Help medicating feral cat

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Rachel

Rachel

Member Since 2013
So I'm supposed to give Elektra oral antibiotics for the next few weeks. She refuses them. She is basically feral (will not allow us to touch her at all, anywhere, ever).
--Tried pill pockets which worked til she got sick from the first antibiotic.
--Now she won't even eat pill pockets with nothing in them. tried wrapping it in cheese (she found the pill).
--Tried leaving her alone in a room with NO food but the pill crushed in tuna...she refused to eat. I couldn't leave her there and let her starve.
--I'm afraid to try a pill popper because she WILL bite and scratch. She has done it before and we ended up in the ER for our hands.

I have other cats, so I can't just leave it lying around somewhere and hope she'll eat it. Any suggestions?
 
Will she take treats from your hand?

First, the pill must have no flavor. If it's not in a gelatin capsule already, you must put it in one. I use size 4 gelatin capsules. If it's already in a gelatin capsule, wipe off the outside with a dry cloth to ensure there's no nasty-tasting powder on the outside.

If she will eat treats from your hand, put 3 treats in your hand and place the pill on top. Cup your hand and then close your hand. Present the hand to her so she can smell the treats, then open your hand just enough so she can cram her face in there to eat, but can't really see.

Now, this part is important. Some cats will grab the treat, pull away and turn, drop it on the floor, and then eat it from the floor. It's important that your hand is positioned so she doesn't do this. If she's eating directly from your hand without dropping it on the floor, she will probably just swallow the pill without noticing.

I do this with my cats sometimes. Occassionally they will grab the pill and drop it on the floor. I just try again. Usually works on the first try, sometimes it takes 2-3 tries.

A second method is to keep placing treats in front of her one at a time. Quickly place the next treat down right as she finishes the prior one. After a few treats, plop down the pill instead. Hopefully at that point she's in a rhythm and will just eat it. Be sure to follow with at least one more treat. Try to randomize how many treats you give before and after the pill so she doesn't learn to guess which is the pill.

You don't necessarily have to use treats, any dry food that they particularly like will work. I've used Meow Mix Tender Centers in the past. It's important that whatever you use isn't their normal food, however.

I've only tried these methods with regular, fairly unsuspecting house cats though.

I've had a vet suggest coating the gelatin capsule in butter and just offering it like that. Most cats love butter so they'll eat it up and the butter also helps the pill go down easily without causing the gelatin capsule to start dissolving.
 
She doesn't trust me...won't take anything from my hand. The problem we've had is that she will eat something it's wrapped in but she ALWAYS finds it and spits it out.

I'm not sure how to get her INTO the towel. I mean, she won't let us even pet her...much less pick her up and place her on a towel.

I guess I'll call the vet tomorrow and see if there is a transdermal we can use or maybe a good tasting liquid we could add to her food...though I don't know if she'll eat if separated from the other cats. She wouldn't today.
 
I don't like pill pockets or wrapping the pill in things because it makes the piece so big--which ultimately encourages chewing, and can lead to discovery.

They make flavored gelatin capsules in beef and chicken flavors. If she likes those flavors, she would just eat the capsule itself as a treat.

A gelatin capsule is very important because it takes any bad flavors away that would discourage them from eating it. I have trouble swallowing pills, and those pressed tablets really start tasting bad very quickly if it doesn't go down immediately.

Maybe try putting the treats down in quick succession? It seriously does work on some cats. But the gelatin capsule is key.
 
I didn't price compare so I'm not sure these are the best prices out there, but Amazon has size 3 chicken flavored capsules here and Capsule Depot has beef flavored capsules here in various sizes (I recommend size 4).

If you need them sooner, a local pharmacy or your vet may have something similar. As you mentioned earlier, your vet may have some other alternatives to help your feral cat take her meds.
 
Thanks Daphne! I just tried the butter, and she walked right away from it. No interest even without a pill in it. We'll see what the vet says tomorrow I guess.
 
Butter didn't work for me either, but my vet and her assistant were emphatic that it usually works. I'm sorry I didn't have a trick that worked for you. I really hope your vet can help or someone else has more ideas.

This won't help you today, but do you think you'd like to try clicker training Elektra? It could be an activity that builds a bond between you two, and eventually you could try to train her to do something that would help with giving medicine in the future.
 
You buy a clicker device. I suggest going to the pet store and playing with a few of them because they vary in loudness, and you likely want one that isn't as loud for Elektra. Once you pick a clicker, you stick to it. You are training her to enjoy this specific sound, so you can't change the sound you're using in the middle.

The first step is to teach them to associate the click with a reward. You click, then give them a treat immediately. You do this multiple times in multiple sessions until they learn the click means they're going to be rewarded. Once that association is formed, you can begin training activities.

I've been reading the book "Naughty No More" by Marilyn Krieger to learn about clicker training. I am borrowing it from the library. There are a lot of online resources that describe how to clicker train. I haven't actually begun clicker training with my cats so I don't think I can guide you further; I'm just too inexperienced.
 
Thanks Daphne! I appreciate the info. I'll look into it more and see how it works. I don't think Elektra will ever be non feral, but she will take some treats from me. So maybe the clicker training will work for a later time. I'll have to do some research and visit the pet store this weekend!
 
