UPDATE Kitty is impossible to pill!

[Grasswire2]

Last edited Sun Oct 10, 2021, 01:07 AM - Edit history (1)

I tried everything listed below in hints from others here and was grateful for the advice.

Bought the greenies, and the tuna filets in crab broth, and other delectables.

All I could get her to take were a few licks.

But evidently it was enough to turn the UTI around, because within a couple of days she was drinking lots of water, making lots of pee, and feeling much, much better.

If there's a next time, I might just opt for the injection of antibiotic.

Thanks, everyone.






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I am pretty good at pilling a cat. But Kitty.... She won tonight, the first time I have tried to pill her. She's thirteen years old, incidentally, has been with us for six years.

She has a UTI. Just spent almost $500 at the vet last week for her. Now I need to get half of a human Amox-Clav pill down her twice a day. Not going well! I was unsuccessful. I also tried using a Greenie pill pocket, but she would have none of that. She has a mind of her own, although we are deeply bonded and she trusts me.

I might try crushing the pill and mixing it with fish. Oy.

[tblue37]

1. Some pet meds can be formulated as a liquid.

[Grasswire2]

5. yah, but I paid $82 for 14 days of this one.

Gee. Human grade from my own pharmacy.

And then I checked online and see that Veterinary formulations of it are very inexpensive.

[left-of-center2012]

7. Could you not have bought it from the vet?

Over the years I have owned pets the vets who diagnose the illness sell the medication.
Who diagnosed the UTI?

[Grasswire2]

15. Veterinarian.

Using my Kroger pharmacy to get it saved a trip into town to the veterinary office again.

(I have mobility issue currently -- my computer fell off my desk onto my ankle/foot and five weeks later still dealing with swelling, pain.) Have to use Lyft for getting around.

[Grasswire2]

20. where did I say that???

I spent $500 on a visit to the veterinarian one week ago. Complete labs, doctor examination, etc.

Plus the cost of two way transportation in a Lyft, as my injured foot does not allow me to drive.

Plus $82 for the antibiotic.

[left-of-center2012]

21. I did not see where you mentioned that

You said you went to the pharmacy and bought human medication.

Maybe I missed something you wrote earlier?

I'll just delete my post.
Thank you for correcting my error.

[LisaL]

22. It's a lot easier to get them to take a liquid medicine from a syringe than a pill.

So you might have to break the bank and buy the veterinary formulation if pilling doesn't go well.

[3catwoman3]

2. I'm not sure if it covers UTI, but there is a...

…long-acting injectable veterinary antibiotic called Convenia. Might be worth asking about.

[SheltieLover]

3. Have the vet give her a shot of Convenia

The equivalent of 14 days of abx pills!

I tried giving my kitty pills for a uti once...

I tried everything, including a pill shooter, a contraption you fill with water & put the pill in the end, then flush it down quickly.

That worked the 1st pill, then it was back to the vet for the shot.

Try Pet Kelp on her food. My old vet recommended it for my kitty's idiopathic uti's & she has never had another one.

Another product I've had excellent & nearly instant results with is Natural Pet UTI therapy, a homeopathic blend I purchased at pet store. Worked great! In fact, it has a $ back guarantee. Cost is around $20.

All that said, her urine contained no crystals & ultra sound was clear of any other cause. So her frequent uti's were deemed idiopathic.

Good luck with your kitty! I hope she feels better soon!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. A while back I had a cat that was impossible to pill.

I recall challenging a vet and a vet tech to get her to take a pill, and after a while they conceded she was not possible to pill.

However, I was good at giving shots as needed, and they were able to give me that medication in shot form for my cat.

The cat I'm referring to, named Ginger, was otherwise such a sweet and wonderful cat, that when she was at a local emergency vet place, were I so terrible as to abandon her, trust me, the staff there would have been arm wrestling to see who would take her home.

