As I've posted here before, Nate is normally a sweet and adorable kitty who loves nothing more than chilling out on the couch with Clancy and me.
Unfortunately, that relaxed attitude goes right out the window when it comes to getting medication of any sort. Liquid or pills, it makes no difference. Nate considers all of them a threat to his life and he is sure I am trying to kill him each time I come at him with a syringe or a tasty pill pocket (which has never once fooled him.)
This morning I set my alarm extra early so I would have plenty of time for the task at hand. I filled the syringe with the pink antibiotic, took a deep calming breath, and squared my shoulders as if going into battle. By the time I got hold of Nate and tried to get the syringe into his mouth, my sweet kitty had morphed into this.
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| Source: Wikimedia Commons |
I think I got more of the pink liquid on my pajamas then I did in Nate's mouth, but I felt fairly confident that I managed to at least get a little down his throat.
When I came back with the pain medicine, I was met with this:
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| Source: Wikimedia Commons |
This foray was not nearly as successful, as 99% of the pain medicine ended up all over Nate's face. It's safe to say he won't have any pain in his whiskers today.
By the time I made a second and relatively successful attempt with the pain medicine, I was ready for a stiff drink or a sedative. Or perhaps a combination of both.
Now that I've lost the element of surprise and Nate will know exactly what evil I'm up to when I come at him with a syringe, I can't imagine how the rest of the weekend will go. I hope we both make it through.
On a more fun note, I'm participating in Cally Jackson's The Year I Turned 18 Blogfest on Monday, October 29. Cally is holding the fest in order to celebrate the release of her new novel The Big Smoke. I'm a sucker for nostalgia, so I couldn't resist this one. And my post is sure to be all about nostalgia, as there have been many, many years that have passed since I turned 18. Now that I'm thinking of it, this blogfest might not be a so fun after all. It's an unfortunate reminder that I'm really old! ;)
I hope everyone has a great weekend ahead, and I hope Nate and I are both still sane on Monday.
Getting pills down a cat's throat has got to be next to impossible.
ReplyDeleteI am having a similar week with my cat Violet. She just got diagnosed with heartworms and she has to have a steroid pill and a liquid antibiotic. The poor girl was so stressed from the episode and the vet and the pilling that she wouldn't eat. Finally, someone gave me the advice to give her egg yolk and now her appetite has returned. You might check with your vet to see if they can get the meds into a transdermal gel or have it compounded to make it more appetizing. At first, the pilling was a two person job and we had to wrap Violet up in my husband's thick robe. Now, she is letting me do it with all the fuss. She will be on steroids for about a month so I'm thankful that she's being cool with it now.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Good luck with getting those meds down the cat. They are so smart and never forget that we work for them! It was always a 2 person job to get the pills down the cat and one of the 2 had a cat wrapped in a blanket. I hope and pray you have better luck with the next dose.
ReplyDeleteOh, no. Meds for the cat, a shot of whiskey for you. Ha!
ReplyDeleteThat's just how my dog reacts when I have to clip her nails. She goes from sweetest thing ever to psycho killer dog. Hope your cat feels better, and that there were a sneakier way of getting the meds in him.
Good luck to you and Nate this weekend. Maybe Clancy could help somehow? :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, 18 is a looooong way away for me - it's so far back I can't even see it. But I am looking forward to reading your post. :)
Sir Poops gets a case of lock jaw when the time comes for his medicines.
ReplyDeleteHugs and chocolate,
Shelly
That's tough. I used to volunteer at a Cat Rescue, and the director would mash some of the pills up into powder form and put them in a tasty treat of canned cat food. The only times the cats received canned food was for medicine so . . .they had a tendency to eat it right up.
ReplyDelete@Alex, yeah, it's completely insane how they react to it.
ReplyDelete@Pamela, oh no, I'm sorry to hear about Violet. Poor little girl. Thanks for the tips, if Nate and I continue to have trouble I will ask about that.
@LynnMarie, it's true they never forget! I think I am going to try wrapping him up this evening.
@LG, LOL, two shots, please! Clancy has a heart attack about clipping his nails too. I have to have the groomer do it, I can't keep him still at all.
@Madeline, LOL, Clancy was trying to help this morning and sadly he didn't do much good LOL. I am going to have to lock him in the bathroom before we try again tonight.
@shelly, Nate has lock jaw too. I honestly can't understand how they do it! Hugs and chocolate back to you. :)
@Tyrean, I was thinking this morning I might try putting the liquid in some food tonight. Nate loves canned food but I won't be surprised if he smells the meds and turns up his nose when I give him this LOL.
ReplyDeleteAwwww . . . Poor Nate! I'm so sorry to hear that. It is awful, isn't it? I hope his infection clears up swiftly and you get some much needed peace!
ReplyDeletePoor Kitty! I hate when we have to do things like that to them and then they glare at us as if we're Satan. I hope you both recover from your morning soon! :)
ReplyDeleteYou had me at the title. OMG. Medicating animals and certain small children (my youngest two) requires two people and some wrestling moves. Good luck!
ReplyDeletePoor kitty and poor you! On one hand, I'm kind of glad it's a universal truth that cats go nuclear when you give them medicine since mine does it. I would hate to think she was the weird one.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I can get medicine of any description down her is to wrestle her to the ground, wrap her so snugly in a full-size(or larger) bed sheet that she can't move a muscle, and then put gloves on before I pry her mouth open. I should also mention that I go full-on homemade HAZMAT suit before trying it(long sleeves, long pants, possibly goggles...) I learned to use the gloves after she bit me and opened a half-inch cut on the pad of my thumb once.
