- Joined
- Jan 25, 2022
- Messages
- 18
- Purraise
- 39
Hi everyone!
(tl;dr: What are your best tips for giving anxious and/or senior cats their medication, down to the details?)
Since the death of my cat a couple months ago (I posted in the Rainbow Bridge forum, and was really touched by the kind replies you wrote), I decided I would try fostering for the first time. I pretty much almost immediately got a call asking if I could take in a 15-year-old cat, Callie, who was given up by her owner. She suffers from chronic pain and anxiety. She has kidney disease, arthritis from declawing () that impairs her walking, and is known to pee outside the litter box when stressed (her last foster parent returned her to the shelter after two weeks because of this). But after two days with her, it's clear she's an old and gentle soul who just wants love and comfort and dignity. I will post a picture of her below!
She was recently put on gabapentin (50 mg, twice a day). Aside from my best efforts to keep the environment in my apartment as peaceful as possible while she adapts, the gabapentin really seems to be helping her—she sleeps, purrs, enjoys some pets, and plays a bit, and no urination issues yet. BUT, I'm finding it a bit difficult to make sure she gets her full dose. Right now I'm using a pill-cutter to cut the gabapentin up into four pieces, then I kind of press it into her wet food. It's worked a couple times, but sometimes she still eats around it. I'm really resistant to using the pill gun; I had to use it on my last cat, and it was stressful, but at least we already had a relationship of trust established.
So my question is, what are your best tips for administering medication to anxious, sensitive cats? Do you cut the pill up? How do you mix it with wet food, or is there something better I can mix it with? If you use a pill gun, any tips on how to make that the least stressful as possible? (Also, side question: I've heard that sometimes cutting up the pill can make it taste worse—can anyone confirm that, particularly with gabapentin?)
Any collective wisdom would be deeply appreciated! Thanks!!
(P.s., I'm probably going to be making another post about caring for disabled senior cats. I really want her to enjoy her remaining time and hopefully match her with a loving forever home, but I think I need to learn some more. This is my first time fostering, and caring for a senior.)
(tl;dr: What are your best tips for giving anxious and/or senior cats their medication, down to the details?)
Since the death of my cat a couple months ago (I posted in the Rainbow Bridge forum, and was really touched by the kind replies you wrote), I decided I would try fostering for the first time. I pretty much almost immediately got a call asking if I could take in a 15-year-old cat, Callie, who was given up by her owner. She suffers from chronic pain and anxiety. She has kidney disease, arthritis from declawing () that impairs her walking, and is known to pee outside the litter box when stressed (her last foster parent returned her to the shelter after two weeks because of this). But after two days with her, it's clear she's an old and gentle soul who just wants love and comfort and dignity. I will post a picture of her below!
She was recently put on gabapentin (50 mg, twice a day). Aside from my best efforts to keep the environment in my apartment as peaceful as possible while she adapts, the gabapentin really seems to be helping her—she sleeps, purrs, enjoys some pets, and plays a bit, and no urination issues yet. BUT, I'm finding it a bit difficult to make sure she gets her full dose. Right now I'm using a pill-cutter to cut the gabapentin up into four pieces, then I kind of press it into her wet food. It's worked a couple times, but sometimes she still eats around it. I'm really resistant to using the pill gun; I had to use it on my last cat, and it was stressful, but at least we already had a relationship of trust established.
So my question is, what are your best tips for administering medication to anxious, sensitive cats? Do you cut the pill up? How do you mix it with wet food, or is there something better I can mix it with? If you use a pill gun, any tips on how to make that the least stressful as possible? (Also, side question: I've heard that sometimes cutting up the pill can make it taste worse—can anyone confirm that, particularly with gabapentin?)
Any collective wisdom would be deeply appreciated! Thanks!!
(P.s., I'm probably going to be making another post about caring for disabled senior cats. I really want her to enjoy her remaining time and hopefully match her with a loving forever home, but I think I need to learn some more. This is my first time fostering, and caring for a senior.)