Hyperthyroid/Mild Kidney Issues

[FeebysOwner]

I'm in that situation myself actualy Kabuto takes a pill twice a day for his thyroid he needs it for the rest of his life. Fortunatly he will sit on my lap and let me open his mouth and pop the pill in, then he goes right to his waterbowl to wash it down.Like i said, cats are very smart animals.

Try that with about 4 more meds and see what happens. Yes, cats are smart, but the fact that Kabuto lets you do this with one pill twice a day doesn't say he is smarter or not smarter than other cats. Let's hope you never have to try doing the same thing with multiple meds many times a day.

 

[IndyJones]

I meant him knowing to take water with his pills. I did not teach him to do that .

 

[FeebysOwner]

I meant him knowing to take water with his pills. I did not teach him to do that .

That is likely because the pill is stuck in his throat, and the instinctive reaction would be to drink to dislodge it. That part is smart because he has learned over time that it works.

 

[ObeseChess]

Regardless, at this point Sassy needs one to two pills twice a day, minimum, or a transdermal, so I'm hoping I don't have to get to the point where I have to stuff 'em into her mouth like that. I am hoping that the combination of slippery elm and properly dosed felimazole will bring her appetite back and she may trust pill pockets again - I feel fairly confident that she and I will never get to the point where she gets on my lap and waits for the pills, given that she already sulks under a table when she sees me getting out a pill and/or the transdermals. I am envious.

 

[ObeseChess]

After a few sips of slippery elm, everything looks like a snack.

 

[Twylasmom]

I pill twice a day, using gel caps containing 2 to 3 different meds each. I kneel behind Twyla, with her between my legs, gently open her jaw and drop the capsule in, shut her mouth and wait for her to swallow. I usually dip the gel cap in baby food or a purée treat so it slides right down, and follow up with a few licks of a purée treat. This works better for her than trying to syringe water after swallowing. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries, mainly because the purée makes the pill very slippery and I lose my grip on it. Then we do her inhaler. She associates the pills with the treat rewards and voluntarily comes and sits when it’s pill time.

She was ok with pill pockets for a few weeks but it didn’t last and tirns up her nose at anything mixed into her food (except for her phosphorus binder).

 

[silent meowlook]

She pilling a cat, you treat them as if they are made of blown glass. You have to always be aware of their body position because they are fragile and can be hurt by a twist or a strong grip.
My cat is delicate. She feels like I would imagine a bird feels. I don’t handle birds, so I don’t know for sure.
With cats you have to be quick. You always take the pill to the cat. Never the cat to the “ polling place”. If you take the cat somewhere to pill them, they have that time to get upset and plan their escape.
I use either pill pockets or flavor dough. I use just enough to cover the pill.

If you have long nails, don’t even try. You can hurt them. If you wear nail polish,use tight fitting exam gloves.

Take treat covered pill to the cat. Pet cat like normal. I am right handed. Reverse for left handed. If the cat is on the sofa, sit next to them. If cat is on the floor, kneel next to them with your body behind them as a block.
Pill in right hand between thumb and middle finger. Left hand over the top of cat’s head. There is a groove of the cheeks on the upper portion of the head. Hold there. With index finger open the mouth from the front of the bottom jaw. Usually the cat will release their jaw a little, when they do, using middle finger push the pill in and follow slightly with the middle finger. Release cat and walk away.
Do not chase cat down to apologize. They don’t care to hear it. If cat runs off, let them go. If it doesn’t work, try in 1/2 hour. Never do multiple attempts.
If you can’t crawl around on the floor with the cat, this won’t work.
Some people have better luck switching the job of the middle finger and index finger.

With transdermal medication, use a cotton ball that is damp from water to wipe the ear before administering. Always alternate ears.

 

[ObeseChess]

Hi y'all,

I'm sorry but I assure you I am indeed familiar with the need to be gentle while pilling a cat and the procedure on paper, but as I mentioned before it's not something I have practice doing and I am roughly thirty times Sassy's size by weight. I would need in-person guidance if I needed to do it, which I haven't yet thanks to her tolerating the transdermal meds, and I don't regard continued instructions on how to do pill a cat and/or hide pills in pockets/foods/treats as helpful at this point. No disrespect to anyone as I know we all love our cats and are just trying to help each other out, it's just like, alright, it's page two, I get it.

