Giving the Cat Medicine

[BrianL]

I'm really just venting, but my cat has Asthma and sometimes it gets a little bad. The vet has tried to calm me down about it, but he had done steroid shots that seem to help. He let me take home some oral steroids, which I started her on. I have to do it every 12 hours for 6 days - ugh! She's started to cotton to it and tries to hide. Does anyone know any tips for squirting that syringe down a cat's throat? I've done well so far after three doses, but I know from experience that she will only start to fight harder. I think it stresses me out more than it does her, ha ha!

 

[nw6675]

I mixed my cat's liquid med with a little tuna. I could never get it in normally since half would miss, even with prying his jaws.

ETA although the same cat we paid $1300 to remove a foot of ribbon he ate...

 

[fly girl]

Cats with liquid medicine ... UGH!

If you could mix it with a little bit of soft cat food (I'm picturing the liquid squeeze tubes of soft food), that might work? But as you know, cats are smart, and it is definitely a possibility that she will catch on. The only hope is that she really loves that soft food.

*edit for she not he. oops

 

[BrianL]

I mixed my cat's liquid med with a little tuna. I could never get it in normally since half would miss, even with prying his jaws.

ETA although the same cat we paid $1300 to remove a foot of ribbon he ate...

I've tried that with antibiotics - she usually cottons to it and won't touch it. This stuff though is clear with no apparent odor, so maybe.

 

[barb969]

We are giving our cat antibiotics. She was uncooperative so we got a grooming bag. Only her face sticks out. Search Amazon for cat grooming bag. we got the ”as seen on tv” one. It can also be used for clipping claws and as a cat carrier.
As soon as I start to put her in she calms down. I think she likes it.

 

[BrianL]

We are giving our cat antibiotics. She was uncooperative so we got a grooming bag. Only her face sticks out. Search Amazon for cat grooming bag. we got the ”as seen on tv” one. It can also be used for clipping claws and as a cat carrier.
As soon as I start to put her in she calms down. I think she likes it.

I had to look up what a grooming bag was - oh, man, I think she'd KILL ME if I tried to put her in that! She's a tortie, so I'm actually not kidding. Antibiotics are tough. I have had the vet give her aantibiotics shot before, but she once just had a really bad reaction to it, at least I suspect so. It was crazy - I was convinced she was going to die - not eating, etc. I think her tummy was just all messed up, and the shot stays in the system for a few weeks. One day, she bounced back to 100% normal. I try to avoid that shot though if I can now.

 

[Micca]

No advice but Good Luck administering the meds Brian!

 

[Imzadi]

I finally had to go back to the vet and complain when I couldn't give my cat oral syringes. I told them I don't have four hands: two to hold the cat down and one to hold the cat's head, while the other hand is injecting the syringe. AND I had to worry about the cat taking a swipe at my face. I said, I see that when I bring the cat in, the ONE vet is able to give the oral syringes, so there must technique to it.

THAT was when he realized he needed to teach me, the way they are taught in vet school how to hold the cat down. For some reason it doesn't occur to them that just as they were taught, WE have to be taught too.

I used to approach the cat face to face. That is the wrong way to do it. That creates an immediate adversarial exchange.

They said to calmly pet the cat and hold her down while you move around to her butt, or to come to her from behind. So the cat's butt is against your stomach or chest, if it's on a table, with the arm not holding they syringe along the outside of the cat, the butt of the cat is tucked against the inside crook of your elbow and upper arm, and it can feel your arm firmly pressing her against your stomach or chest.

Or, if on the floor, kneel so the cat is between your legs, with it's butt against your crotch. This way, the cat has no where to go. It can't back up and away, and it can't go sideways, either side, to get away. It can only go forward into the waiting syringe moving toward it.

If neither of those work, you may have to drop a blanket over the cat, again from behind, and swoop it over the cat and enclose it, legs and all, cocoon-like in the blanket, with it's head exposed.

Try to open up the side of the mouth, instead of the front. The gums are actually looser along the side. She will be grimacing anyway. You just have to get the syringe against it's side teeth at an angle to shoot the syringe load in toward the throat. Then let the cat go immediately. And apologize profusely, so she knows you aren't trying to torture her with anything else. It's just that damn syringe.

Give it lots of love other times so it doesn't think any time you are coming up from behind she will be grabbed.

Try not to give the dose directly on the 6 hour mark. Cat's have an internal clock and it will start to know when that injection is supposed to come, and will hide.

 

[BrianL]

I finally had to go back to the vet and complain when I couldn't give my cat oral syringes. I told them I don't have four hands: two to hold the cat down and one to hold the cat's head, while the other hand is injecting the syringe. AND I had to worry about the cat taking a swipe at my face. I said, I see that when I bring the cat in, the ONE vet is able to give the oral syringes, so there must technique to it.

THAT was when he realized he needed to teach me, the way they are taught in vet school how to hold the cat down. For some reason it doesn't occur to them that just as they were taught, WE have to be taught too.

