Pill Pocket substitutes for cancer kitty?

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Julia & Bandit (GA)

Julia & Bandit (GA)

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Hi everyone,

My civvie cat Gabby has stomach cancer. Of course, she's getting finickier and finickier with food as she's reaching the end stages, and I'm trying to think of new ways to get her to eat her appetite stimulant pills without having to use the pill gun (it traumatizes both of us, and she's unhappy for hours afterwards).

I was using pill pockets, but she won't eat any of the three flavors anymore. Then I was using a small piece of cheese rolled in tuna, and she refused that after a while. Then it was cheese and sardines, raw beef, chicken breast, crabmeat, canned salmon, and spam, all of which she has now refused. I'm using cheese and deli turkey now, but I have a feeling she'll be refusing that soon based on the way she took it this morning. I'm running out of ideas! Does anyone have have any different ways of getting their picky cats to eat a pill without pilling them? Or any other malleable substances other than cheese that might entice her? Or even any new ideas on foods I might be able to stick to the cheese that might make her gobble it?
 
Re: Pill Pocket substitutes?

If you don't mind the junk food carbs any of the soft treats on the market for cats can be used. The few times I've done this I wet my fingers then moisten the treat and form it around the pill. Tucker is allergic to gluten so we can't do this often, his IBD will act up.

Ask your vet if this is a pill that can be crushed, some pills are time released or have special coating for a reason, if this is crushable, you could smash it into a powder and make a slurry with 1 or 2 mls of water, tuna juice or even gravy if necessary and use a needleless syringe, that may be easier and less traumatic than pilling.

Currently Tucker is taking his potassium pills crushed in a tablespoon of canned A/D that I warm in the microwave. So far it's working, he takes his pills BID that way.
 
Re: Pill Pocket substitutes?

Thanks Jennifer! The pill can be crushed, but Gabby won't eat it crushed in anything. It seems that if she can smell or taste the pill at all, she will refuse to eat. I think that's why she starts refusing the different foods after a while...she must have bit in too far and tasted the pill instead fo swallowing it whole.

The pill in question is Cyproheptadine, in case that matters (it's very crumbly). Right now I'm giving her 1/3 pill 2x day, or as much as I can approximate since it's impossible to break these evenly into anything other than halves.

I didn't even think about soft treats because I've never bought them. Gabby doesn't have any problems with gluten or carbs and at this stage we don't care how junky the food is as long as it will get her to eat her pill. I'd feed her a cheeseburger from McDonald's if she'd eat it. Are there any kinds of soft treats in particular that cats seem to really like?
 
Oh, and I haven't tried any ground raw meats because I'm worried about the bacteria content. but if this is an unreasonable fear for cats, let me know.
 
I am sory about your kitty's cancer.

I would try and make little sandwiches using a titch of butter as the glue, kitty's food and perhaps some parmesan cheese to entice?
You are trying al the staples. You may even want to talk to vet about an injectable appetite stimulant to help in the meantime.
 
my late Spazzie did this too after being diagnosed with cancer. she had been taking tapazole for hyper t for a couple years in pill pockets with no problems but after the cancer diagnosis it was like she got bored with them or perhaps they no longer tasted good or something and i'd have to try other stuff. we did cheese, tuna, lunchmeat, etc.....and every time we switched she would take her meds willingly....for a couple weeks, then turn her nose up to it again and i'd have to get creative again. we just kept going round in circles, rotating the options every couple weeks.

and yeah, i'm with you, i got to a point where i realized i didn't care what she was eating, as long as she was eating :-)
 
Didn't think of Fortiflora. I'll ask my vet for a packet tomorrow and see if it works.

Is the fortiflora really good tasting to cats? I used it once to help when my other cat had stomach issues because of an antibiotic, but he eats everything like a garbage disposal so i didn't notice.
 
Wedgewood Pharmacy was always a favorite of mine to compound meds. A search on their site only shows mirtz as a compound for appetite stimulant (including a transdermal gel!). It might be worth calling and see if they can do that for the cypro. It can be costly, usually around $30. For me, when I was looking at QOL and necessity of getting the medicine in them, with all other means tried...it was totally worth it.

Someone once sent me some cypro in a compounded liquid formula. I never used it on Latte. But it goes to show it CAN be compounded to some forms.

ETA: Forgot to include the link for the mirtz at wedgewood http://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/symptoms/anorexia.html
 
You could try putting the pill in the Pill Pocket, and then sticking a Temptations (dry) treat onto one side of the PP. Present the treat Temptations side up. Or you could crush the Temptations and roll the PP in Temptations dust.
 
Thanks for your help, everyone. From the suggestions on the thread, I bought some pounce junky treats and crushed and molded them around the pill pocket with a little water to keep the whole thing together, and she is still scarfing them down nearly a week later! I'm trying the FF next if she starts refusing these, or maybe crush up a different type of junky treat.
 
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