In positive news: Sassy will now take the slippery elm syrup without mixing it with anything, and between that and the transdermal felimazole her appetite has come roaring back. At this point I'm just feeding her as much as she wants to get her beefed back up. She still gets wiggly with the transdermal meds and sulks under the table for a few minutes afterward, but then she reappears, ready for treats and belly rubs.

 

[IndyJones]

Sounds like you are on the right track.

 

[ObeseChess]

Fingers crossed! I do sincerely appreciate everyone's insight and support.

 

[ObeseChess]

Alright, well, just looking for a tiny bit of experience here.

All is well, Sassy is eating normally again and feels like she's gaining weight - though as of yesterday morning she's decided she no longer likes the Tiki Cat high calorie snacks she'd been enjoying for a few months . I think the issue there is that I gave them to her to reward her for behaving while I put the transdermal goop on her ears and maybe she thinks if she doesn't eat them she will not get her ears gooped. Regretfully this is not the case. She'll figure it out.

Anyway, here's my big question - since switching her to low-phosphorus food, the litter box has been chemical warfare. She is not having any diarrhea/loose stools, though maybe a few more, uhhhhh, dingleberries in the fur, it just stinks waaaaaay worse. Just an absolute stink bomb once or twice a day. Anyone else experienced this?

 

[FeebysOwner]

It could be the food causing the issues. I could never get Feeby to eat any of the low phosphorus foods that I got, but when I decided to give her phosphorus binders, I was forewarned that they can cause harder stools or even constipation. Knock on wood, that hasn't happened.

I suspect that the food may be behind the smellier poop too, but that is merely a guess as I don't recall reading anything about that aspect when researching them. Not to say that some of them aren't having that effect on Sassy. It might not even be due to the low phos amount, but something else in the food.

If you are feeding her different low-phos foods, log the foods she is eating and then compare that with when she has a smellier poop - it may be just one of them that does that to her.

 

[neely]

I think the issue there is that I gave them to her to reward her for behaving while I put the transdermal goop on her ears and maybe she thinks if she doesn't eat them she will not get her ears gooped.

She may not like the feel of the "goop." Are you cleaning the ears regularly every day or every other day? If not, that might be the issue. You could also try giving her a treat after you apply the medicine instead of before.

As for the poop, perhaps switching her food might be causing the problem. Does she have a sensitive stomach? When Carleton was first diagnosed with H-T and on Methimazole we switched to Weruva and fortunately didn't have a poop problem but every cat is different. We ended up going with the I-131 treatment so no longer applying the "goop" to his ears. Best of luck and you may need to stock up on air fresheners for the room her litter box is in.

 

[ObeseChess]

Just an update. Litter box stink has resolved after another week on the new food. I was worried that she seemed to be drinking more water and using the litter box more, but after spending a few days at home with her I've realized she's just developed a new routine as I've modified her feeding schedule a bit on the advice of my vet (now feeding 3x/day instead of twice). She goes counterclockwise through the apartment at feeding time. Eats most of her meal, goes over to her water dish for a big drink, goes to the litter box, goes back and finishes her food. Three times a day like clockwork.

Also - I think I've gotten away from "the goop!" - it's only been a few days, but per the advice of a few other folks here, I've been mixing EzComplete with chicken thighs and then blending them to smithereens to a soupy consistency. Originally I was giving her portions of this concoction as a treat to help beef her back up, but I've started stirring crushed pills into the servings and she does not appear to have noticed so far.

Everyone say "yay, Sassy!"

Follow up bloodwork is next Saturday morning. I'll report back!

 

[fionasmom]

Yay, Sassy

 

[neely]

Everyone say "yay, Sassy!"

Follow up bloodwork is next Saturday morning. I'll report back!

We'll look forward to an update and fingers crossed all goes well for Sassy and you.

 

[ObeseChess]

Bloodwork came back. Sassy's thyroid levels are down to 2.6mcg/dL (down from 6.5mcg/dL in September), her kidney values are actually slightly better, and she's gained a half pound. Hooray!

 

[neely]

Yay, Sassy, way to go!