Cat update

[bunn]

Yama Bungle has been unwell, and needed daily antibiotics.  He would not eat the food with the liquid medication on it, so we got him pills.  He would not eat the pills in cheese, or sardines, or liver cake.    We have been forced to adopt the Cat Is Basically A Tube method, where the cat is swaddled in towels and you try to inject medicine into his mouth.

The liquid is better for this than the pills, since the pills can easily be stowed away in the Secret Mouth Pocket that all cats possess, whereas cats appear, at least as yet, not to have mastered the idea of squirting medicine from their mouths.    

At least it seems to be working.  He was haring around the house, knocking things over this morning.

Footie the ancient cat was also unwell on Sunday.  In fact, I rather thought he had had it, as I found him sprawled face-down by his dish, breathing heavily.  I think possibly he had had a small fit or something.  He is almost 20 now.   But we picked him up and stood him up, and he seems to have reverted to his normal routine of walking basically from food bowl to fire and back again, punctuated with many hours of sleep.

Henning cat continues well, but grumpy.  Nothing new there then.

Comments

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Poor cat. *hugs you both*

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

There is the stage where you squirt liquid in the cat's mouth, but fail to get it down the throat and the cat lets it dribble out again. I remember battles with cat and towels and deciding if he was well enough to fight back he didn't need treatment any more (especially when most of it went anywhere but inside the cat).

[seascribe.livejournal.com]

The Vinny monster is long liquid steroids, as all my professional expertise in the world could not overcome the Secret Mouth Pocket, and he HATES being a tube. Poor monster. He sends cuddles to Footie.

[timetiger.livejournal.com]

Walking from food bowl to fire and back, punctuated with many hours of sleep is my ideal winter routine. I'm glad Footie and Bungle have recovered and Henning is his usual self.

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the Cat Taco, as my vet calls it. I hope that he gets better, and that Ancient Cat continues in reasonable health for his age.

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

It was impossible to get anything into Magnus- we ended up taking him to the vet for long lasting antibiotic and steroid injections.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor cats!

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Cats are ever so much harder to medicate than dogs--with all the dogs I've known you just shove the pill into some liver cake and snap! it's gone. Cats...not so much.

Chaucer will calmly take any pill you shove into him, although for form's sake he *will* try to spit it out, so you have to place it properly. Then he swallows it, looks at you sadly, and goes and gets a drink of water.

Keegan...not so much. He hates being held, such that he becomes a whirling Tasmanian Devil of a little black cat, even if you try and purrito him in a towel. Luckily I have discovered that he will happily take pills if they are hidden in spray cheez.

Bruno is even worse--he will NOT be restrained, and as he is a Large Black Cat and very strong, he's quite capable of removing himself from the restrainer. Or the purrito. And if you try and force his mouth open OR give him liquid medication, he bites. Hard. Which, since he's the one who still has teeth, is not insignificant. And he spits out pills. So he gets his pills also hidden in spray cheez, except for the pills last summer that were apparently tasty to cats.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Oh, poor cats!

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

I had to resort to the same for Gizmo too! Whereas my childhood dog would eat pills quite happily if you smeared them in butter and tucked them inside a bit of bread.

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that doesn't sound like fun!