Author Topic: Cats and tablets (Read 9833 times)

Georgie · « **on:** November 21, 2006, 21:16:56 »

Okay I told the vet my cat is not good with tablets but I was told they were odorless and tasteless and just to crush them and sprinkle them into her food and mix up. Yeah right. One disgusted cat just took one sniff and walked off in disgust. Tried hiding it in a bit of chicken, same result. Did the blanket trick tonight and managed to get it down the back of her throat and rubbed her chin like you are supposed to. Thought she had swallowed it but I think it got lodged at the back of her throat and she started dribbling heavily and refused a drink of water. She doesn't seem distressed and she's not choking or anything - she just hates me now.

They are simply Piriton to see if they will stop her worrying at her fur. She's had steroid injections in the past but can't have these any longer due to a heart murmur. She's 18. Any ideas?

G x

Tulipa · « **Reply #1 on:** November 21, 2006, 21:24:12 »

I have seen the vet give my cat a tablet with a contraption that goes in the mouth to put the tablet right at the back and wish I had one. The number of times he has shaken his head and the tablet has come flying out...

I know this is not really much help to you but hopefully someone else will have a good idea.

Good luck!

Georgie · « **Reply #2 on:** November 21, 2006, 21:32:18 »

Thanks Tulippa. It's the getting her to swallow that's the problem - she was so busy 'swearing' at me - that low cross growl they do - she simply refused to swallow it.

G x

manicscousers · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2006, 21:41:58 »

it used to take two of us for our two, sadly no longer with us, one to hold them, the other to risk the teeth, always ended up with a bit of a scratch, used to put me in mind of all creatures great and small, needed gauntlets !!

katynewbie · « **Reply #4 on:** November 22, 2006, 08:31:50 »

:-\

I recently had to dose my moggie with tablets for a whole month, so I can really feel your pain!

Two most successful methods I found were crushing the tab up between two teaspoons and sprinkling in food, then mixing it all up, or wrapping tab up in wafer thin turkey/chicken/ham and offering it as a "treat"

Fingers crossed for you!

;)

tin can · « **Reply #5 on:** November 22, 2006, 08:40:47 »

How about putting a blob of soft butter or thick cream on her lips/tongue after you get the tablet into her mouth. Is worth a try?? :-\

norfolklass · « **Reply #6 on:** November 22, 2006, 09:48:31 »

I've also had to try and give my cat tablets in the past so I sympathise too I never found an easy way to do it, just perseverance and a variety of different methods so that she never knew what I was going to try next! you could try coating the tablet in a bit of butter so that it's nice and slidy and easier for her to swallow? and the butter should also make her lick her lips and swallow. or try squidging a bit of cheese around it? does she worry at her fur badly? if not, is the stress you're both going through worth it?!? my cat has occasional periods of nibbling at the fur on her trousers and tummy but it seems to get worse when she's stressed about something, eg after a routine visit to the vet.

Palustris · « **Reply #7 on:** November 22, 2006, 09:57:37 »

I must be very lucky then, I can give our three cats tablets with no trouble at all, two of them indeed all by myself. The third one does need to be held , but even then she does not argue. You do need to get the tablet as far down the throat as possible, otherwise even the most compliant of cat will cough it out and once the tablet is wet, you have no chance. It shows, all three of ours head for the fridge afterwards waiting for their reward for being good.
Mind all of ours have had tablets on more occasions than I care to add up the cost of, so perhaps it is that they are used to being dosed from an early age?

froglets · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2006, 10:10:23 »

I have been called in to do the deed for a friend as they were on holiday while the cat had to be dosed up.

1) get soemeone else to do it so they dpon't empathise quite so much with the cat & don't mind so much if the cat hates them afterwards ( Sammy didn't, we were ok afterwards)

2) dip pill in a little Marmite or other - it's taste is so strong the cat can't distinguish the pill

3) when the cat gets wise to the marmite trick, move on to tinned tuna juice & give the cat a treat of tuna too.

