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Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:24 pm
by Catfan5
Bailey our Ragdoll was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis two weeks ago after a ct scan at a specialist vets confirmed it. The vet prescribed high doses of ronaxan and prednisolone for four weeks then just on to a lower dose of the steroid. Bailey is impossible to pill but was doing well by adding the pills (2.5 at a time) twice a day to her food which she ate happily to start with. Then I started to crumble a piece of thrive chicken over the top when she realised what I was doing pillwise! This worked well for a week, then she refused to eat it. So I've tried a little cosma nature which worked to start with, then tuna which she won't even look at! The last two days I've rolled the pills in little pieces of thin ham which she wolfed down, but then she must have twigged and refuses to eat that too! She now won't eat any wet food and she has to have these pills for another two weeks- help! She's a tricky puss at the best of times so any other suggestions??

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 5:59 pm
by Fran_ki
They're not daft are they ? Lol
When we had Kenzie he had to take 2 pills a day.
We bought pill pockets for cats , got them from Amazon. They were a godsend for a good while then he discovered the pill inside and eventually we had to just give it to him by dropping at back of his mouth and willing it down with a wee massage :D

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:43 pm
by Catfan5
You're right, they're so knowing! I even try to make sure she doesn't see me putting the pills in the food but she still seems to know lol. Our other cat will let me pop his pill 'down the hatch' but Bailey won't allow it, even the vet can't get her mouth open!

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 6:55 pm
by Crewella
I'm afraid sometimes they just get too wise to the ruses and you have to take the bull by the horns and adopt the 'down the hatch' method, as Franki says.

Some of my cats have been real litle sods, but I've always managed it this way:

Sit on the floor and place the cat between your legs, with his/her back to you - they tend to try to back away from you and this stops them. Then with one hand hold their head up, using the arm to keep them from moving forwards, and press gently at the sides of the bottom jaw to open their mouth, keeping the head tilted back, and drop the pill at the back of the tongue. I then stroke under their chin a couple of times to encourage them to swallow, and have a treat handy to give them straightaway so that will hopefully go down and make sure the pill goes with it.

Of course you need to be gentle, but you do need to do this firmly and with confidence - if you're too tentative and they start wriggling the whole process becomes more drawn-out and more stressful, for both of you.

I'm sure others have their own methods, but this has always worked for me. You can also get pill poppers if you're scared for your fingers! This site gives some good advice on both methods:

http://www.allfelinehospital.com/pilling-your-cat.pml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EDIT: OK, cross-posted! I wonder if the pill popper would work ...... failing that I guess you might just have to keep trying different foods to hide them in!

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:38 pm
by Catfan5
Thanks Crewella, I think I will have to try 'down the hatch' again as she wouldn't take it in food or in treats. Trouble is there are two and a half pills twice a day and she is a big strong cat who doesn't like being handled too much. When the vet tried to take blood last time she came out with shaved patches on three legs and neck as she wriggled and objected so much! Her cough has gone since taking the meds and now I'm worried it'll come back if she won't take them. I have a pill popper but never got the hang of using it.

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 9:55 pm
by Crewella
I tried pill poppers once and couldn't get the hang of them either!

I've had several 'difficult' cats and used the method I described on all of them. With the ones on regular medications I always did it at feeding time, and they did get to view it (however unwillingly) as part of the feeding routine in the end and became (relatively!) cooperative.

I found that the advantage of doing it between your knees on the floor was that you didn't have to pick them up at all. A couple of mine really hated being picked up, so if you grabbed them you were fighting a losing battle as they were already thoroughly peed off from the start! Going down to their level and doing it on the floor just saved some of the hassle.

I would wear good thick clothing, though. Just in case!

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2015 10:55 pm
by Walesgang
I must admit, I tend to be the no fuss, wrap a fighter in a towel if need be, otherwise down the hatch followed by a treat regime!

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:08 am
by Catfan5
Thanks for your advice, I'm feeling pleased with myself this morning! I wrapped a towel round Bailey and pilled her before she knew what was happening! She clenched her jaw but she opened just enough to see it disappear down the hatch :D She ate a little from Beakers bowl but not her own so she won't trust me for a while :(Two more to go....

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 10:57 am
by Crewella
Yay, well done!! :D

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 4:06 pm
by Walesgang
Well done :D

Re: Pilling ideas for a tricky puss please!

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:26 pm
by Catfan5
Thanks ladies, sounds daft but I didn't think she was pillable lol! It'll be easier when it's down to one pill only next week.