Giardia - Please Help An Overwhelmed Cat Mom :(

[wiz.k]

Hello everyone,

I adopted a rescue kitty name Lily on Nov 14th, so about a month ago. She used to be feral so she is still very skittish of me and other humans even though over the month she has seemed to get a little bit used to me and comes around for a pet here and there.

The issue is, she has had really bad diarrhea since before I got her. Got the humane society/shelter people to help me catch her for the vet visit. She tested positive for Giardia and I am certain she has passed it to my resident cat Leo. Treatment is Panacur.

Im feeling really overwhelmed because while it is easy to squirt the med into Leo's mouth, I have no easy way to do it for Lily. I mixed it with her wet food which she usually eats in one sitting but I think she can smell which is why shes not finishing it.

I live alone and have no help with her. This is literally a cry for help and if you are my neighbour I would even pay you to come help me with a skittish semi feral. I just want them both to get better

 

[Jem]

I'm not sure how many times a day you need to give the medication, but, do you think someone from the shelter would be willing to stop by your house either before of after their shift, so they are not going completely out of their way, to help you administer her meds?
My vets office also has a few vet technicians who are sometimes willing to do the same, where they will pop in to help.
You may have to pay them....but maybe the Christmas spirit will sway them to offer it for free!!!

I had a cat who was very fearful and aggressive with the vet and technicians. And they would always place a blanket over him, making sure to cover his face, before going in to administer medications or handle him. It's like as soon as he couldn't see them, it calmed him down...well...not exactly "calm", but it made him "freeze in place" so they could do what they needed. It might be a little difficult at first to try and administer the meds without uncovering her face too much, but I'm sure you'll be able to get a handle on it. It might scare her if you go in to aggressively with the blanket, so you might have to practice some stealthy moves, but it might be worth a try.

I have also heard, and I've done it with some success, that scruffing a cat sort of "paralyses" them (I don't know the right term I'm looking for), so if you manage to get close, with the blanket too maybe, you could try scruffing her, and quickly squirting the med in her mouth.

These ideas may not be very helpful, so I'm sorry if they're not. But it might give you an idea that might work for you.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Perhaps you could try a small amount of a pate, or gravy based food, or just gravy itself? Just enough of the food/gravy to ensure she eats it all - and then, of course, give her more afterward. She will learn if she eats what's there, she will get more. You can worry later about getting her 'weaned' off gravy/gravy food!!

 

[Antonio65]

You could try to "deactivate Lily" to pill her

 

[jcat]

Is she large or small, since the amount of paste depends on her weight? If you can't wrap her in a towel and squirt it into her mouth or find something to mix the med with that she'll eat (cream or ricotta cheese, yogurt, baby food without onions or garlic, whipped cream, etc.), you could try putting some on her shoulder so she licks it off. I've found a lot of cats will shake it off a paw, but lick it off their shoulder or flank. If it's just a small quantity that often works.

Good luck!

 

[kashmir64]

Is it a paste? When my kittens got Giardia, the shelter gave me a crystal/powder form of Panacur which dissolved in liquid. Ask the vet if this form is an option for you. That way, you could put it in some goats milk or mix it up better in canned food.

 

[wiz.k]

It's a liquid but the consistency is more viscous than water. Not exactly a paste. for my older cat i squirt it in really fast and with little effort but not with the skittish one. I can barely get within 2 feet of her before she runs.

Can I ask how long it took to treat the giardia in your kittens? I am very worried about the red swelling buttholes of my babies. it looks so painful and I want them to get better soon

 

[jcat]

Treatment times really vary according to the cats' immune systems and the strain. Some, mainly adults, get over giardiasis after two five-day rounds of Panacur (fenbendazole), while others might need 3 - 5 rounds. We sometimes switch to metronidazole after the third or fourth round of fenbendazole (given 8 days straight), but it's so bitter that it can be nearly impossible to administer to cats, and some strains of giardia are resistant to it.

It's a real pain to treat sometimes and can try your patience.

 

[Noirele]

I used panacur to treat my cat, but it was in tablet form. I just crushed the medicine with some hot water and then added it to his wet food. To be honest, I think he barely noticed. The vet told me that drug is tasteless, you can ask for the same type.
The bad news is he still got giardia....so panacur didn't work for us. Or maybe I did a bad job of cleaning everything (expecially the cat) after the treatment.

 

[kashmir64]

Can I ask how long it took to treat the giardia in your kittens? I am very worried about the red swelling buttholes of my babies. it looks so painful and I want them to get better soon

Mine was a 10 day dose. But they also got some sort of antibiotic (2x's/day) for the 10 days. The shelter also gave me some spray stuff to put on their butts, but I used coconut oil instead.
However, they were also only 14-15 days when they got it, so it was easy to contain and administer the meds. The Panacur went into their formula and they were really too little to fight much on the other.

Just remember after the meds are done, to try to give them probiotics for a week or so.

