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A Spoonful of Tuna Won't Make the Medicine Go Down

A Spoonful of Tuna Won't Make the Medicine Go Down

A battle is raging in my condo. It's me and me alone against TW and the evil PILL. Right now I'm the victor. As you may remember, last week I had a bad asthma flareup and had to go to the vet. TW was told to give me prednisolone twice a day for a week since the weather is well over 90 degrees and then to taper off. The condo has become a battleground and each meal is a war. I eye every meal suspiciously.

First TW tried giving me the pill mixed in a spoonful of my FF tuna. I ate around it. Then she tried a spoonful of some other cat foods. She got me to eat a couple of doses. Finally, just as she'd dreaded, I stopped eating cos I'm suspicious of everything that TW puts in front of me.

A Spoonful of Tuna Won't Make the Medicine Go Down

She was crying to Pop that maybe they should have bought some luncheon meat when she realized she had a ham steak in the fridge. This isn't something they usually eat but it's there for emergencies like if the power goes out or something. Friday night and Saturday a.m. I ate up those little pieces of ham—one of which was laced with Pred.

Last night, I told her where she could stuff her ham and her pill. She thought she knew all the tricks but I have an answer for all of them. Last night TW was so frustrated she did this:

A Spoonful of Tuna Won't Make the Medicine Go Down

Whaaaaaaa. What a crybaby. What a Pill! I'll answer everyone's comments. Things I don't eat: any kind of cheese, baby food, peanut butter, yogurt, soft chews or treats, pill pockets, or pill tape.

Her latest attempt is to grind it into a powder and mix it with my food. It worked last night but she shouldn't expect more successes. Today she dissolved it in the gut rot. I was hungry so I ate it.

Victory is still far from her reach. She's gonna have to get even more creative; in fact, I may require her to stand on her head while I eat. This kitteh will prevail in good health.

Does a course of meds turn your house into a battleground?

Would you like to comment?

  1. I'm proud of you, my darling girl. That's about how things go around here. She's only had to give me emdicine once or twoice, and it's been liquid that she shot into my mouth, though about 70% of it ended up on my furs.

    The Human says, What about a nice big blob of soft butter and just slide it on down? But she knows how that would go over with me, so unlikely to work with you either.

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  2. Wow, you are even harder to dose than Binga! She is a master of pretending to swallow pills - and then spitting them out later! Lately my human has taken to giving her her occasional cerenia dose in some cat food before a meal, when she is so ravenous she forgets to check what's in it.

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  3. You sound harder to pill than Ashton, which is impressive, CK! It's a bad, bad scene around here when she won't eat something with the meds hidden in it. They're for your own good, CK, so humor TW, just a little bit.

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  4. Oh, CK, I'm sorry that you're having trouble. I'm also sorry for your mom right now.

    When my kitties need pills, I usually have to resort to the crunching it up and stirring it into food. They don't often eat treats for me, so pill pockets and other treat-hiding methods have never been option for them. But, luckily, my kitties almost always go for the crushed-up-in-food method. Baby food works best for them and me both.

    My angel Rosie, though, was a real fighter for meds. She could sense many meds even when crushed up in her beloved baby food. And my parents currently have a kitty who is still more or less semi-feral, and who of course requires daily medications. In both Rosie's case and in the case of my parents' kitty, we had to go to transdermal forms of the meds. That's when they make into a cream that can be rubbed onto the skin of the kitty's ear. For that, a prescription is usually called into a special pharmacy, such as Roadrunner Pharmacy in Arizona, and they will ship the transdermal medication to you. Do you think CK would go for having her ear rubbed with a little medication? And if so, would your vet be willing to call that in? That way, you could try just sneaking CK's meds into her ear during a petting session.

    CK, please don't give your mom too hard of a time. Although I'm sure you beg to differ, this is all for your own good!

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  5. Sounds like you keep TW work hard! Luckily, our boys are fairly good with taking meds with conventional methods (mixed with food, etc.) I hope TW will come up with good ideas!

