Pilling the Monster

[mamaducky]

Hi all,

In need of some advice from the pros.

Due to aggression & territorial issues with my feline family, my biggest guy, Zorro, is on Clomicalm to try to get the anxiety down to manageable levels so that he doesn't terrorize his much smaller sister, Meg.

For the first couple of weeks, he took the pill reasonably well -- but the past couple of days have been just unholy mayhem trying to get them down him. He won't even touch a Pill Pocket (never would!), and when I have been successful in getting the pill into him, it's been by putting the pill into the back of his mouth and then massaging his throat while holding his muzzle shut.

That finally worked this evening, too -- but I've got some nice painful (and bloody) scratches up my arm to show for that "success".

And yes, I absolutely DO know how lucky we are when I compare my situation to these poor families whose kitties are really ill -- and if you're one of those members, please know that you and your kitties are always in my prayers. Meanwhile, though, my right arm and I would sure be relieved if any of you had any better ideas than I've had so far!

Hugs,
Diana

[kitten645]

I feel your pain! Perhaps you can wrap Zorro in a towel or blankie first to protect yourself from the flying razors! I also know someone once mentioned a "pill popper" that shoot the pill to the back of the thoat. I've never tried it though as I have visions on inhaling instead of exhaling and pilling myself I might be afraid of it going down the wrong pipe as well but I'm sure whoever invented it has all these issues covered. Good luck!
Claudia

[mamaducky]

I also know someone once mentioned a "pill popper" that shoot the pill to the back of the thoat. I've never tried it though as I have visions on inhaling instead of exhaling and pilling myself
Claudia

Claudia -- LOL!

You know, though, if the Clomicalm did for me what it's supposed to be doing for him, it might not be so bad...!

Thanks for the "wrapping the towel" idea -- that could make it at least less dangerous!

Hugs,
Diana

[jennielynn1970]

Will he eat wet food if it's ground up and mixed in there?

Can you ask for it to be compounded by the pharmacy so that it can be transdermal? I know for my one cat they did that and I had to rub it into the skin of his ear (which was just weird in itself).

[Laura's Babies]

I grind up Giz's medicine and put it in about 1/2 a teaspoon of wet cat food that I use as a "treat".. Amy and Boo get their Cosequin the same way.. The only problem I have is keeping them away while I mix it into the food..

I too, have used a pill popper but this is so much easier!

[Emeraldgreen]

I was also going to suggest having the meds turned into a transdermal gel. My cat Jimmy is on prednisilone and I've used that on him for a couple of years. As Jenn mentioned, you just squirt out the dose which usually isn't much and smear it on the inside of his ear. It enters his body that way and is so much easier. I use the back of a spoon to get it onto his ear.

You can also take the clomicalm to a compounding pharmacy and have them mix it up with a flavored suspension (chicken, salmon or beef) and then administer the suspension by syringe into his mouth or if you're able to, hide the now flavored meds into a similarly flavored food. But if your cat is anything like a few of my cats, they might be very suspicious of anything that could have 'tainted' their food.

That pill popper thing is pretty cheap, I think it's under 10.00 and most vet clinics sell them.

[mamaducky]

Emeraldgreen, BIG hugs to you -- I am keeping you & Tiger in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks, everyone, for some really good suggestions; I'm going to try the wet cat food idea later this evening and see how it works.

Hugs,
Diana

[Pawsitive Thinking]

My hubby's grumpy old cat Tweed had to be wrapped in a towel and virtually sat on to get anything down her throat My RB Cally on the other hand would take a tablet out of your hand

[MoonandBean]

I have never had any problems pilling my cats alone so this may sound ridiculous to those of you with experience with more difficult cats but I'll give it a shot anyway (I only thought of it because I've been having my SO hold Moon down while I apply his frontline because that has been a challenge alone).

So...what about getting help? Have one person hold his front paws and another hold the back paws and then you can open his mouth and pill him?