Poor Nate. Hope he gets better before you need therapy!
Oh dear - nothing bears a grudge like a cat!
ReplyDelete@Lisa, I hope so too, thanks!
ReplyDelete@Emily, I know, I feel bad because I know he thinks I'm torturing him. I hate when animals are sick!
@Tonja, LOL, I can only imagine trying to give meds to little kids. I'm sure my mom has plenty of stories.
@Amalie, your cat is definitely not the weird one. Nate is my third kitty and all have been the same. You cracked me up about the HAZMAT suit, that's what I need LOL. Thanks!
@Derek, very true LOL.
oh my goodness. I know how that feels. Cats +medicine= disaster. Hope you and Nate get through this tough time okay:)
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
@Nutschell, thanks! That equation is spot on LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you were able to give him his medicine thought. We used to have a cat who one time became very ill all over himself and needed a bath...you can imagine the rest.
ReplyDeleteAgh, cats! They're so darn unpredictable. Why I love my doggies so much, I think. :-)
ReplyDeleteUh oh. I've used peanut butter to stuff pills in for cats and dogs and it works great. Better than cheese. Give him a little plain peanut butter and see if he likes it. If so, shape some into a bowl shape, put half the meds in, close it, and give it to him. If it works repeat with the rest of the dose.
ReplyDeleteWe take my cat to the vet to get his fur trimmed and they have to sedate him every time. He turns into a little monster :D
ReplyDeleteThat blogfest sounds fun! Though I can't say I'm too nostalgic about 18 yet since it was last year...I might sit this one out :P
@Johanna, oh, I can't imagine trying to give a cat a bath! What a nightmare that would be.
ReplyDelete@EJ, dogs are definitely easier, LOL. Clancy will take anything as long as I put it in food.
@Carol, oh, I've done that for Clancy but never tried it for Nate. I will give it a shot, thanks!
@Samantha, LOL, I can imagine how hard it is to trim a cat. I wish I could sedate Nate to give him this medication LOL.
Oh poor Nate!! And poor you!! Austin is like the devil incar-nate (geddit?) Trouble is he will do a flying tackle at my foot if I accidentally drop a 1000mg fish oil tablet on the floor!!
ReplyDelete@Carolyn, I do get it, haha. :D How funny about Austin and the flying tackle LOL. I wish fish oil tablets would cure Nate's infection, I bet he'd react the same way.
ReplyDeletePoor cat-cat! We love them. We spend money we don't have on them. Oh our furry babies. Hope all is well again soon.
ReplyDeleteNate and Nini must have been separated at birth. She believes neopsorin and frontline are out to kill her. Medicine? oh my.
ReplyDeleteOne trick I found, although it's still messy, so cover thyself, is to dribble it on her nose. Then she at least licks some of it off.
Hope Nate is feeling better soon. Vet visits always cost so much money.
Poor Nate, hope he feels better soon.
ReplyDeleteWith my cats I've found they are good at pill spitting, so I don't wrap it in anything. Pill or liquid, giving a cat meds requires nerves of steel. Good luck.
meow! cats and meds, no bueno! they are so squirrely sometimes, but i'll be doing the same blog! see ya there! new follower, hi!!
ReplyDeleteMy cat in a Jekyll and Hyde character - super sweet when he chooses and evil all the other times. This morning he's being super sweet, and he's actually tucked up under my arm as I type this! When he needs medication, though, he seems to sense it a full 24 hours prior.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie .. I wish you all the luck you need this weekend for a peaceful encounter with the syringe, pill pocket and Nate - sounds a little challenging - good luck!! Happy weekend? Lots of drinks ahead .. perhaps one of Bond's??!! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDelete@Julie, that's so true. Thanks!
ReplyDelete@Mary, oh the nose trick is a good idea! By some miracle I was able to get the meds in his mouth this morning but if we have trouble again I will try that. Thanks!
@Claire, yeah, Nate is an expert pill spitter too. Thanks!
@Tammy, oh, it's great to meet you, thanks!
@Annalisa, LOL, your cat sounds like my sister's, she has an evil streak a mile long. Cats do seem to have a sixth sense about meds, my old cats were even worse than Nate is.
@Hilary, oh, a Bond drink sounds like just the thing LOL. Thanks! :)
I'm sorry Nate's not feeling well. However, your description of it all was quite funny. I've never had to medicate one of my cats with pills or liquid medicine (just medication rubbed into the ears and eye drops), but I did have to give my doberman pinscher a daily pill. Surprisingly, it sounds like that was far easier than medicating a cat! She was actually fairly cooperative, though it sucked when she managed to hock that sucker back up because it was stuck in her throat. Good luck with the rest of his meds.
ReplyDeleteI'm participating in that blog fest, too, but I think I'm doing my post on Tuesday since I have a Monstrous Monday post tomorrow.
Shannon at The Warrior Muse
Poor cat. I just know the pain it must be going through now. I'm having a similar infection and the pain is unbearable.
ReplyDeletehope your cat adventures subside & he's purring again soon!
ReplyDelete@Shannon, oh, I think it probably was easier giving your dog the pill, my dog Clancy is also cooperative. It seems like cats just go bonkers over it. I'm looking forward to your post for the fest!
ReplyDelete@Nas, oh, I'm sorry to hear you are dealing with the same infection. Feel better soon!
@Tara, he's finally doing better, thank goodness!
I'm glad that Nate is all better now! Sorry you had to go through that. You must have had to use every ounce of patience. Julie
ReplyDelete@Julie, I did, and I don't have many ounces of it to start with LOL. But I'm just glad Nate is okay now. Thanks!
ReplyDelete