Pilling cats - desperate for help!

[fjm]

Is there anything she really likes to eat and can have? Popping in a couple of scraps of deliciousness, then the well wrapped pill, then more whatever, can sometimes work. But I had a cat once for whom the only solution was what is known in the States as the burrito wrap - cat gently but tightly cocooned in a thick cloth with only the head out, open mouth with left hand by gentle but firm pressure well back in the jaw, push the tablet to the back of the throat with the fingers of the right hand, hold mouth closed keeping nose pointing up, gently massage throat till the tablet goes down. And even that sometimes didn't work...

Is it possible to get the drugs as a liquid? It can be easier to squirt in a dose. But even placid, easy to pill Pippin began to avoid me after a few days of regular dosing...

[Ruth B]

There is no easy way to give a cat a tablet, anyone who says it's simple has never had a cat. Like fjm says, you might be best to ask if there is a liquid variant that you could give her, or if you can crush it up and put it in some food or treats, though you mention she is on an elimination diet so I don't know if that would be suitable. You could also ask the vet if there is an injectable form of the medication, preferably a long last one that she would only need once a week and which the vet could do, or one you could give her, it may sound crazy, but some people find it is easier to inject a cat than to give them a tablet, one of my parents cats had to have insulin injections twice a day for years and it never bothered her.

One of mine once had a long course of antibiotics and fought me every day. i had to vary the time I gave her the tablet or she would go into hiding half an hour before and wouldn't let me get near her. One really impressive day, I managed to get hold of her, after I had already got the tablets ready (she needed one and a half tablets). They also could cause problems if they didn't swallow them properly so I had a syringe of water and a few bit of cooked meat ready for her to have afterwards, the vet had advised one or the other, I went for both. The whole tablet goes in, half the water in the syringe is then put into her mouth and the mouth is held shut and the throat stroked to make her swallow. The half tablet follows using the same method and the rest of the water from the syringe. She is then given the few pieces of cooked meat to eat. She spits out the second piece of meat and i can clearly see the soggy whole tablet attached to the side of it. Cats will be cats.

I hope you can sort something out and i think the vets reaction might just say that he has never managed to give a cat a tablet successfully either.

[Mollycat]

I have no magic answers, even my Ragdoll (supposed to be placid) needed tablets in pill putty AND down his throat with two people. After about 4-5 weeks he was avoiding us and scared looking every time we went into the kitchen.

Remind me though, some of these tablets are steroids, is that right? For gut problems? Hope I haven't got you mixed up with someone else. If it's steroids it is really important to get the right dose in regularly so it's a shame the vets are not being more helpful.

And what is the elimination diet? Is it for grain and dairy intolerances? If so can you give small pieces of chicken or another meat?

[Mollycat]

What's your own feeling about diet, do you feel this is the right path based on what you know?

I've been trying to find any scientific studies on diet for triaditis and drawn a blank, just split veterinary opinion between hydrolysed and high protein grain-free wet. I completely understand if you want to follow the advice you have, I suppose I'm asking if doing that agrees with your own sense of what's right or if you're going against your instincts? This one rings truest for me as making sense https://www.ibdkitties.net/feline-triaditis/ but that doesn't mean your vet isn't right. If there was one answer it would be simple.

"Diet is of course an important part of treatment: specifically, to make sure a cat eats enough calories to stave off hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Anyone with a ‘finicky’ sick cat knows how tricky this can be. Most veterinarians have been trained to use ‘prescription’ cat foods, and will recommend them most of the time. While some kitties will do fine on them, many will do better on grain-free wet food: good quality commercial canned foods, home-cooked or raw. Both of the latter must be supplemented to be balanced."

I must admit as I have started reading about triaditis I'm horrified, this sounds so much like when my Molly 'crashed' that led us to discover her hyperthyroidism, which we never suspected as we had a constant battle against her gaining weight - but true enough since being treated for that she has held a very normal weight by herself and even walks away from her favourite treats when she's had enough!

Anyway this isn't any help at all towards pilling, sorry.

[fjm]

Will she lick the hydrolysed food from your finger if you mix some to a paste with water (or a more tempting liquid if there is one permitted by her exclusion diet)? Warm water can increase the smell and hence the palatability, and a paste my be easier to hide tablets to dose her. I have never yet had a cat who would voluntarily eat food with anything unpleasant hidden in it, but it is much easier to get a small bolus of moist food down their throats than a dry tablet, and it is less likely to get stuck or immediately returned.

You make me very grateful that Poppy my poodle has learned that medicine means chicken, and starts reminding me at least 15 minutes before a dose is due...

[Felis-Felidae]

If the foaming is the primary issue (and it sounds like it is), I believe that's what needs to be addressed first.

Because as long as you get the pill far back down her throat and hold her head up with her mouth closed (using the stroke-her-throat-until-she-swallows technique), there's a fair chance she'll eventually swallow it -- it just boils down to which of you two is more patient about holding that position until she gulps down the pill.

But if her mouth foams when the pill touches her tongue, you obviously can't even try that.

Ergo, we need to stop particles of the pill touching her tongue directly, because this particular pill triggers the foaming response.

What worked for my cat was a thin wrapping of cheese around the pill (she's not lactose-intolerant). The fat from the cheese coated the pill so thoroughly that she couldn't taste it and the involuntary foaming response couldn't be triggered.

However, you said your cat is on an elimination diet, so I'm not sure what you could use as a masking agent, I'm afraid...

[Felis-Felidae]

I understand the frustration. My cat is on steroids right now too, you see, and foams from them as well. As I said, the cheese wrapping prevents direct contact with the pill for her. I made a mistake once and dropped it towards the middle of the tongue and she "chewed" it, but the cheese was so... smooshy... that it continued to coat the pill throughout that

And I wouldn't be too quick to blame your technique. The fact is, every cat is different when it comes to pilling. With some, you can get it straight to the back of their mouths, almost down their throats. With others, that's a good way to end up in (accidental) bloodshed.

[Mollycat]

No don't blame yourself. One of mine, the placid Ragdoll, was difficult. My rescue girl is impossible and I would never even attempt it, and I've told the vet in so many words too - if it can't be injected or given by the vet or sprinkled on her food, I'm not paying for it because I won't even try to get it into her. If there isn't another way than pills, she goes without. A simple 3 day course of antibiotics could easily undo 7 years of hard work building trust and she is too clever to fall for the same trick twice. It's ok, some cats really are extremely difficult!