I used to approach the cat face to face. That is the wrong way to do it. That creates an immediate adversarial exchange.

They said to calmly pet the cat and hold her down while you move around to her butt, or come to her from behind. So the cat's butt is against your stomach or chest, if it's on a table, with the arm not holding they syringe along the side of the cat, where it can feel your arm firmly against it. And your syringe hand along the other side of the cat.

Or, if on the floor, kneel so the cat is between your legs, with it's butt against your crotch. This way, the cat has no where to go. It can't back up and away, and it can't go sideways, either side, to get away. It can only go forward into the waiting syringe moving toward it.

If neither of those work, you may have to drop a blanket over the cat, again from behind, and swoop it over the cat and enclose it, legs and all, cocoon-like in the blanket, with it's head exposed.

Try to open up the side of the mouth, instead of the front. The gums are actually looser along the side. She will be grimacing anyway. You just have to get the syringe against it's side teeth at an angle to shoot the syringe load in toward the throat. Then let the cat go immediately. And apologize profusely, so she knows you aren't trying to torture her with anything else. It's just that damn syringe.

Give it lots of love other times so it doesn't think any time you are coming up from behind she will be grabbed.

Try not to give the dose directly on the 6 hour mark. Cat's have an internal clock and it will start to know when that injection is supposed to come, and will hide.

I do get at her from behind and the side, but it's still a fight. At least I'm probably doing it the best way possible.

This medication is every 12 hours, and I am trying to move it back a little incrementally so it will be at a better time. I started one evening at about 8:15 when I just couldn't take her snuffling anymore. She sounded really bad! On the plus side, after three doses, she sounds WAY less congested! She also just rocketed throught he house as I was typing this, so her energy levels are up! She's an older cat and doesn't do that so much anymore.

 

[hopemax]

Our previous cat had asthma and needed to take a pill every day AND an inhaler (Google AeroKat, if you are wondering how you give a cat an inhaler). Thankfully, for us he was a people pleaser, and motivated by treats. But basically we held him like a baby, shoved the pill in his mouth and then used a syringe with water so he would be forced to swallow. I would put the syringe in at the side of his mouth, not the front, if I caught him off guard try to get the fluid in quickly. If he was fighting, then slowly in multiple attempts as not to waste it. And then bring out the treats.

I don't want to even think about having to do something like this with our super strong in mind and body current cat. Good luck!

 

[carouselDL]

Or, if on the floor, kneel so the cat is between your legs, with it's butt against your crotch. This way, the cat has no where to go. It can't back up and away, and it can't go sideways, either side, to get away. It can only go forward into the waiting syringe moving toward it.

This is the only method that's worked for me! I come from behind, gently push the cat into a lying down position, and then clamp him between my knees like I'm riding a very small horse. I pry open his jaw from one side with my index finger while lifting his chin up with the other three fingers and then shoot the syringe into the other side of his mouth with my other hand.

(I tried to bribe him with treats, but frankly I think he's too dumb to make the connection that meds now = treats 1 second later lol.)

Good luck!

 

[BrianL]

Our previous cat had asthma and needed to take a pill every day AND an inhaler (Google AeroKat, if you are wondering how you give a cat an inhaler). Thankfully, for us he was a people pleaser, and motivated by treats. But basically we held him like a baby, shoved the pill in his mouth and then used a syringe with water so he would be forced to swallow. I would put the syringe in at the side of his mouth, not the front, if I caught him off guard try to get the fluid in quickly. If he was fighting, then slowly in multiple attempts as not to waste it. And then bring out the treats.

I don't want to even think about having to do something like this with our super strong in mind and body current cat. Good luck!

Yeah, fortunately it's not that bad for her - yet anyway. It's minor and controllable, but this "second spring" we seem to be having isn't doing her any favors.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I had to look up what a grooming bag was - oh, man, I think she'd KILL ME if I tried to put her in that! She's a tortie, so I'm actually not kidding. Antibiotics are tough. I have had the vet give her aantibiotics shot before, but she once just had a really bad reaction to it, at least I suspect so. It was crazy - I was convinced she was going to die - not eating, etc. I think her tummy was just all messed up, and the shot stays in the system for a few weeks. One day, she bounced back to 100% normal. I try to avoid that shot though if I can now.

I remember clearly. Please don’t authorize that injection again. I’m well-practiced in giving oral meds to cats (my current cat gets five pills a night and is so used to the routine she practically holds her mouth open for me) but I still find pills much easier to deal with than liquid medications. Vets always seem inclined to prescribe liquid meds for whatever reason, so my advice is to always ask if it comes in pill form. Then it’s pretty straightforward — you know you either got it in or not, and no guessing how much got splattered on the cabinets.

For the cats who don’t want to claw my eyes out, I sit cross-legged on the floor and put them in my lap. Holding the meds in my dominant hand, I use my other hand to hold the top of their head and tip it back, looking up towards the ceiling. Then, I use the middle finger of my dominant hand to gently push down on their lower teeth and open their mouth, quickly dropping the pill towards the back of their throat with the same hand. Chasing it with a syringe-full of water helps the pill go down (and is vital for preventing esophageal ulcers caused by certain meds). For liquid meds, I do the same position and use the tip of the syringe to slightly open the mouth from the side.

