My cat Claire was recently diagnosed with asthma and prescribed a Flovent inhaler twice daily (using the Aerokat chamber). She's a sweet, gentle kitty who has tolerated the inhaler well enough for this first week, but obviously she doesn't like it at ALL and she's starting to equate breakfast time with her morning inhaler dose and is not eager to join us. 
This makes me sad, because I must be doing something wrong.
First of all, I don't have the option of taking days or weeks to slowly train her to place her face in the inhaler mask like all the YouTube videos show. She had a severe asthma attack, was in the ER for almost 24 hours, and was put on oral steroids, but the vet says she needs to get on the inhaler asap so we can stop using the oral steroids before it causes kidney problems. (She's a senior kitty.) So, I can't take my time letting her adjust before starting the inhaler--I have to give it to her now, whether she likes it or not.
My method has been to gently wrap her in a towel, then give her a lick of Kerrygold butter (her favorite treat), then I shake the inhaler and give her the puff, then wipe her face with a damp paper towel, then give her another lick of butter, then release... all with lots of praise and encouragement. She acts miffed and deeply insulted afterward, but not too traumatized because she never runs away. After a couple minutes, she has forgotten about it and is ready for breakfast.
The problem lies here: she's starting to learn the signs that mean the inhaler is coming. The towel. The inhaler shaking. Picking her up. Even walking toward her at breakfast time. All of this means the scary puff is coming. So if she notices any of these things (and she's VERY observant), she'll leave the area. I'm worried that this aversion will only get worse and eventually she won't come downstairs for breakfast at all and will be hiding somewhere instead.
What can I do to improve this process? This is a lifelong treatment, so I need a good plan that makes it easier on both of us as time goes by. I'm new to all this myself and I know I'm making mistakes. I really need help and encouragement.
This makes me sad, because I must be doing something wrong.First of all, I don't have the option of taking days or weeks to slowly train her to place her face in the inhaler mask like all the YouTube videos show. She had a severe asthma attack, was in the ER for almost 24 hours, and was put on oral steroids, but the vet says she needs to get on the inhaler asap so we can stop using the oral steroids before it causes kidney problems. (She's a senior kitty.) So, I can't take my time letting her adjust before starting the inhaler--I have to give it to her now, whether she likes it or not.
My method has been to gently wrap her in a towel, then give her a lick of Kerrygold butter (her favorite treat), then I shake the inhaler and give her the puff, then wipe her face with a damp paper towel, then give her another lick of butter, then release... all with lots of praise and encouragement. She acts miffed and deeply insulted afterward, but not too traumatized because she never runs away. After a couple minutes, she has forgotten about it and is ready for breakfast.
The problem lies here: she's starting to learn the signs that mean the inhaler is coming. The towel. The inhaler shaking. Picking her up. Even walking toward her at breakfast time. All of this means the scary puff is coming. So if she notices any of these things (and she's VERY observant), she'll leave the area. I'm worried that this aversion will only get worse and eventually she won't come downstairs for breakfast at all and will be hiding somewhere instead.
What can I do to improve this process? This is a lifelong treatment, so I need a good plan that makes it easier on both of us as time goes by. I'm new to all this myself and I know I'm making mistakes. I really need help and encouragement.
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I really appreciate and need it right now. It's been a hard month with cat illness, huge vet bills, then I got sick from all the stress, and now adapting to a new daily medication routine... also trying to find a petsitter who will be willing to take on this inhaler routine when we travel... it feels like a lot.
