Giardia - Please Help An Overwhelmed Cat Mom :(

[danteshuman]

I hope all of this works. I would try a a few things. I would do what you are doing with her food but if need be keep her in a room without food for 2 hours before and then feed her the wetfood with medication mixed in. If need be keep her in the room up to an hour afterwards (let it be her homebase room with litter box/scratcher/toys/water and if you can your bed.)

If it is real severe I would ask the vet for a mild sedative so she is calm and you can shove her medication she needs down her throat. We did that with our semi-feral when he had to be kept inside, medicated and get a daily saline IV.

 

[kashmir64]

In case no one has told you this:
Sanitation is the key to controlling it. Wash your hands in hot soapy water. Wash her bedding in HOT water. Steam clean or spray with ammonia everywhere she walks/lies/sits. Do not use bleach, Giardia needs ammonia. And NEVER mix bleach and ammonia. Remember never to spray around kitty and allow to ventilate before returning her.
If it's possible to keep her contained (a bathroom or seperate room), do so. This makes clean up much easier. If she were mine, I would use clay litter and dump it everyday. Then wash the box with antibacterial soap, spray with ammonia and then wash it again.
This may seem extreme to some people, but remember, Giardia is not species specific and anyone can get it.

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to say, the ammonia is a 10% solution. Not full strength.

 

[wiz.k]

Hello everyone
thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it.
I managed to get the liquid medicine in them for the first 5 days somehow. Im not sure if the full dose went through everytime as they tend to shake their heads and spilll some
I talked to vet and she said antibiotics is next approach.
This time, pill form, twice daily.
NO IDEA HOW IM SUPPOSED TO MANAGE THIS?

Please pray for my babies

 

[wiz.k]

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.

How long has this been going on for you? I dont want the giardia to stick around because idk if it can cause permanent damage in my cats? I am tryign to keep things clean as much as possible but I live alone and I work 2 jobs and go to school part time. Not sure how I can possibly clean both litter boxes and my house everyday? Not feasible with my lifestyle

 

[danteshuman]

You know I give my cat his liquid pain med (?gel?) by placing it on the top gum between his cheek and gum (pressing it out slowly.)

For pills I think you can look it up on YouTube. I would ask your vet to show you and maybe even use the pill popper or pill pockets. I press in slightly on their jaw joint so they open their mouth, then shove the pill to the back of their throat, gently hold his mouth closed then blow softly across his nose so he swallows.

You can also ask the vet to write you a script for liquid medication.

 

[Feralkty]

I know this is a late post. I just joined the group. Try putting the meds in Gerber stage 2 Turkey or chicken baby food & see if your feral kitty will eat it. I used these for my sick kitties. Don't use beef or ham, they have onions in it which isn't good for cats. Also my pharmactist suggested CBD which is hemp extract for my cats that have anxiety. They were feral at one time too. Check with your vet. Hopefully they will have an open mind. I hope this helps you.