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  6. CK! Darling! Yous is as irascible as mes!! Mes is furry difficult to pill. Even wrapping mes in a towel and poking the pill down my throat does not work. Grinding and squirting does not work either, mes will foam at the mouth until its all over the place. Mes proud to say, Mommy has several lovely scars from my claws. Mommy was reading the Menagerie Mom's post and is thinking the next time mes needs meds, she will trys to gets transdermal.
    Good Luck to TW and CK
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  7. I find the best way to give meds is to let the cats have a small meal and then while they're eating I get 2 spot on meds ready. Whoever finishes eating first gets grabbed in a towel and the spot on is squeezed onto the back of their necks (I make sure the cat flaps are closed or I can be left walking around calling their names). The slow eater gets the same treatment but is more wriggly as they know what's coming next!

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  8. My momma just forces the pills down. :(

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  9. I am so used to meds that I wonder what is gojng on if I don't get them CK!

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  10. I just toss Millie's thyroid pill into his mouth and blow on hi nose so he will swallow. Of course, TW would need a suit of armor to attempt that with you. I wish I had some ideas because she is trying to make you feel better.

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  11. Wow, you're hard to pill ! Claire has no idea to help your mom... Good luck to both of you, because you have to take those damned pills to feel better, CK ! Purrs

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  12. The pill war rages here also. I love to take my medicine when I can't taste it. Otherwise for too get it!! Mom has tried FF chicken and cheese...a few successes, cheese....messy and I could taste the med, sliced thin ham....many successes but I finally tasted it, spoon feeding baby food....a few successes but I turned my nose up when I tasted the med. Taking the capsule and saying,"Open wide!" Then shoving it down my throat....always a success. However when mom gets that sugary nice voice, I run now. I know what she's planning on doing.

    Kitty Kisses,

    Kali

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  13. Actually most of the time Cody takes his Pred like a champ. Has your Human tried pill pockets? Cody will take his Pred with and without pill pockets. I just sing this little "Medicine Song" and he comes RIGHT into the kitchen for his meds. I will admit, the last couple of times I gave him Pred in a pill pocket he spit it out (didn't find out til a few days later, I was NOT happy. He had never done that before)....but....he will readily take his pill without the pill pocket too. catchatwithcarenandcody

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  14. ck.....bravo & high paws N bee veree waree if sum canned goodz go on yur plate; pate style... N ya think ya see mini skewl amountz oh crushed up meds... coz thatz what it iz....knot ta mention N cod pleez help uz while typin thiz werd...if her offerz ewe BURD ore yur fav o rite food like a donut, peace oh bread, meet ball, coz itz bound ta haz sum thin sticked inn side...N her gives ewe de false food, then de med a cated food then sum mor false food ta throw ya off trax ~~~~ just sayin ~~~~~ pleez be well ♥♥♥♥♥

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  15. Mom is afraid now that she is on her own if she ever had to give any of us meds. except jinx because he would eat anything!

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  16. I have to have a Pred and a Cerenia pill twice a day. I am pretty good for one but I get fighting mad for the second one. My mum has got round it by crushing my pred in a little water and giving it by syringe. She gives me the Cerenia first then washes it down with the Pred. I hope you are improving.

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  17. CK, don't you want to feel better? TW deserves a break!

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  18. MOL Oh CK, you need da medicine and dat means you need to take it. Mommy often offers butter spoons or honey spoons, dats da meds mixed together with butter or honey and licked off da spoon. But most offen with pills, she just goes fur da pill push. It's done and over with befur anypawdy knows what happened Good luck to TW and we's sendin' purrayers.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Raena

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  19. Well, we're the wrong ones to ask because we're pretty good about taking medicine. The mom sometimes gets our meds compounded into tasty treats and we eat them right up. The only thing we can suggest is that TW keep crushing the pills up and mixing in your foods...though we know you're on to that trick.

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  20. You are one tough cookie, CK! I dread the day when Mudpie needs to be medicated.