For cats who do want to claw my eyes out, I position myself over them on a table or the floor and use a pill popper instead of my fingers.

For cats who really, really want to claw my eyes out, I wrap them in a towel and throw the pill at them from three feet away while they hiss at me.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When my grandmother's cat used to get bellyaches my grandmother would give her cat mineral oil and she would put it in her cat's food and my grandmother's cat would eat the food and feel better. But i've never seen a cat that has asthma before but they do get allergies. Once my aunt got a cat that had seizures and she had to give it medicine but when that didn't work my aunt took her cat to the vet I think about three times and they gave my aunt medicine for her cat's seizures which worked but he still had seizures so when my aunt was visiting my grandmother she ended up giving her the cat and after my grandmother took care of the cat he never had another seizure since but he "I think" ran away but my aunt's cat had a brother that passed away suddenly when she returned from our Walt Disney World trip and was really angry and sad when it happened. What I think you should do Brian is try the mineral oil and put it in your cat's food and see if she eats it
Hope this advice helps you
Dodger

 

[LoveDaisy]

Is there an option besides the liquid medicine? My cat takes daily allergy medicine, we have tried it all. In the end I found a pill cut into small pieces and put into pill pockets works best. My cat would not eat the liquid meds due to the taste. I tried mixing it with tuna, wet food, etc. she would not eat it. When I told my vet she she told me the medication comes in other forms so then we tried a chewable (cat refused) and then the pills. Might be worth asking if you can try the meds in a different form.

 

[BrianL]

I’m sorry to hear that your cat has asthma and needs to take oral steroids. I know it can be hard and stressful to give medicine to a cat, especially if they resist or hide. You are doing a great job caring for your cat and following the vet’s instructions.

I did some research online using my internal tool search_web and found some helpful articles on how to give steroids to cats with inflammation. Here are some of the tips that I think you may find useful:

• Always give steroids with food or after a meal. If you give a cat steroids on an empty stomach, it could develop ulcers
• Try to hide the pill or liquid in a treat or a small amount of wet food. You can use pill pockets, cheese, tuna, or chicken. Make sure the cat swallows the whole thing and does not spit out the medicine.
• If the cat does not eat the medicine in the food, you may need to restrain the cat and force it to swallow the medicine. You can use a towel to wrap up the cat or hold it firmly by the scruff of the neck. You can also ask someone to help you hold the cat while you give the medicine.
• Use the middle finger of your dominant hand to gently pull the lower jaw downward to open the mouth. Drop the medicine into the mouth using your pilling hand, as far back as you can. Aim for the middle of the tongue, right at the back of cat’s throat. The farther back the tablet is placed, the more instinctive it is for them to swallow.
• Close the mouth and hold it shut while gently stroking the throat or blowing on the nose. This will encourage the cat to swallow. You can also use a syringe or dropper to squirt some water into the mouth after giving the medicine
• Praise and reward the cat with a treat or a cuddle after giving the medicine. This will make the experience more positive and less stressful for both of you.

I hope these tips help you give your cat oral steroids more easily and comfortably.

It is liquid, but honestly, I have found pilles even more difficult with her. I am not too worried about an empty stomach though - I doubt she ever has one! That's one reasonthat I can't really use treats as a motivator - she gets plenty. These are good tips through for a non-spoiled cat that lacks tortitude.

 

[DisneyHardin]

With my cat, I would just always catch her when she was snoozing in her bed. I'd put my hand over the top of her head and use my thumb and middle finger to push on the sides of her mouth. She would then open her mouth, I'd stick the syringe in as far as I could get it and push out the meds really fast. She hated it and I hated it, but after a while we both got better at it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Love this guy. Watch some of his videos for ideas:

My go to for liquid meds is a very snug towel wrap. I sit on a step and hold them in my lap. The key is fast in, release the towel, fast out.

 

[tasha99]

One of my cats has asthma and takes oral steroids in pill form when she has a flare up. I guess I'm just lucky that she takes pills well. When I've given liquid meds in the past, getting it made fish flavor from a compound pharmacy helped a little. My cat's normal routine is an inhaled steroid, though using an AeroKat inhaler. It's a battle every day, though she puts up with it for a few seconds to get her treats.

 

[BrianL]

Love this guy. Watch some of his videos for ideas:

My go to for liquid meds is a very snug towel wrap. I sit on a step and hold them in my lap. The key is fast in, release the towel, fast out.

Yeah, speed is key. She has started to catch on and was trying to hide this morning. I got her though and she has taken 4 doses really well, as in ALL of it went in her mouth. She definitely feels better too, so I am hoping she will associate that with the medicine. With my old cat, towards the end, he needed subcutaneous fluids. I thought I'd never be able to do them, but he seemed to understand that he would have a lot of relief after they were done. He woud hop right up, ready to get it done!