Hi, I have a 9 year old Siamese who has feline hyperthyroidism. He has always been a happy, healthy, active cat, and I just recently found out about the hyperthyroidism since the vet found a heart murmor. Well, I'm tryng to give my cat the medication (Tapazole)by putting it in his mouth and rubbing his throat until he swallows. He ends up foaming at the mouth, clawing me, then spitting it out later. He is a much happier cat when he isn't forced to endure this. Surgery is too expensive and I don't want to put poor Mikie through that stress either. Any suggestions for getting him to take his medications? I've even tried hiding it in his food. He had no symptoms of the hyperthyroid before except for a huge appetite and the heart murmor, so I'm wondering if it is even worth it to put him through all this-maybe I should just let him enjoy his life.
Answers:
My cats had to take pills when they got worms. And neither of them liked it very much. We tricked one of them into taking one of the pills by putting it among some of his treats. But he didn't like the taste to much so he wouldn't eat the other one. And then our other cat would hide the pills in her mouth and then spit them out later. So what we did, the vet told us too. Was we took a syringe full of water, take and have someone help you. Hold the cats mouth open, put the bill as far back in the mouth as you can and use the water in the syringe to push the pill into their throat, then let go and they will swallow the pill with the water.
I know it sounds mean, but it really works and it is the easiest thing to do and it wont add stress upon them. Good luck with the kitty.
did you smash it up before u put it in his food? Maybe mash it and put it in a special treat like real tuna or salmon or something he really likes. I love those Siamese.
i miss my cats. I'm allergic and can't have any. Good luck to Mikie
The tricky part, is getting that pill far back in the throat, and then rubbing the neck in a downward motion. If it's far back enough, he won't be able to spit it back up. The problem is, cat teeth are very sharp, eh? Another method is to put the pill inside a ball of peanut butter on a spoon. Then let him lick it all off. They usually take the pill with the peanut butter if you keep the spoon close to his mouth so he can't see what's in it. If that doesn't work, maybe consider the other option of no meds at all. Good luck!
I would try braunschweiger(in the refrigerated meat section of your grocery store) for your cat to ingest the pill. It is some pretty gross stuff but most carnivorous and omnivorous animals seem to down all meds with that stuff. Hope that helps.
It is your cat and your choice. The only way to give him his medicine it to hold his head up as far as you can and pull his lower jaw down. Put the pill way back in his throat where it is too far back for him to spit it out. You may need to pour about a teaspoon of water in to make him swallow.You can put the water in an eye dropper or syringe with the needle off. Keep his head up until he swallows. If he fights you then wrap him in a towel so he can't use his claws. I have no answer whether you should or shouldn't do this. But if it is something he will get over then I would say do it. Kids don't like taking pills either but we have to force them to take it to get better. Oh and you can crush the pill by using the bottom of a spoon. Lay the pill on a flat surface and push the pill down with the spoon bottom and roll it from side to side to crush the bigger chunks. You can put the crushed pill in the syringe or eye dropper with water and squirt it down his throat. Allow him to swallow it from time to time so he doesn't choke. When I had to give my cat pills and gave it to her in food she would never touch that same food again because she associated it with the taste of the pills.
My cat Larry had hyperthyroidism. It became quite severe and he lost a signifiant amount of weight and stopped eating much because of the disease. He was one of the first cats to get the surgery you are talking about which was pioneered by his vet in the Chicagoland area. It saved his life. He was already very old (about 20) when he had the surgery and lived another 6 years afterward in relatively good health. A few weeks after I brought him home from the pet hospital, he was near his old self again. That surgery was expensive but worth every penny.
Before the surgery, we tried drug treatment for him. He absolutely would not take straight pills. The solution we came up with was processed cheese. We would take some and mold it around the pill. He loved the stuff and cats don't chew food much. This worked most of the time, although he would occassionally lose the pill (I'd find it on the floor later). One thing I considered doing but never tried (medication wasn't working so I took him for surgery) was grinding the pill into a powder. This is easy to do with a $10 coffee grinder (only use the grinder for his medication and nothing else, hehe). It will pulverize the pill into a fine powder. Then, mix the powder with some food he likes (cheese is good because stuff sticks to it).
When possible - crush the tablets (or open the capsules) and work the medicine into a table spoon of cat food or tuna.., any food that the cat loves and never refuses.
Some medications have a really bitter taste that the food cant mask, and you have to get it down his throat. Ask your vet how to get the medicine down the cat's throat when he fights so hard. Cats can slice and dice you.
I have a feisty cat too and had to start giving him pills, what works for me is to hold him between my legs, have my son hold his face buy his cheeks, i pry his mouth open and shove the pill in as far as i can ( i rub some soft food on it to make it slippery), hold is mouth shut watch for him to swallow and follow him around for a minute to see he doesn't spit it out, That has worked real good so far, Good Luck!
sorry cant help with that, too much reading.
try dissolving it in warm water and then put on spoon and the cat will lick it or just put in food and the cat will eat food and medication
thank you
I always use the $5.00 pillpopper you can get from the vet or maybe at a pet store. I have always found this to work for me and at that price it is worth trying it. There is a transdermal form of the tapazole now. That is a gel that you rub under the ear flap.
I finally did the radiation for my cat after she had been on the tapazole for a few months. That was when she was 15 and she is 22 now. She was a rescue that was dying from the condition.
The condition eventually affects many parts of the body and is a miserable condition for the cat. Blood pressure rises and can damage the heart further. They have an insatiable appetite, thirst and suffer a great deal of anxiety so I feel you must treat your cat appropriately. Mikie is very young and it would be a shame if you were not to treat him as it is a "correctable" disease. Believe me, he will not "enjoy" the rest of his life without treatment.
Try the piller or get the transdermal from the vet.
There are now "pillow-type" treats for giving pills. They are hollow, so you can put the pill inside. Try that. Or a pill shooter that just zips the pill down the throat. Or, as others have said, try crushing the pill. The transdermal gel is a great idea, also.
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