4) when the cat gets wise to tuna, you're stuuffed, out of options and it's time to get the vet to do it.

lorna · « **Reply #9 on:** November 22, 2006, 10:58:07 »

Georgie. I haven't got cat but I do sing the praises of Piriton. Elsa (K.C Cavalier) has an allergy. My vet said "I could prescribe but buy some Piriton.. much cheaper" Not often a vet will say that!! If I forget to give Elsa a tablet each day she starts licking her fur all the time and scratching like mad. Good luck Georgie.
Lorna.

teresa · « **Reply #10 on:** November 22, 2006, 11:29:04 »

check this out you can get it in syrup form?
http://www.allergyanswers.info/index4_5.html
may be easy to syringe down the throat?

Common_Clay · « **Reply #11 on:** November 22, 2006, 11:58:30 »

Hi Georgie,
I feel for you, we've had similar trouble ourselves but I just wanted to say that we have never had to do the force-feed-tablet business, thank goodness.
Why it is that there are some tablets out there pre-coated with something malty/tasty that cats actually want to eat, and then there are those that aren't, really is beyond me.
Anyway, recently we tried to give one of our cats a tablet, first we crushed it and put it in the food... yeah right!
The ONLY thing that worked was the cheese trick that someone else mentioned on here. Make sure the cheese isn't too cold and will mold well and squish it around the tablet until it's made a ball that won't break apart. Worked a treat, I have to say.
Best of luck. :) :)

tin can · « **Reply #12 on:** November 22, 2006, 12:07:35 »

Piriton syrup, if i recall is for children and is a lower dose than Piritese (liquid Piriton)?? ???
Maybe the vet could recommend if this is suitable - there may be something in the liquid which is harmful to cats??

teresa · « **Reply #13 on:** November 22, 2006, 12:18:52 »

Vets are like doctors and should be able to give a liquid not just tablets they just have to look in their books.
My dogs get their tablets crushed up in pilchards or sardines they like fishy things.

Georgie · « **Reply #14 on:** November 22, 2006, 21:18:56 »

Thank you all for your replies. I'm pleased to report that the cheese trick worked a treat tonight (I rolled it in a little butter for good measure). ;D But she soon realised that she'd been tricked so I don't know how long it will be before I have to move onto plan B.

Like your cat, Norfolklass, it seems to be a stress thing. Her coat is never that bad and at her age I'm certainly not going to make a big thing of this. The last vet thought that Shelley may suffer from SAD. ::) The injections were brilliant but they are not an option now.

G x

Paulines7 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 22, 2006, 23:14:26 »

How to give a cat a tablet.

http://www.honitondogs.co.uk/how2givecatablet.html

Obelixx · « **Reply #16 on:** November 23, 2006, 08:41:46 »

I recently took number one girl thingy to the vet to have a wound and abcess treated. It was a lady standing in for our usual vet and she advised hiding the antibiotics in mincemeat which is easy to ball round the pill. This worked fine for 2 days. For the remaining 6 I used pilchards, butter and then the towel trick as he got wise to each new subterfuge.

Last night, number 3 needed a wound treating and the usual vet gave him a new anitibiotic injection which lasts 15 days - no more pills.

Have you tried crushing the pill in water or milk and squirting it down her throat with a syringe?

Palustris · « **Reply #17 on:** November 23, 2006, 11:31:29 »

I would ask the Vet before crushing tablets. Some of them are designed to be slow release ones with the action of stomach acid. Crush the tablets and the animal gets a massiver overdose.

froglets · « **Reply #18 on:** November 23, 2006, 12:07:42 »

Applies to humans too.

plot73 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 23, 2006, 13:16:27 »

Had the same problem with my old cat, now sadly departed. In the end I bought a pill plunger from the vet and this did the trick

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Author Topic: Cats and tablets (Read 9833 times)