[catmandu]

I TRY TO HAVE THE MEDS IN A GEL SO I CAN WIPE IT ON THIER PAWS OR NOSE, AND SOMETIMES THEY LICK IT OFF.
ALTHOUGH JJJ3 HAS THE KNACK NOW OF SHAKING HIS HEAD AND THROWING IT OFF!!!
THE ONLY ONE WHOS NO TROUBLE IS MICHAEL THE DREAMWHO ACTUALLY PURRRS AS HES PILLED AND MEDICATED. THATS WHY HES THE DREAM CAT

[aki]

the best way i know to pill a cat, is to put them on your lap or a table, and then scruff the back of their neck. not hard and do not pick them up. but just enough so you can tip their head back a little and their mouth will automatically come open. then drop the pill as far back into their mouth as you can, so they won't spit it back out. then just hold on to make sure they swallow it. it takes literally like 5 seconds and less tramatic IMO than wrapping in a towel.

[krazyaboutkatz]

When Storm was on Clomicalm his was compounded into a liquid form and he hated taking it. It must really taste bad. I wanted to try the cream version so I could rub it into his ear but my said it wouldn't be as effective so I never tried it. Now he's on an herbal calming pill instead and luckily he loves the pill pockets so he now thinks that he's getting a treat.

Starr is my worst cat to pill or medicate so I have to use a klaw kontrol bag. I also use this for nail trims and you can zip all of their paws inside they then only their head is sticking out and they can't run away from you. I don't have any one here to help me so this has worked very well for my situation. Here's the link to the Klaw Kontrol bag: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=3159. You can also probably order something similar through your vets office. I also use a pill dispenser so that my fingers don't get bitten off and I put some water in a syringe to help wash the pill down. Good luck.

[jenluckenbach]

The clomicalm (at least the generic version) tastes REALLY REALLY bad!!! I doubt any cat with taste buds would eat it out of a dish, even mixed with tuna!

Wrapping is a towel is a good idea! Beware, though ,they may run away when they see the towel coming, in the future.

Scruffing is also a GREAT way to pill a cat. And so is having help.

I like to turn the cat on its back and lay it across my lap so when the mouth opens, gravity works with me and not against me. Just pop the pill!

But most of all, just keep trying. Once you get a technique that works, the cat will relax more and more with time.

[mamaducky]

Hi again --

Well, the canned food didn't work this evening; Zorro is an exceptionally smart guy, and I think he had the whole thing figured out.

But I am so grateful to all of you for these excellent suggestions! One of them is bound to work -- or at least work better than the current plan!

One kind of cool thing happened today; Zorro and Meg were in the same room without any problems for 15 minutes this morning, and 25 minutes this afternoon. That doesn't probably seem like much of a big deal, but it's HUGE compared to the last time they were in the same room a week or so ago when Zorro made a beeline for Meg as soon as he saw her.

I'm hoping that the Clomicalm -- and the fact that I've been keeping them away from each other (by alternating them in a closed "safe" room) for the past 3+ weeks -- is going to help the situation.

Keep your fingers crossed -- and as always, thanks for all your help!

Hugs,
Diana

[carole]

We are just in the process of pilling my old cat Ash and he is one of those difficult cats to pill and can be very aggressive, it takes hubby and I to both do it, we wrap him in a towel, hubby holds the scruff of his neck, i open his mouth and shoot the pill in with the pill popper, best thing i ever invested eight dollars in, at first we did not get it quite right, but we are getting better at it and Ash is becoming a much better patient too.

We hide the towel , wait until he is nice and calm getting himself warm by the heater for a while , then grab him, we check his mouth afterwards to make sure it really has gone, cats are notorious for hiding them in their mouth then spitting them out when you don't see it,but the pill popper is good for that as it gets it right at the back of the throat.

Good luck , i am sure you will manage, the less stressed you are about it the less kitty will be.