 

[lmcginley002]

My rescue kitten who I too have had for a month (November 11th) also had giardia. I would give a very small amount of wet food with the medicine mixed in when I knew she was hungry and after she finished that I'd give her the rest

 

[wiz.k]

Treatment times really vary according to the cats' immune systems and the strain. Some, mainly adults, get over giardiasis after two five-day rounds of Panacur (fenbendazole), while others might need 3 - 5 rounds. We sometimes switch to metronidazole after the third or fourth round of fenbendazole (given 8 days straight), but it's so bitter that it can be nearly impossible to administer to cats, and some strains of giardia are resistant to it.

It's a real pain to treat sometimes and can try your patience.

Yes my vet gave me a 10 day dose as well but with a 2 week break in between. So realistically they may be suffering for months

 

[wiz.k]

Mine was a 10 day dose. But they also got some sort of antibiotic (2x's/day) for the 10 days. The shelter also gave me some spray stuff to put on their butts, but I used coconut oil instead.
However, they were also only 14-15 days when they got it, so it was easy to contain and administer the meds. The Panacur went into their formula and they were really too little to fight much on the other.

Just remember after the meds are done, to try to give them probiotics for a week or so.

I havent been given antibiotics yet but the vet did mention they would try it if the panacur doesnt work. i wonder why i wasnt given it in conjunction with panacur if it helps recover faster?

also thanks for the tip on the coconut oil for their butts! I know when i put it on they will try to lick it off. is coconut oil safe for them?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. You could also try steeping a tea bag of chamomile, letting it cool, and dab it onto their behinds with a cotton ball. A lot of folks here say it has a soothing as well as healing effect.

Hopefully, kashmir64 , will confirm there is no safety issue with the coconut oil. I have heard of others who have used that as well.

Maybe call the vet about the antibiotics as well??

 

[kashmir64]

also thanks for the tip on the coconut oil for their butts! I know when i put it on they will try to lick it off. is coconut oil safe for them?

As long as it's pure and in liquid form, then yes, 100% safe. It's also good for constipation. You can mix it in food or directly from a dropper. Only a few drops though, you don't want diarrhea. (I realize you have that now, but store for future reference).

 

[DreamerRose]

Poor kitties. Mingo had an episode of giardia before I got Lily, but I don't remember much about it except for his bloody stools. I hope something works for you soon.

 

[wiz.k]

Is she large or small, since the amount of paste depends on her weight? If you can't wrap her in a towel and squirt it into her mouth or find something to mix the med with that she'll eat (cream or ricotta cheese, yogurt, baby food without onions or garlic, whipped cream, etc.), you could try putting some on her shoulder so she licks it off. I've found a lot of cats will shake it off a paw, but lick it off their shoulder or flank. If it's just a small quantity that often works.

Good luck!

Thank you for this tip! I will try some of those out

 

[nunnc84]

I'm not sure how many times a day you need to give the medication, but, do you think someone from the shelter would be willing to stop by your house either before of after their shift, so they are not going completely out of their way, to help you administer her meds?
My vets office also has a few vet technicians who are sometimes willing to do the same, where they will pop in to help.
You may have to pay them....but maybe the Christmas spirit will sway them to offer it for free!!!

I had a cat who was very fearful and aggressive with the vet and technicians. And they would always place a blanket over him, making sure to cover his face, before going in to administer medications or handle him. It's like as soon as he couldn't see them, it calmed him down...well...not exactly "calm", but it made him "freeze in place" so they could do what they needed. It might be a little difficult at first to try and administer the meds without uncovering her face too much, but I'm sure you'll be able to get a handle on it. It might scare her if you go in to aggressively with the blanket, so you might have to practice some stealthy moves, but it might be worth a try.

I have also heard, and I've done it with some success, that scruffing a cat sort of "paralyses" them (I don't know the right term I'm looking for), so if you manage to get close, with the blanket too maybe, you could try scruffing her, and quickly squirting the med in her mouth.

These ideas may not be very helpful, so I'm sorry if they're not. But it might give you an idea that might work for you.

Wet food mix with pumpkin for fishers. Add medicine also.

 

[nunnc84]

Hi. You could also try steeping a tea bag of chamomile, letting it cool, and dab it onto their behinds with a cotton ball. A lot of folks here say it has a soothing as well as healing effect.

Hopefully, kashmir64 , will confirm there is no safety issue with the coconut oil. I have heard of others who have used that as well.

Maybe call the vet about the antibiotics as well??

Aren’t there people’ saying add. Coconut oil to the food? It’s fat. Like butter, better less triglycerides. Salmon oil is another greedy way. Probiotics can notice cats to eat what you want. I put a towel around them and force it down. If that doesn’t work, I close their mouth shut and blow in their face until it’s swollowed. They will avoid you. In the long run they will love ya again for the tlc.

 

[nunnc84]

Poor kitties. Mingo had an episode of giardia before I got Lily, but I don't remember much about it except for his bloody stools. I hope something works for you soon.

I had dogs with guardia once. Ewww. I know what it smells like