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  21. Kitty was put on prednisone for hepatic lipidosis. I knew it was going to be tough to pill her (especially since she wasn't a touchy-feely cat), but I was so surprised when things seemed to go much easier than I expected (I expected to have to go to the ER). After a couple weeks of twice daily pills, I picked up her litter box to wash it out and behind the litter box, she'd spit out about 20 pills. I'm guessing I didn't notice it earlier because the fewer number still blended in to the flooring - but 20 was hard to miss. As upset as I was, I had to give her credit. I don't even know how she even got them back there because it should've been out of her reach. That's when I learned to rub her throat and wait for her little tongue to come out before I let her go. I never found another stash, but I almost ended up in the ER a couple times after not letting her get away with spitting the pill out :p

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  22. TW, sometimes I allowed Mom L to give me crunched up pill in the pumpkin juice in the Solistic/Weruva package foods. That's it. If I don't eat it in my food then I don't get it. They have never pilled me. I don't eat "pill pockets"...ick! And as for compounding into treats, frankly I don't give a mouses rear end for treats, so that doesn't work either. Wish I had more to offer

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  23. Sorry this has been such a battle, CK. Maybe TW and Pop could get the meds compounded, and then you could take them transdermally?

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  24. When I first started pilling Lita, she hated it. She would hide for hours at a time to try to avoid me. She's gotten used to it, but she still tries to spit them out at me sometimes.

    It is not as effective so you may need a higher dose, but they do make Pred in transdermal gel. Might be good to have a little on hand for times like these. Hope you feel better soon, CK!

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  25. I wish I had a good method for you, TW, but it seems like they have all been mentioned. Tommie hated pill pockets but he like the soft treats. The vet had Gracie's Pred compounded into a chicken flavored liquid that she actually liked! It's hard having to add more stress during an illness.
    I hope CK feels better soon!
    Maggie

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  26. Please let us know when you're going to make TW stand on her head. We would really like to see that. But keep taking your medicine!

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  27. I'm so sorry that you aren't feeling well, CK! I hope that you win the battle against your asthma as well as showing TW who's boss. ;) I have never actually had to give pills to either Manna or Dexter yet. Cinco was a weirdo and didn't mind taking pills the one time he did. With Obi-Wan, it was definitely a battle. I ended up looking like I had a run-in with Freddy Kruger trying to get him to take his pills.
    -Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

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  28. We're currently giving Raven pred once daily, and THANKFULLY she lets me pill her while she's sitting on the hubby's lap.
    We have had some success crushing the pred and mixing it into baby food. Then I sucked it up into an oral syring and squirted it in Raven's mouth. But we can handle Raven fairly easily and I know she could taste the pred and wasn't terribly appreciative of it. Luckily, we have the pilling thing down because it might be a long-term medication for her. I hope the battle doesn't rage on for too long and CK is feeling better soon.

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    Replies
    1. Have you tried cheddar cheese? We used to put thyroid meds in cheese and our cat thought it was the best treat ever.

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  29. Hi darling, We are glad you liked the lightning picture--it was CRAZY! We think that is one of the most dramatic pictures we've ever seen! Hope you are feeling MUCH better this week. XOXOXOXO

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  30. The humans are giving Fiona a variety of meds everyday, and it is always a struggle. Se doesn't like any noms. The humans use bacon flavored pill paste but still have stuff them down her. Hope you are feeling better, C.K. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  31. You are a professional CK and after many years treating Angel Ms. Phoebe I feel and conquer the best option for you is what the Menagerie gang recommended- getting your Pred compounded in to a transdermal ointment TW can rub on the inside of your ear. Of course this is more expensive and TW will have to wear a protective glove as to not absorb the medicine in to her skin, but you are worth every penny and what is TW there for if not to serve and help you? Please try to cut her some slack, as Phoebe also had asthma and in the end we were forced using an Aerokat and inhaler- and if you think pills are vile, then you will not want an inhaler diffuser covering your nose and mouth! Phoebe was a pretty mellow ladycat and she did NOT enjoy the inhaler. Do have TW speak to your vet about the compounded method and give it a try, I think it will be a lot easier and less of a nightmare for both of you.

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