My vet gives my kitties a long-acting antibiotic injection so I don't have to give pills - I'm sorry I don't know the name. I'd never be able to medicate a feral cat, and some of my house cats would tear me apart if I had to dose them two or three times a day!
 
Most cats love liver....raw or cooked. Could you try putting the pill in that ? I would give her some plain liver first, then give her the one with the pill in it. Cooked liver would be easier to handle for you as far as hiding the pill.
 
You can get 3-day amoxicillin injections (NOT Convenia - see catinfo.org for reasons why not).

I don't know whether it's available over where you are but Kesium (amoxycillin again) is a very palatable antibiotic. Both Saoirse and Lúnasa have happily eaten it crushed up and mixed with their food.

Don't know about any other antibiotics (other than flagyl which tastes absolutely foul, I believe).

There are cat pill delivery devices available. Try a web search.




Mogs
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Gelatin capsules will flex but not crack or be bitten through easily. They are dry at first and slowly get sticky the longer they are wet. Eventually they do dissolve and break down, but this happens much more slowly than with the coating on the pressed tablets.

In my experience, cats do not go out of their way to crunch down on gelatin capsules. It's very unlikely they'd break the gelatin capsule open by trying to chew on it. When they do put their teeth on a gelatin capsule, it's usually in the process of spitting it out of their mouth.

Something as small as a gelatin capsule, a treat, or a piece of dry food is just swallowed as-is. Bite and gulp, no intentional chewing.
 
I know you tried cheese, but did you try cream cheese? I have a hard to pill cat and by throwing down tiny balls of cream cheese one at a time and sticking the pill in a random one, she usually eats it before she knows it. I also found, some competition from my other cats makes her gobble it down fast.
 
I always use cold cuts. We call it turkey surprise. Or ham or roast beef.... Have three small bites. The middle one has the surprise inside. Give the first so they taste without the pill then give the surprise but show her there's one more.... They eat the second quick to get to the third. I've had to give several feral antibiotics over the years.... It USUALLY works


I also use this technique every night to give my cat his blood pressure pill.
 
Tablets which may dissolve may be coated with a bit of butter before wrapping with something tasty. This will help prevent it from leaving a taste in the mouth.
A variant is to crush the tablet if very small, mash that into something to make a small putty-like blob, then oiling and wrapping that with the tasty food.
 
@Rachel did you come up with a method that works? I'm curious because I often rescue ferals and the more methods I learn, the better!
 
No, nothing has worked so far. I tried all the above suggestions and they didn't work for her. I then got the meds compounded into a flavored liquid...and she won't go near it. Put her in a room by herself today with that and her regular food and she wouldn't even eat her food..much less the meds. It's looking like we aren't going to be able to get her meds. The vet mentioned they might be able to give an injection, so we may have to go with that.
 
Hi.... I have used the liquid (you mix it and is good for 10 days I think --Clavamox?)
Most cats don't seem to notice it--
if that doesn't work sometimes I think you just have to bite the bullet and get the shot--I know some cats react to convenia but not too many options with a feral-my cats have had it before and did fine. Good luck!:bighug:
 
What is the infection? A UTI? Something else? I love the injection. My one cat it worked great on for a UTI. Such a relief not to have to trick her or pill her because like yours she's skidding and was a stray. My other cat it wasn't quite strong enough for a deep kidney infection and he wound up on oral ones a few weeks later.
 
She has E. coli in her bladder. I'm probably taking her for a shot today. I know Convenia isn't a great choice but it's all we've got left. She refused to eat the other day when I tried to medicate her and at this point....I don't think we can medicate her. She is horribly stressed and so am I. She's had convenia before and no ill effects. The vet even said it isn't as good but is better than nothing.

The Clavamox liquid might have worked but she couldn't take the Clavamox. Those pills she took fine (naturally) but they made her super sick.
 
Rachel said:
She has E. coli in her bladder. I'm probably taking her for a shot today. I know Convenia isn't a great choice but it's all we've got left. She refused to eat the other day when I tried to medicate her and at this point....I don't think we can medicate her. She is horribly stressed and so am I. She's had convenia before and no ill effects. The vet even said it isn't as good but is better than nothing.

The Clavamox liquid might have worked but she couldn't take the Clavamox. Those pills she took fine (naturally) but they made her super sick.
Click to expand...
Poor kitty. I hope it helps and she feels better soon.
 
She seems okay so far. Still won't take her meds...but she's acting normal and seeming happy. I may have reached a point where we just wait and see...to clarify, I would NOT advise that to most people, but for Elektra, it may be best. I don't want to stress her out (since that can cause problems too) and she is a special case. If she won't take her meds, at least I know she'll eat and get lots of water through her system and in the end...quality of life, you know?

I am adding a lot of D Mannose to their food in hopes that it will help her as well. :) and I have the amitriptyline so I can attempt to give it if she seems like she isn't feeling well to help with the stress.

Thanks for asking, Mogs! Just keeping an eye on her for now and hoping we are going to stay healthy for a long time!
 
Fingers and paws crossed here, Rachel. Be sure to let us know how she's doing. Have you asked your vet about something like Cystease for Elektra? You mix it into food.

(((Elektra)))

:bighug:


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