[Woodswalker]

6. Gotta love veterinarians when they say

, get two of these pills in her a day. With the technology we have today why can't all pet meds be injectable or liquid form.

[hlthe2b]

11. There are compounding pharmacies that can make it and some clinics do it themselves. The problem

is that cats are VERY finicky about flavorings so it won't always work (be palatable) in liquid form--plus the delay in getting the meds as most of these pharmacies that specialize in this may be mail-order only.

[GPV]

8. I either use a towel to make a purrito, or I sit on them and go to the kitty rodeo and

risk having my legs shredded. Have to keep my feet together or they back their way out. It’s messy and exhausting for both of us. I hope you find a better solution!

[Phoenix61]

12. That's how I do it.

I reach over their head and grab their canines and pull their mouth open and pop the pill in then quickly start rubbing their throat. The bigger the cat, the easier it is.

[nuxvomica]

9. I use Catsip to get Huckleberry to take his pill

He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism a few months ago and the vet prescribed a pill that has to be taken twice a day but I could not get the pill in him. I tried pill pockets, a special vet formulated beef paste that can be molded around the pill (made him vomit), a creamy chicken paste, tuna water, broth, pill forcing syringes, you name it, but we finally settled on "Catsip," a lactose-reduced form of milk with added taurine. I crush the pill into a powder and mix it with one teaspoon of Catsip in a small white bowl and hold it at an angle (so the splashes stay in the bowl) until he finishes it. That has worked every day, twice a day for a few months now; he's gone from 12.8 pounds at diagnosis (he had dropped from 16 pounds in a year), to 13.9 pounds today. And it has to be Catsip because I tried a similar product, "Whiskas Cat Milk," and he won't touch it.

[hlthe2b]

10. You might try the SMALLEST amount of cheese whiz that will fully embed the pill...

I've found both dogs and cats (that like it) won't pick the pill out because they want every tiny morsel of the cheese whiz. Don't overdo it. Even a big dog can get buy with about a 1/4 teaspoon wrapping even a fairly large capsule or tablet.

[lark]

13. Pills and cats are not a good mix.

We've been able to get liquid versions of our cats meds, as needed. Squirting the liquid into their throat is way easier than trying to push down a pill, it's made our lives so much better.

Thankfully neither are on prescription meds right now and I'm praying Foggy will be able to stop his expensive medicated food soon so our expenses are reduced.

[Sanity Claws]

14. I have similar problems

I crush the pill and put in Inaba Churu. First, I put some of the Inaba on a small dish and mix the crushed pill in it. The cat licks it up.

[Grasswire2]

17. I don't know what that is. nt

[Sanity Claws]

18. Here is a link to the product at Chewy.com

https://www.chewy.com/inaba-churu-chicken-puree-variety/dp/184457

My cats love this stuff. I split one packet between the two of my cats and both love it. One of my cats is very finicky so this is really saying something.

[Grasswire2]

16. Thanks for all the hints

I tried crushing this morning and putting it in some liquid from stinky salmon cat treat. Nope. She took a couple of licks and was done.

I next will try the swaddling like a baby so that only her head is exposed and she can't get at me with her claws.

But by the time this is over, she may not be as friendly to me. :0

[LisaL]

23. I could never pill my cat that way either.

Even though he loved to eat, if I crushed a pill onto his food he would refuse to even lick it. He could smell the pills in it.

[Grasswire2]

24. They are smarter than we are, evidently. nt

[AndyS]

25. Grind the pill into a fine powder,

mix it with a tiny bit of peanut butter and smear it on her front paw. She'll groom the paw until the medicine is all ingested.

[Grasswire2]

26. hmm....worth a try!

Go for the obsession with cleanliness, forget trying to seduce her taste buds.

I'll try it. Thanks.

[AndyS]

27. It has always worked for me unless the cat is very old and not prone to groom

very much. The paw will remain greasy but it's better than sacrificing your fingers and skin to pill god!