Any advice on giving medication to an elderly cat?

[JacquiA]

Hi everyone. We have recently adopted an elderly cat - she is around 15 years old and is on medication for an over-active thyroid. For the first couple of days she happily took her pill in a small piece of cheese - she led us into a false sense of security as for the past few days it is a battle to get her to take it! We have tried everything we can think of to tempt her - cheese, chicken, tuna, wrapped in a small piece of webbox cat treat ... but she is getting very suspicious of anything we give her and if she does take the food, she will then normally spit the pill out... I have tried opening her mouth and popping the pill in but she struggles and this has been less than successful. I am not very confident in doing this and therefore we are both getting stressed. It does not help that her appetite is very poor, due to the medication, and also she has very few teeth so chewing is a problem for her.
She is so tiny, she cannot afford to lose any more weight. She has an appointment at the vet to check her bloods next week so I will most certainly be asking the vet for any help on getting her medication into her but if anyone has any hints or tips that might help in the meantime I would be very grateful.
She is a beautiful girl who deserves some home comforts and love in the later years of her life but I worry I am just stressing her out

[MarkB]

I know it seems cruel, but I adopt the 'down the hatch' approach. I know not all cats are the same, but Lazarus knows what is coming. I cup his head with one hand, with the same arm holding him in place. Tilt his head back. I have the pill ready in the other hand, held between my thumb and index finger. I use the middle finger to open his mouth from the side and drop the pill down his throat - then pass the food over so hopefully he we eat to wash the pill down.

I have to give him a thyroid tablet in the morning. In the evening, another thyroid tablet + a blood pressure tablet. I also have to give him Semintra, a kidney med, via syringe, in his mouth. Also, twice a day, I have to give him a hormone via syringe up his nose. It sounds quite daunting, but once you have a routine, it is straightforward. I just make sure I do it all quickly.

You may need to resort to using a pill popper, but better if you can do it by hand. Some pill poppers have a rubber/silicon tip, which is safer I think.

There is no reason thryoid meds should affect appetite (other than to give them a normal appetite once the thyroid is under control. I know some thyroid meds don't agree with all cat. When I adopted Laz about 4 years ago from Cats Protection, they had recently changed him from Vidatlta to Felimazole because Vidalta made him sick. He is 17 or 18 now according to my vet.

Good luck

PS - Well done for adopting an oldie

[JacquiA]

Thank you for your advice - I think I just need some practice as I cannot seem to get her to sit still to be able to open her mouth! I'm probably too nervous of hurting her at the moment - at least I know she can't bite me as she has so few teeth, bless her. I will try the approach from the side of the mouth - I was advise to open her mouth from the front but the side may be easier. Sounds like you have it down to a fine art - practice makes perfect!
The vet has said the meds will affect her appetite because we are trying to get the dose right at the moment. They increased the dose whilst she was at the shelter as she was still losing weight but she stopped eating totally so it has been reduced again slightly. She is starting to pick at her food a bit more so we'll get there eventually.
Thanks again for your help.

[Marla]

If she's lost her appetite, please tell your vet straight away. Her dose might be too high, which can be really dangerous.

Which medication is she on and what was the starting dose?

IMHO, some vets treat hyperthyroidism with too high a starting dose. It's safer to start with a small dose and gradually increase if you have to.

We have two 17 year old cats with hyperthyroidism. Both are controlled with fairly low doses of Felimazole.

[JacquiA]

Hi Maria
She is on Felimazole. The vet at the shelter increased her dose to 5mg morning and 2.5mg evening as she was continuing to lose weight on the lower dose. She was on this when I picked her up last weekend. However, her lack of appetite is very worrying so the vet has advised me to lower the dose to 2.5mg both morning and evening which is what we are now trying. She is showing a little more interest in her food but not much yet - and I have been told she is VERY picky anyway
We just need to get the dose right - and the meds into her - and hopefully she will pick up.
Thanks again.

[greenkitty]

I'm with Mark with the down the hatch approach, you have to be more determined than they are! You will get the hang of it and will probably find she'll eventually just accept it, Hector has been on medication for about 5 years now and he's a dream now in comparison to the early days!!

[JacquiA]

I'm with Mark with the down the hatch approach, you have to be more determined than they are! You will get the hang of it and will probably find she'll eventually just accept it, Hector has been on medication for about 5 years now and he's a dream now in comparison to the early days!!

Thank you for your words of encouragement - much appreciated!

[Marla]

Maybe when her appetite comes back on this lower dose you will find that she accepts the pill in cheese again. Fingers-crossed!

If the vet wants to increase her dose again at any time in the future, insist on another T4 test first.

[Marla]

How long has she been on the lower dose? Is she acting normally or is she lethargic?

