you can poke a slit in the cube and it doesn't break in two meaning the tablet falls out or the cat becomes wise to it being there.

Any recommendations of brands/types, I don't eat much cheese myself but know that even between regular bog standard 'cheddars' from the supermarkets there can be a texture difference.

building_with_lego

I'd go for the cheapest mild Cheddar- the older it gets the crumblier it is.

Having said that the easiest way to get a tablet into a cat is, with the cat between your knees, you open its mouth with its head into your chest. Your body holds the cat still-ish and you pop the tablet as far back onto the tongue as you can, then stroke their neck firmly downwards several times to stimulate swallowing. It takes some practice but once mastered almost never fails.
I've got a friend who used to hurl titbits along the hall at high speed, so the then littens would chase and devour them. Nowadays when she needs to administer a tablet she flings it along the hall, quickly followed by a titbit. Cat none the wiser

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Basic/Value block cheese - it's oily enough that you can roll it into little pellets around tablets.

zaxdog

I'd go for emmental.

We use cheese spread to coat our pets tablets, makes them slide down the throat and they love the taste.

AbbieCadabra

has it got to be cheese? i put any tablets for our 2 in these, they're quite soft & pliable. the cats love them & they disappear instantly. i'd tried cheese or bits of meat before & they'd end up being re-gurgitated later on out of sight or finding a half dissolved tablet covered in fluff in a corner somewhere! cats & tablets really aren't a match made in heaven...

moromir

Emmental or Edam, both are quite elastic.

lostinrates

An unripe Brie. My cat ( who does cheese taste tests with my husband.....I wish that were a joke) prefers Brie over most cheeses and it would hold around pills pls there are cheap versions.

That said, giving pills 'properly' is a well learned skill,

splishsplash

My cats would eat the cheese and spit out the tablet, and have done so many times. I now smear butter over the tablet and administer them like this.

floss2

I tried the cheesey tablet trick and would find them around the house about an hour later.

My failsafe tactic was to take an old beach towel (the one used to towel the cat down when he came in wet ) and drop it on him, grabbing him and wrapping all limbs up before he could escape. Head poking out at the top, ends of towel tucked up so he couldn't slide out, it was easier to press finger & thumb on the sides of his jaw to open it, drop tablet into back of mouth, then clamp his mouth shut and rub his neck until he swallowed. Stan was a rather large cat, and this method gained the admiration of our vet for its effectiveness.

rileydog

Thanks all, will have to try and find a supermarket with a cheese counter to sample those mentioned. My local Morrisons has done away with there's but now I've got a few suggestions I'd rather get small samples rather than 5 different slabs of cheese!

AbbieCadabra - I don't think she's tried those so will mention them to her. I know she's used the Webbox ones which look similar and sometimes the cat refuses them but these might be tastier.

Splishsplash - that video makes it look easy! I used to have to give my old cat tablets years ago and try as I might there is no way I could do it without a fight, I used to end up out of breath and scratched!

Floss2 - your method sounds OK for the odd worming tablet but my Mum's cat will need tablets three times a day for the rest of it's life. I think it would end up running away from her if that happened three times a day!

fluffnutter

rileydog wrote: »

Wasn't really sure where to post this, not sure there is a 'cheese' board!

I'm trying to find a cheese that is waxy/moist rather than dry and crumbly so that we can cut a slit in a cube of it and poke a tablet in for my Mum's cat. The ideal texture would be where you can poke a slit in the cube and it doesn't break in two meaning the tablet falls out or the cat becomes wise to it being there.

Any recommendations of brands/types, I don't eat much cheese myself but know that even between regular bog standard 'cheddars' from the supermarkets there can be a texture difference.

I did exactly this with my cat. Worked a treat. I used cathedral city (but not the low fat version). Top tip - work it a little in your fingers first until it's a bit warm then pop the tablet in and work it a little more so that it's a ball around the pill. You only need a tiny bit too.