Pills

my cat needs three pills a day and after 15 months we can’t get any in him. He needs it hidden in foods. Over the month we have used liver sausage raw hamburger salami all kinds of lunch meats and all of a sudden he can smell it in there and just walks away. It’s buspirone to help with anxiety including stopping him from biting his tail. Any ideas for smelly foods that will mask the smell im at my wits end. We have also tried the liquid that supposedly tastes good no go

Have you tried any of these?
· Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch
· Salmon, mackerel
· Sardines (make sure there are no bones)
. Commercial food toppers, such as Applaws
. Pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food/pill
· Chicken, beef or ham flavored (pureed) baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

I know there are members on this site who have used various sorts of pill pockets with success. I don't know any of them, but I hope you will hear soon from some who have.

Have you thought about asking the vet if this med can be compounded into tuna or chicken flavored liquids?

Is he expected to be on this med much longer? I thought I've read it can be hard on a cat's liver and/or kidneys when used long term.

That particular medication can be dispensed as a transdermal med, which you could rub into his ear, switching ears with each dosage. I looked it up at the compounding pharmacy that we use.

otherwise, maybe there's something in this article that might help you. Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills i do know that cats can smell things a mile away, so if you try to bury a pill in food, you need to make sure that the outside of the food doesn't have the pill smell on it. I used to use tweezers to pick up any pill or pieces of pill and place them on or inside whatever I was using to hide the pill. Then I would wrap the pill making sure not to touch the outside of the "wrap" with the pill. Some people say to coat the pill with butter first so the smell is hidden. That makes it sticky, but if it works, great. I still needed my tweezers, then a toothpick to gt it off my tweezers. But whatever it takes, right? Also, one tip I can give you is if you are giving the pills in a treat, give one or two WITHOUT the pill in it, then slip in the treat with the pill in it, then maybe another one without the pill. That way your little guy won't necessarily know which one is which. I did that. Again, most times it worked, sometimes it didn't.

When Jasmine was on pills I invested in one of these pill guns.


For us it made the process very quick and lot less stressful

Have you tried Pill Pockets or other pill dough?

Compounding the medicine, as suggested, is an option. Ask your vet. A local compounding pharmacy can do this or have your vet contact Wedgewood Pharmacy. Wedgewood Pharmacy has busiprone in several forms including transdermal gel (apply to the cat with a cotton swab or gloved finger so your skin doesn't absorb the medicine) and flavored chewable treat. Buspirone Medication & Information for Animals, Wedgewood Pet RX, Wedgewood Pet RX

That drug can be compounded into a transdermal form which can be applied to the ear. Krista still has squirmy ears that don't like to be handled. But this is far easier than trying to get a liquid or pill in her mouth.

If you don't have a local compounding pharmacy, you can use an online one with a vet's prescription.

Buspirone Twist-a-Dose Transdermal Gel, Wedgewood Pet Rx

Thanks tired most of them but not gravy over the food I’ll try that next. Just got one down him in butter but I can’t believe that would be good three times a day. We have tried the pill pockets but he just eats around the pill. Has to be on it for life. I’m going to sautée a scallop later and use that. He loves lobster but......

I'm going to maybe try that transdermal method. does anyone know if it is fairly easy. my cat is very sweet unless your doing something to him that he does not want you to be doing. I did contact wedgewood, and am waiting to hear from my vet if he thinks it will work, but just was wondering if anyone knows if this is a fairly easy method.

If your cat doesn't mind you rubbing his ears, the it will be easy to apply a transdermal gel.

Krista doesn’t like her ear handled. Her ear gets squirmy. I put a finger cot on my thumb and squirt the dose onto that. Then I gently rub the top of her ear while getting the dose just inside. It’s not quite the same method I’ve seen on YouTube but Krista does not sit still and let me fold her ear open to rub it in the way it’s supposed to be done. Still way easier than pilling!

If doing it via transdermal gel isn't an option for your cat, you might also ask your vet about doing it as an injectable. Many cats get shots daily. One of our did, and we were able to do it into her scruff while we were petting her. She never knew it was happening. Of course, you might not be comfortable with that either, or it might not be an option, but it might be.

I have one of these arriving today.
Cat-in-the-bag E-Z-Zip Cat Carrier, Light Blue, Large - Chewy.com

Krista has to do a course of antibiotics and the dose is 1 mL. That’s a lot for a reluctant cat. I’m hoping I can either do it slowly or in three squirts if it’s not too unpalatable. Otherwise I may dilute it and we try our hand at syringe feeding two or three mL of something more appetitizing. Or I just bag her and gag her once a day for seven days. She’s been through worse!

Thanks I think we are going to give it a try!

What about duck fat? My Krista loves duck. I am going to see if maybe I can hide her antibiotic in a glob of duck fat this week.

Edit: Maybe not a glob. That would grease right through her. *facepalm! Maybe start with 0.1 cc and with 1 cc medicine and see if that’s enough.

ordered the transdermal. my husband tried rubbing rufus' ear, and he does not seem to mind that. cats are fun!