HELP my cat!!!?

Question

My cat has a open sore behind his ear.. we took him to the vet and they gave us pills for him to take, but we cant get him to take it! We already tried mashing it into his food, breaking it down in water and using a seringe. It wont heal if he doesnt take it! Plus he constantly scratches at it even though we trimmed his nails down. We cant put on of those plastic disc things over his head becasue he is one fiesty cat and wouldn't deal with that! What should I do????

i am against declawing animals.

Answer 1

To "pill" a difficult cat (aren't they all?) wrap him in a towel, have someone hold him on his back (for gravity), then push the pill as far back in his throat as you can. Then take your finger and rub in on his neck to stimulate the swallowing process.

Personally I'd rather "pill" a dog any day! I prefer liquid for my cats, if it's available.

The person who mention IV - sure hope they really meant a shot, because no vet is going to put a cat on an IV for this problem.

Another person mentioned a collar - they meant Elizabethan collar. This is a good idea. It circles the neck & will prevet your pet from scratching the infected area.

Best of luck - it'll be over soon & your cat will be fine! :-)

Answer 2

The towel works pretty well for very aggressive cats (or a pillow case). Actually my male kitten loved the flexible plastic lampshade, because he thought it made him into a little lion with a mane.
OK. So. The way to insert the pill is as follows. Have your pill and a treat ready (try Greenies). Get him under control in the towel. Grab his head gently from the back, and with your other hand stick your thumb or finger into the side of his mouth (as far back as possible). When he opens his mouth, quickly and accurately throw that pill into the very back of his throat. Clamp his jaw shut until he swallows at least once. Then you can release him. After a while he will even get skilled at hiding the pill and spitting it out later. That's why a treat after the pill is a good idea. It will make him swallow properly - hopefully. Be sure and praise him and pet him. I think in your case, it might help to have a second person there to hold him in the towel wrap.

Answer 3

I always use a plastic piller that I got from a vet ten years or so ago. It always works for me. It's along plastic thing, you put the thing far back in the cat's mouth, push the little plunger and the pill pops out in the right place. I bet you can get one from a pet store.

I just lent mine to a neighbor to give pills to her two cats. She didn't have any trouble getting them down that way.

The collars can be put on and it may take two people. It is really the only way to keep an animal from worrying a wound and continuing to open it up and reinfecting it. Your cat will "deal" with the collar, believe me.

Answer 4

Well the first thing I would do is call my vet and see if they offer a liquid form of the medication. It is easier to get a cat to take a liquid than a pill. Second if that is not possible your only choice is to force feed the pill. You have to pry the cat's mouth open and insert the pill far enough back in the cat's mouth to start its swallowing reflex. Then it will, most of the time, swallow the pill. This normally takes two people. One to hold the cat and the other to pry its mouth open. Good luck!

Answer 5

You could ask the vet if there's an iv form of medication he could take instead of the pill (course that might mean more trips to the vet if you don't know how to properly administer it). As for the scratching he might just have to either live with the sore a lot longer, or you'll just have to give your cat some tough love and put that disc on him!

Answer 6

Ask the Vet for a liquid medicine. Its much easier to squirt down their throat with a syringe than to take a pill. Try crushing the pill and putting it in ice cream, butter or peanut butter; cats love fatty foods. Wound needs a wrap around bandage and the Vet needs to put it on your cat. Hope your cat gets better.

Answer 7

My cat is just the same! He is very naughty when taking tablets and used to scratch the hell out of me but I've managed to get the knack of it now!

What i do is (i know this is gonna sound so bad but.....) kneel behind him with my ankles together and my knees either side of him with my weight oh his bottom so he cant move forward or wriggle out backwards. I then hold his front paws together so he cant scratch me.

I then get someone to open his mouth and i put the tablet to the back of his throat and then clamp his mouth together and hold his head in the air and stroke his throat/ neck to make him swallow!

He didn't the first time so we stayed there for 10 mins in the same position not letting him move!
The next time he did it straight away!

Also for putting the collar thing on i used the same position while someone fitted it around him!

Good luck =-)

Answer 8

Wrap your cat in a blanket so he can't get his legs out. Then pry his mouth open and put the pill on the back of his tongue and wait til he swallows. It works better if you can have someone else hold the cat while you give the medicine. Hope this helps!

Answer 9

My cat flat out refused to take pills and I am good at making cats take pills. Ask your doctor if similar medication comes in liquid form. If it is antibiotic--it must. Now if you triy to break pills down and mix with water--pills will lose their potency. If fact your dosage of medication will be all wrong since they are watered down. Ask your vet. Besides, have your cat wear a collar (had mine made out of xray film. it is a wide strip that fits around the neck and widens around cat's head and prevents your cat from scratching its head.) Ask your vet if they sell those or how you can make one. Good luck.

Answer 10

Have someone hold the cat with a blanket or towel tightly wrapped around him. Cover the eyes, force the mouth open, and put pill in the middle of his favorite food inside his mouth.