Casper had to go to the vet for a bad tooth. He ended up getting it pulled out.
His right side upper canine tooth was so rotten it was loose. The vet pulled it out right there in the exam room. It was over in less than a minute. She gave him a shot of antibiotic and a 10-day course of pills that we have to give him twice per day.
In the past, I have never had a problem giving medicine to pets. Although I prefer to hide the pill inside some kind of treat, I can "make" them take it if I need to. This has never been a problem before. If they won't take it the nice way, I'll have to put the pill in their mouth and hold them until they swallow. "Git'er done," as the saying goes.
The problem is that Casper is THE most recalcitrant pet I have ever known.
To make it worse, Casper is also very skittish.
Casper eats very little human food. Maybe he'll take a lick of butter or milk, once in a while but it's a red letter day when he has more than that.
He will not take food, kitty treats or anything else out of hand. You have to put it in his food dish or on the ground, otherwise he will not take it. He'll just sniff and turn up his nose.
We have tried to entice Casper to take his pills by hiding them in treats, Pill Pockets, or liverwurst but he has gotten wise to it. He'll eat the treat and spit out the pill. He won't even eat a Pill Pocket without a treat inside. He just turns up his nose.
What's the alternative? Put the pill in his mouth, push it to the back of his throat and hold his mouth shut until he swallows.
This is, physically, not the problem.
The difficulty lies in the fact that Casper is so skittish. He is generally wary of me to begin with. He is very comfortable with his main, "Girl-Human." He'll sleep with her and sit on her lap for attention and petting but he has always been stand-offish with me. He always has been.
I guess that's just the breaks. Many cats have a "main human" and are rather cool toward others. That's okay with me. Casper is her cat. We got him for her moral support and he does that job very well.
Now I have to give Casper twenty pills, one pill two times a day. He's already wary of me and this is making it even worse. As it is, Casper gets ready to run and hide when I simply walk into the room and it's only been two days.
I feel really bad about this. I don't want Casper to be afraid of me but, if it comes down to a choice between the cat being sick or making him take his pills, I guess I'll just have to be the "bad guy."
Does anybody have advice?
His right side upper canine tooth was so rotten it was loose. The vet pulled it out right there in the exam room. It was over in less than a minute. She gave him a shot of antibiotic and a 10-day course of pills that we have to give him twice per day.
In the past, I have never had a problem giving medicine to pets. Although I prefer to hide the pill inside some kind of treat, I can "make" them take it if I need to. This has never been a problem before. If they won't take it the nice way, I'll have to put the pill in their mouth and hold them until they swallow. "Git'er done," as the saying goes.
The problem is that Casper is THE most recalcitrant pet I have ever known.
To make it worse, Casper is also very skittish.
Casper eats very little human food. Maybe he'll take a lick of butter or milk, once in a while but it's a red letter day when he has more than that.
He will not take food, kitty treats or anything else out of hand. You have to put it in his food dish or on the ground, otherwise he will not take it. He'll just sniff and turn up his nose.
We have tried to entice Casper to take his pills by hiding them in treats, Pill Pockets, or liverwurst but he has gotten wise to it. He'll eat the treat and spit out the pill. He won't even eat a Pill Pocket without a treat inside. He just turns up his nose.
What's the alternative? Put the pill in his mouth, push it to the back of his throat and hold his mouth shut until he swallows.
This is, physically, not the problem.
The difficulty lies in the fact that Casper is so skittish. He is generally wary of me to begin with. He is very comfortable with his main, "Girl-Human." He'll sleep with her and sit on her lap for attention and petting but he has always been stand-offish with me. He always has been.
I guess that's just the breaks. Many cats have a "main human" and are rather cool toward others. That's okay with me. Casper is her cat. We got him for her moral support and he does that job very well.
Now I have to give Casper twenty pills, one pill two times a day. He's already wary of me and this is making it even worse. As it is, Casper gets ready to run and hide when I simply walk into the room and it's only been two days.
I feel really bad about this. I don't want Casper to be afraid of me but, if it comes down to a choice between the cat being sick or making him take his pills, I guess I'll just have to be the "bad guy."
Does anybody have advice?