[Janey]

Hi and welcome. I had two cats together on thyroid meds, one would take the tablets disguised in food, the other wouldn't. The one that would I used to wrap in a piece of webbox stick, cream cheese, ordinary cheese half a king prawn etc. The other one I used to just come up behind whilst she was sat on the sofa and put my left hand round the sides of her mouth - this usually opens it. Then open her lower jaw a little further with my right hand and push the tablet to the back of her tongue. Then hold her mouth closed a few seconds with the left hand (to make sure she swallowed it) and tickled under her chin - which usually gets them to swallow. If you need to do it that way your vet will show you how and although it sounds like it takes a while it doesn't, with practice you will have it done in a few seconds. Then give them a treat to follow if you like

[JacquiA]

Thank you everyone. Will try your suggestions.
Maria - she seems quite alert and is very agile for a 15 year old - has no trouble jumping onto the dining room table, lol! It's hard to say what is 'normal' for her as I've only had her a week. Have only just lowered the dose (yesterday) so early days. Will let you know how it goes.

[Crewella]

I'm another one that does the 'down the hatch' method, although I've never had a cat with thyroid issues.

I find it easiest to kneel on the floor with the cat between my knees, facing away from me so that they just end up backing into me if they try to pull back, and then open the jaw with one hand and drop the pill in with the other, as has been described.

As Mark says, good on you for taking on an oldie.

[booktigger]

It is very hard having to pill a cat from the moment you adopt them, as they haven't had time to trust you before you start doing 'nasty' stuff to them. If she is one of those cats who is really hard to pill, Felimazole is available as a transdermal gel (you rub it on the inside of the ear) - its more expensive, and bizarrely is a one a day dose. My neighbours cat is on it, and it is very easy to do

[JacquiA]

Thanks again everyone for your help and advice. We adopted two younger cats 18 months ago - they are 5 years old now and we couldn't imagine life without them now I kept thinking about all the older cats no-one seemed to want ... at the local shelter everyone seems to by-pass the older ones and they need love just as much (if not more in some cases) as the youngters and the kittens. We are in regular contact with our local shelter and I said if an older one came in, that was cat-friendly, then we would consider it. One look at Georgie's little face and I was totally in love! I realise it will be difficult, hard-work and there will be a million other things I didn't consider when I took her on but after one week she is part of our family - our other two are keeping their distance but very curious - and I will do everything in my power to make sure she is looked after and loved as she should be.
I have heard about the gel Booktigger; thank you. I will persevere as I definitely need lots more practice to pill her successfully but if it is really getting impossible I will speak to my vet.
Thanks again everyone - it certainly helps to know we're not the only ones! No doubt I will be a regular visitor now! x

[JacquiA]

Quick update... I took all your advice and this morning took the bull by the horns - or the cat (gently) by the head! Held her firmly, opened her mouth at the side and popped the pill in quickly. I blew gently on her nose as I had heard this makes them swallow and, hey presto, pill gone! I wouldn't say it was exactly stress free (and I have come away will a small scratch on my hand) but she seems to have forgiven me (I think) and in the long run less stressful than trying to tempt her with various titbits she had no interest in. Will repeat with her dose tonight - practice makes perfect. Thanks everyone - determination, speed and lots of fuss afterwards has done the trick

[geckodiva]

Hi, my 18 year old girl Tat has had hyperthyroidism twice. The first time 5 years ago. Only one gland was affected. We tried pills but she couldn't take them as they made her sick. She had surgery and was fine for 4 years. Then last year the other gland was affected. Again pills were tried but again she was sick. Someone on here referred to a cream that could be used in the ear. Our vet ordered this and it was successful. I opted for surgery for her again because although the thyroid levels were under control she wasn't her normal self. Basically I thought she was unhappy and my normally cuddly cat just wanted to be on her own. She is now back to her old self personality wise but she does have to take steroid pills every day to maintain her appetite. We use the down the hatch method.

[Crewella]

Glad the 'down the hatch' method worked - hopefully you've managed to settle into a routine now.

[JacquiA]

She is definitely more settled now - thank you. Sometimes she will take the pill in food and others it's 'down the hatch'! Her appetite has improved too - all-in-all she seems to be a lot happier and is even starting to make tentative friends with the other two

[bobbys girl]

Hi JacquiA,

Really pleased the 'down the hatch' method is working. We can do that with the girls and Bob. But Tommy is a very strong cat with big claws and he gets totally stressed out if I do that so I prefer the 'smoke and mirrors' method.

Since (thankfully) he has his appetite back, he joins the others for breakfast. So while the kettle is on for Grace and Purdy's prawns (and my tea), I put a small amount of food - the runnier the better, in a bowl and mix in his Semintra. While the prawns 'cook' I feed Willow. This all means that Tom gets all his meds while the feline waist disposal unit (Grace) is munching on a prawn. It all happens so fast they don't realise what's happening!

Everyone's happy, I get my tea, then Bob comes in for his breakfast and joins Tom for his second course. Like a well-oiled machine

Well done for taking on this old lady. I'm glad she is settling in.

[Crewella]

That's brilliant, and I'm so pleased she's starting to feel at home.

[JacquiA]

I am definitely learning as I go - sounds like you have your hand's full too Bobbys Girl...! Georgie is improving every day, as she feels more settled - have finally managed to attach a picture of her too

[greenkitty]

Sounds like you and Georgie are making great strides together, she looks like a little lion

[Crewella]

She's lovely, and it sounds as though she's managing to train you up nicely! I hope this is the start of a bright future for you, together - it seems that way. xx

[JacquiA]

She is definitely training us - and the other cats too, lol!