Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hi, I just signed up after trying to collect info to help my cat... The story goes like this:

   3 days ago, my cat (Gajira, Belgian-born 9 years-old female, apartment cat, spayed 1 year ago) started to be more vocal than usual; my companion and I thought it was just her trying to possess us more than usual. The next day she jumps on my bed and rubs her rump against the sheets, like a dog. I thought she was using the sheets as her personal toilet paper and I didn't worry about it. The next day comes and she does it twice; I see her licking her rrectourinal area as if she was cleaning herself; I also notice a slight limp when she walks on her left hind leg. Hmm. Still, she's completely acting well (playful, eating well and so on.)

   Yesterday she woke me up meowing incessantly, rubbing her rump again against the bed, this time 4 or 5 times, licking and licking her anus and genitals. Ok, so I search on the Net and I find that it could be: 1) Blocked anal gland, or 2) Worms. I took a look, no signs of worms. Then she walks down the stairs to her litter box. She pees, then I take a look...

   There's 2-3 blood drops on the pee. Then I notice the unusual rapid breathing, like if she was sniffing... the whole time. (I live very close to the sea, but she had never done that before in the time I had her here, which is more than 1 month.)

   I rush her to the vet, the vet sees her, he takes her temperature, says she has fever (39.5 C, 103 F), he touches her everywhere, checks heart pulse and breath, gives her some antibiotic shots, asks me what does she eat (wet food), I tell him we changed her from dry food to wet food 3 weeks ago. Then he tells me its cystitis and he suggests me to give her some antibiotic shots by myself, each 12 hours...

   Yeah, right. I have no idea how to give a shot to a human, let alone a cat..

   So he then gives me Enrofloxacin (antibiotic), and then he tells me I have to buy the other 2 things I need in a human pharmacy (Yes, human medicine) : Lasix (diuretic) 40 mg and Meticorten (to reduce the inflammation), 20 mg.

   ..Uh-huh... at this point, I notice Gajira is having problems to find a comfortable position to lay in her kennel. So I get back, and we decide to give her the Enrofloxacin first as it is the medicine that is intended for animals.. But Gajira is not making it really easy, to the extent that it was simply impossible to make her swallow the pill. (We looked for tutorials on the Net, but they didn't work. Gajira has a will made of steel...)

   So what do we do now? I propose to take her to another vet... But it was too late already: every veterinary was closed.

   So... We could do anything else but to offer her water (she accepted to drink water in a fairly good amount, as well as drinking water on her own); she ate very little, lapping the liquid of the wet food and munching occasionally. She still had troubles to find a good laying position, but she wasn't really lethargic or showed listlessness, though she moved slower than usual. She was even a bit playful and fairly alert. Now she's sleeping, her breath is not agitated anymore. I want to check her but I also want her to rest..

   I will take her to another vet tomorrow at first hour, but... I'm really scared to lose her right now, as there's virtually nothing in her body to help her other than the two small antibiotic shots the vet gave to her... Please give me any advise of what to do to make her feel better, and please pray for her...

   Thank you for reading.

   Posted 1 month ago by korscha #

2. 

   The only thing i know to tell you is to keep her hydrated with water, pediolyte, tuna water/juice/oil and try crushing her pill(s) and put them either in wet food or baby food (just no onions in the food) so she will get the meds. Being the late hour, there may not be anyone online for a bit. I hope that both you and her get some rest before you take her back to the vet in the a.m.

   Posted 1 month ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

3. 

   Try placing about 3 to 4 clothes pins/pegs holding the skin at the back scruff of the neck. You want to have them pinch the skin, not the underlying muscles. Most cats will be subdued by this. It is the same principle as how a mother cat picks up and holds small kittens by the scruff. That should make it easier to gently pull back the head, pry open the mouth, pop the medicine in, then blow a puff of your breath directly on kitty's nose to induce voluntary swallowing of the medicine. I can't guarantee this will work but it usually does with most cats.

   If you don't want to try the clothes peg/pin method, then try placing kitty wedged next to you into a corner of a couch or chair so kitty cannot easily escape. Using the hand closest to kitty, place your hand arched across the top of kitty's muzzle, thumb on one side of the upper jaw and fingers on the other. Gently lift kitty's head somewhat up and back, which opens the throat. Use the first finger on your other hand to gently pry down/open the lower jaw and pop the pill/liquid med in the center back part of the tongue but not directly into the throat itself, so you don't choke the cat. Release the lower jaw and when mouth is shut puff your breath onto kitty's nose to enduce the swallowing reflex.

   Hope this helps.

   Good luck.

   Posted 1 month ago by Marnet #

4. 

   Thank you very much, AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew, for your advise; I can easily find a pharmacy open at this time and get the Pedialyte. We tried the pill crushing and mixed with tuna, pill dissolved in water and mixed with wet food to no avail; she can smell it and won't eat it.

   The good points are: She is not lethargic, she's not refusing to eat (she just woke up and went again to eat a bit/lap the liquid quite avidly, which I added more water so she could be drinking from there too), she's very aware, she's breathing normally and she hasn't peed any more blood (at least visibly) since yesterday's single occasion. If it wasn't for the difficulties to lay, it'd be like nothing had happened. Now I'm really suspecting that the vet groped her too hard, because she wasn't showing signs of discomfort when laying prior to the vet visit... I just can't take that out of my head.

   I guess I'll have a long talk with the next vet. Thank you again!

   Posted 1 month ago by korscha #

5. 

   Thank you, Marnet, for the techniques! If the next vet gives us pills, I'll give them a shot. Right now Gajira is resting placidly and I don't think it would be very fair and pleasant for her to wake her up and try to shove a pill again down her throat. After all she needs to rest so her body can recover, like nature is telling her right now.

   Posted 1 month ago by korscha #

6. 

   Agreed, it would only stress her and that isn't helpful.

   Think you're smart to get a second vet's opinion. And no harm in asking them to teach you how to get meds into the cat.

   As to giving a cat a shot, it actually is easier than popping oral meds in them. I give one of mine two insulin shots each day and with another cat had to give him a daily antibiotic shot for couple of weeks. It is surprisingly easy. The key is to be calm, patient, gentle, and loving. Same is true when giving oral meds. If you chase down the cat and grab it, you have trouble. If you wait until kitty is quietly settled, and then deal with the medicine routine in a quiet soothing manner, it makes it easier. That said, there will always be pill patooies because no matter how good the technique, most cats are artists at spitting pills out!

   Posted 1 month ago by Marnet #

7. 

   Yes, that visit left me a really bad impression of that vet... It can be quite hard to get quality veterinarian service here, but there must be at least one...

   Oh yeah, I have to admit that it's easier to give a shot to Gajira than giving her the pills. She only struggled once with a shot in her life; the rest, it went all surprisingly smooth, considering her wild nature.. I will definitively ask advise to the next vet about it.

   Thank you!

   Posted 1 month ago by korscha #

8. 

   Ok, I've gone to other vet, he gave Gajira the proper shots to stabilize her (real ones, not just tidbits), then he gave me antibiotic (amoxicilin) in liquid form. That way she'll bite the syringe rather than my fingers..

   He also gave me Royal Canin Urinary S/O, and I'll stick with it for the treatment period (15 days). Gajira didn't have fever anymore and she's still peeing without visible blood.

   Let's see how she evolves from here on.

   Posted 1 month ago by korscha #

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