MetaChat - Oral medication + cat: = bad scene.

MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.

24 October 2008

Oral medication + cat: = bad scene. This just happened to me.→[More:]I have never give a cat oral meds before and obviously I don't know what I'm doing. I squirted Dose 1 in my cat's mouth, held her head a second, and all seemed OK, so I let her go. She promptly yuked it up all over my bed, then proceeded to foam at the mouth and make spitting sounds.

The bummer is that the point of her meds is supposed to reduce her tooth pain so she can eat and gain back some weight and strength. Throwing up her dinner as well as the meds is not helping her with that.

I obviously need some technique help. I went on YouTube looking for help on how to do this properly and found this video. I laughed in sympathy. But I still gotta figure out a way to get this stuff down my cat's gullet.

Here's another video. Check out the look on the cat's face immediately post-dosage.

This one's actually helpful, though her cat doesn't throw his medicine back up again.

post by: Miko at: 16:37 | 25 comments

Aw. It's all about holding them securely and getting it in the back of the mouth, hold still until you know it's down.
i was glad of the lack of puking in the videos. i kept bracing myself for vomit.

posted by ethylene 24 October | 16:50

Sometimes a pair of gardening gloves can help.

posted by tangerine 24 October | 17:19

i kept bracing myself for vomit.

The entire experience of owning a cat is about bracing yourself for vomit.

posted by mudpuppie 24 October | 17:20

It must be fun to be you.
Luckily, besides one bad Bad BAD vomit incident, it's been low on vomit with good vomit etiquette.

i know too well of cat vomit

posted by ethylene 24 October | 17:27

Let's make flyers that say "Don't by your kittens from Whole Foods!"
We can replace some can labels with kitten pictures.

posted by ethylene 24 October | 17:29

Don't get your kitten

all in one basket.

posted by ethylene 24 October | 17:30

dignity fail

posted by eatdonuts 24 October | 17:45

With paste medication, the best hint I was ever given was to smear the dose on a front paw (inside arm, if that makes sense) so that it can't be shook off. Then, when the cat cleans the horrible goo off, they get their dose of medicine.

That said, mine took her antibiotic paste just fine but then puked for the next ten minutes - floor, floor, under bed, in shoe, under bed, floor again etc etc....

posted by ninazer0 24 October | 18:15

I've tried the smear-on-paw trick for hairball goop. The big cat, who's smart, quickly learned to shake it off his paw. Then I started putting it on his side, and he learned how to wipe it off on the couch. Now he gets hairball treats, which I'm sure are a rip-off.

The little cat, on the other hand, positively FREAKS OUT when you put the goop anywhere on her. She knows that something is touching her, so she tries to run away from it. But then it follows her, of course, and she freaks out even more, so she freezes for 30 seconds. Then it's back to "OH NOES, SOMETHING IS GOING TO GET ME" and she starts running again.

And guess what! My cats both have hairballs! All the time!

posted by mudpuppie 24 October | 18:31

Wrap her up in a towel like a burrito. This may be a two person job.

It may also help to blow on her nose as you dose her. That should cause her to swallow.

And this may be difficult to do but make sure you're relaxed and not giving off stressed vibes.

posted by fluffy battle kitten 24 October | 18:41

Bees lies around and let's me do her nails.

posted by ethylene 24 October | 18:42

I just gave Mia a fleabath.
I also just cracked open my antihistamine nasal inhaler to rub the contents on my arm, which is covered in rapidly swelling gouges.

Cats. Pure Awesome.

posted by kellydamnit 24 October | 18:51

Why does that woman hold the cat for 1:35 while it drools on her? Just so that jackass can film it? Christ.

posted by mullacc 24 October | 18:53

The entire experience of owning a cat is about bracing yourself for vomit.

Quoted for truth.

Do you think they intentionally learn your late night and early morning walking patterns so that when you get up and go to the bathroom the warm pile of half digested love is right there to be stepped on?

posted by kellydamnit 24 October | 18:57

i think it's to help keep it from vomiting right away, mullacc.

posted by ethylene 24 October | 18:57

The entire experience of owning a cat is about bracing yourself for vomit.

Ain't that the truth.

I was new to cats when I got this one 5 years ago. She threw up a bunch the second day. I called my best friend and said "OMG! She's throwing up!" My friend, all blase, said "Cats throw up. She's fine."

posted by Miko 24 October | 19:37

Ohmigod, I can't wait to see this in real life.

It's like Cat Pepsi Mentos Time!

posted by Lipstick Thespian 24 October | 20:50

Hey, it went a bit better this morning. I tried fbk's towel-burrito method,and that was pretty good (seemed to calm her some in fact), but it didn't do anything to control her biting reflex as she chawed my fingers all up while I opened her mouth. The good news, though - no vomit, though still plenty o'mouth-foam!

posted by Miko 25 October | 11:06

I used to sit on my heels and hold my cat between my knees, facing away from me (the towel burrito works well also), place my thumb and index finger on either side of the back of his bottom jaw and gently squeeze to get him to open his mouth, dose him, then lightly stroke his throat after medicating to make him swallow. It worked about three-quarters of the time. The tongue action is often a problem. YMMV.

Also, if your cat eats wet food, could you try mixing the meds with the food?

posted by initapplette 25 October | 11:32

I used to sit on my heels and hold my cat between my knees, facing away from me

This is the standard cat hold for a bigger or hostile.
This big old book called The Natural Cat(?) has a lot of useful info like that that still hold up well. How to treat ailments and injuries, make nutritional cat food. i'm sure it's revised and around.

The quicker the better, get it in, get it over with, make kitty feel safe and loved.
Love is not worrying about unseemly secretions. Love insures it's getting dealt with, somehow.

This does not necessarily apply to you wino sink shitters.

posted by ethylene 25 October | 11:54

Liquid meds are easier than pills. Whoa. Who wants a solid thing shoved in their throat? I'd claw someone's face off too if they tried to do that to me!

One of my dudes has asthma, so I have to give him puffers twice a day. He got used to it quickly, though he still doesn't like it and will go under furniture if he gets the feeling that's why I'm approaching. (He's amazingly astute about this.) But heck. Those first couple of times, trying to put a little rubber mask over a cat's face? Dangerous.

posted by loiseau 25 October | 13:27

This is the standard cat hold for a bigger or hostile.

Yep! Dante was part Maine Coon and weighed 12 pounds. He was larger than some small dogs!

posted by initapplette 25 October | 15:12

This is the standard cat hold for a bigger or hostile CAT.

Yeesh.
i do love a maine coon, or a bobtail bobcat. Besides the muppet they, they're pretty similar, with expressive fluffy butt stubs.

posted by ethylene 25 October | 15:16

muppet tail

i swear, i have been having text box problems.
Yesterday it refused to print what i wrote and reduced a line to ok, even after i tried it three separate times.

posted by ethylene 25 October | 15:18

I do the knee-hold to clean her ears. Yeah, that works too and maybe I'll try it.

I don't mind the slurry at all. I just wanted to be sure it was within the realm of normal, not something to call the vet about.

posted by Miko 25 October | 19:47

← A place for everything, and everything in its place. || When coming up to a 1-room public restroom with the door closed, →

HOME || REGISTER || LOGIN