Getting my kitten to take his medicine

[profdanglais]

Hello, I was hoping for some advice on how to coax my kitten to take his medicine. Hugo is 10 weeks and I've had him for about a week and a half. His poo has been really soft so when I took him to the vet yesterday she gave me some probiotic and also some worming medicine, both in powder form, along with some wet food that's supposed to help his tummy. The powders are supposed to be mixed into the food. He had a little of the wet food last night but not very much and his sister Hester (who's supposed to have the wormer but not the probiotic, though that won't hurt her the vet said) wouldn't touch the wet food, even mixed in to their regular dry food. This morning I tried mixing the probiotic into some kitten milk, which Hugo loves, but he wouldn't drink it. Hester drank it, no problem, but she has a strong stomach and doesn't need the probiotic. I'm not working at the moment so money is a bit tight and I can't be wasting food and medicine. 

As I type this, Hugo is eating his normal dry food with some of the worming powder sprinkled in it so yay! He needs to have the probiotic though. I'll try again later with the kitten milk maybe with a smaller amount of the probiotic, but I'm concerned he just doesn't like the smell of it so will never touch it. Any suggestions? 

Also, I'm going to post pictures of my babies because I am a proud kitty mommy:

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• profdanglais
• Jul 12, 2016

13612276_10154264158772487_7930095451044580239_n.j

• profdanglais
• Jul 12, 2016

 

[denice]

They are so cute and welcome to the site.

Some kitties are like yours, both of mine are, doesn't matter what it is they will know it's there.  You may have to get a small syringe dissolve the powder in a little water and give it that way.  You will want to use the side of their mouth rather than directly in the front of their mouth.  Just put a little in their mouth towards the back, let them swallow it and then give a little more.

 

[molly92]

Baby food (chicken, ham, or turkey from Gerber or Beechnut in the little jars) is my favorite medicine disguiser. A spoonful mixed in with the powder usually works, and they lap up every last drop because it tastes so good. I haven't tried it with young kittens before, but I assume the results would be similar.

If he doesn't like that, though, the syringe method will probably be necessary. It's important that he gets the full dose, especially of the dewormer, because if it doesn't work you won't know whether he just didn't get enough or if he needs a different medication.

 

[profdanglais]

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I would never have thought of baby food but will keep it in mind it sounds like a good solution!. Fortunately, Hugo is now drinking the kitten milk with the probiotic powder. I have to let Hester drink it too because neither of them likes being isolated from each other, but the vet said it's OK if she has some. They both seem happy to eat their dry food with the worming powder on it and I've kept a close eye on them to be sure they're eating the same amount. The powder actually coats the food really evenly so if they eat their share of food they will get their dose of wormer. This morning Hugo's poo was a normal colour and consistency, so things are looking good. They won't touch the wet food that the vet gave us, though. They sniff at it then paw at the ground and look upset. Once their tummies are sorted out I will start trying different kinds of wet food to see what they like, but for now I'm just glad that they're getting their medicine. 

 

[mazie]

When you get to the point where you would like suggestions on wet food brands, let us know.  There are those of us who can suggest the most nutritious brands and there are those of us who can advise what to feed the "finicky" eater, which my cat is part of that crowd.

, unfortunately.  And of course, welcome to TCS!!