Please help

[Cinder & Smoke]

Sorry about the format, Sammsmurf.

I'd got it all nicely laid out in Word, list fashion, and it wouldn't let me post it, had to save it as a text file then attach it to the post, so it's not so easy to read or follow. I'm pretty new to doing anything fancy on a computer/internet so hope you'll bear with me and can use this successfully. Thanks.

Try this version of TopCat3's instructions >>>

1) Get the seated/struggling cat firmly under your arm and cup your non-dominant hand
over its head so that the thumb and middle finger are on either side
of the hinge joint of the jaw.

2) Get the pill ready holding it between the thumb and THIRD
(middle) finger of the other (dominant) hand.

3) Press firmly on the cat’s jaw hinge-joint with the thumb and middle finger
of the hand that’s holding its head.
Cat’s mouth will automatically start to open.

4) Very quickly, place the FOURTH (ring) finger of the hand holding the pill
onto the cat’s lower front teeth and firmly depress the lower jaw,
so cat’s mouth is open wide.
(If you’re sufficiently "together" at this point you can croon "Open wide!"
in a coaxing tone, so cat gets used to what it has to do, over time.)

5) Simultaneously pass the thumb and third finger holding the pill
across your fourth finger and those teeth,
into the mouth as far back as you can and toss the pill to the back of the tongue.
Cat’s reflex will be to swallow.
(Actually, cat’s reflex might be to bite, so get those fingers out double-quick!)

6) The hand holding the cat’s head should now quickly change position
to "muzzle" the cat gently so it can’t open its mouth and spit out the pill.
Stroke under the chin and tap the nose ever so gently with the free (bitten?) hand
to encourage continued swallowing. Encouraging crooning here helps "Good girl, all done".
The same verbal cues each time gets the cat involved in the routine (supposedly…)

7) If the cat allows/sticks around long enough, praise, cuddling and
a treat as a reward would be nice.

8) With dominant hand, reach for glass of wine, cup of hot sweet tea, or sleeping pills,
mopping brow with non-dominant hand. Time for a nice lie down.

/s/ TopCat3

[kb2yjx]

Reading this thread has been an education for me!!! I have NEVER heard of chylothorax before!! But, I had a friend that was having problems give her cat a heart med, and she had it compounded. Best bet would be to ask your vet about this. They are in Delaware and there is a place there that compounds meds. Drs. Foster& Smith catalogue offer the service,too!! I hope that helps!! Thanks for the learning experience!!!

[Lizzie]

Pilling is so variable, cat to cat, but is never easy. I've also gone the compounded route and it worked for me. The liquid that the drug is suspended in has a very strong taste (you can choose liver, beef or a fish flavor) to hide the bitterness of the pill, so you don't get foaming and spitting. Also, lifting the side of a cat's lip and sliding in the dropper is easier than opening the whole mouth. I was even able to get heart medicine compounded into an oitment that I rubbed into my cat's ears. I would never, ever have been able to medicate her otherwise. I was able to sit beside her hideaway place, fuss her head and slip a couple of (gloved) fingers into her ear to massage in the medication. Of course, the medication you are using may not be one that can be absorbed by the thin skin of the ears. I had the compounded meds shipped to me.

When pilling a cat, I also slide a few centimeters of their lip over their teeth with the hand I'm using to open their jaw. This makes a cat hesitate about biting down on your fingers since they would bite down on themselves also.

I continue to be amazed that Taranis, my most difficult and growly, snappy cat, actually opens her mouth for me to pill her. I regard it as a gift to my calloused fingers.

[samssmurf]

Amber A, sorry to hear about Peppers. When we were trying to diagnose Hobbes, we didn't get a whole lot of help or compassion from the vets we went to either. I know how frustrating that can be! My Hobbes was four at the time of diagnosis and an indoor cat also, and I was just blown away by how suddenly he got sick and how serious everyone assured me it was. All three vets told me Hobbes would not live another three months, but as of today, eight months later, he's doing great. We finally got him to tolerate the Rutin by crushing the pill and mixing it in with yogurt. He's absolutely crazy about raspberry yogurt for some strange reason, and our vet said it was fine in small doses, so he gets about half a teaspoon. He was drained twice, but he's doing really well now. I hope things go well for Peppers and your family.

[Beauty17]

For one of our cats, I found buttering the pill helped to encourage and ease swallowing - following more or less the procedure described, involving opening the mouth with one hand and pilling with the other. If you have a second person to hold the cat by the body, you can even do the pilling with the cat sitting on an elevated surface.

[Catty1]

Kirsten has a med that is formulated into a paste and put in the cat's ear. It is a bit more expensive, but less stressful.

Ask your vet about it.

hugs
Catty1

[TopCat3]

Well it was funny seeing that old post of mine being brought back to life! I have been pilling Cleo morning and night since Sept/Oct using the method I described.

I find it's best to have her on a fairly high object in a small room. The top of the washing machine in the small laundry is just the right height and works well for us both. Trouble is she is now a little too used to the procedure and starts to drool as soon as we get started, so the pills are sort of sliding out sometimes .

We have learned that if we inch our way along to the edge of the washing machine and drool hard enough it all drips to the floor, tablets and all, even into the cat-litter sack, and it's fun to watch Mummy scrabbling around in that confined space trying to find the 1/8 Norvask and 1/4 neomercasol, which at about $1 a day is worth trying to find. Sometimes Mummy is too quick and gets the syringe with the 2mls potassium solution in to wash it all down quickly before the tabs can be lost.

And sometimes she doesn't

And afterwards we have a lovely long cuddle, and discuss why it's important for me to swallow and not spit.

Of course, catching me first is a merry dance under the bed, under the table, weaving between the chair legs, then when I'm finally caught and I have the "Oh no" expression, I get a cuddle beforehand too!

Actually it's quite fun really.