If that says enough...
Hey guys, I came here because I have a little problem and wanted to chat with some fellow cat ladies/gents.
I recently adopted a "special needs" cat. I love helping animals, and so almost all of my pets over the years I got when they were already adult and/or disabled. So this isn't anything very new to me, but it's certainly the most challenging.
This cat is an adult male, around 8 years old, and has severe epilepsy, which also makes him incontinent. I put padding everywhere and change it daily, which was expected. However he has a LOT of medication to take daily, which includes me waking up 3x a night to give them to him. (And administered in the day as well, so scheduling isn't the problem either.)
He won't take pills. I know, everyone says that about their cat but... bruh... I've tried everything. I don't know how he does it, but he always spits them out even when i force them into the very back of his throat, which I hate doing, but it's SO important that he takes his medication! He won't touch pill pockets. I've tried covering the pills in all kinds of treats, and he just doesn't care. I tried, and usually do now,take the powder out of the pills and mix them with water and then inject them into his mouth, but he's good at getting a lot of that out too, and I don't know how much he is really getting, or if he's even getting enough. Also one of the pills is giant, bigger than I've seen for most pills intended for humans. It's crazy.
Having these battles 5x a daily, (3x in the middle of the night when I'm hardly functioning) is making me really concerned. I've only had him for a few days and he's getting progressively better at avoiding his medicine. Also he is so strong... I can hardly tilt his head back when I'm trying to give him the medicine. I'm just afraid that I'm going to really hurt him.
Another concern I have, although it's a small one, is his incontinence, which his medication is also supposed to help with. I put padding everywhere to soak up his accidents, which happen when he has a seizure in his sleep. I obviously can't put padding on every surface of every room, as he is a cat, but I'm concerned about when I'm away from home and I can't see where he goes to nap, or pad it in time. I can't keep my eyes on him 24/7, but I don't want to keep him locked in a kennel whenever I'm away. Should I just keep him in one room, or a bigger kennel when I'm gone? I hate even saying that. He's also chewing into stuff. He came from a rescue shelter, do you think maybe he misses being around other cats?
I don't expect any miracle answers... I guess I kinda wanted to vent too. And I don't want to give up on this little guy. He's so sweet despite his problems.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Or if you've been or are in a similar situation, do you have any advice? Or even just want to share your situation, it might be nice to listen and know I'm not alone. Thank you for reading if you got this far.
Hey guys, I came here because I have a little problem and wanted to chat with some fellow cat ladies/gents.
I recently adopted a "special needs" cat. I love helping animals, and so almost all of my pets over the years I got when they were already adult and/or disabled. So this isn't anything very new to me, but it's certainly the most challenging.
This cat is an adult male, around 8 years old, and has severe epilepsy, which also makes him incontinent. I put padding everywhere and change it daily, which was expected. However he has a LOT of medication to take daily, which includes me waking up 3x a night to give them to him. (And administered in the day as well, so scheduling isn't the problem either.)
He won't take pills. I know, everyone says that about their cat but... bruh... I've tried everything. I don't know how he does it, but he always spits them out even when i force them into the very back of his throat, which I hate doing, but it's SO important that he takes his medication! He won't touch pill pockets. I've tried covering the pills in all kinds of treats, and he just doesn't care. I tried, and usually do now,take the powder out of the pills and mix them with water and then inject them into his mouth, but he's good at getting a lot of that out too, and I don't know how much he is really getting, or if he's even getting enough. Also one of the pills is giant, bigger than I've seen for most pills intended for humans. It's crazy.
Having these battles 5x a daily, (3x in the middle of the night when I'm hardly functioning) is making me really concerned. I've only had him for a few days and he's getting progressively better at avoiding his medicine. Also he is so strong... I can hardly tilt his head back when I'm trying to give him the medicine. I'm just afraid that I'm going to really hurt him.
Another concern I have, although it's a small one, is his incontinence, which his medication is also supposed to help with. I put padding everywhere to soak up his accidents, which happen when he has a seizure in his sleep. I obviously can't put padding on every surface of every room, as he is a cat, but I'm concerned about when I'm away from home and I can't see where he goes to nap, or pad it in time. I can't keep my eyes on him 24/7, but I don't want to keep him locked in a kennel whenever I'm away. Should I just keep him in one room, or a bigger kennel when I'm gone? I hate even saying that. He's also chewing into stuff. He came from a rescue shelter, do you think maybe he misses being around other cats?
I don't expect any miracle answers... I guess I kinda wanted to vent too. And I don't want to give up on this little guy. He's so sweet despite his problems.
If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Or if you've been or are in a similar situation, do you have any advice? Or even just want to share your situation, it might be nice to listen and know I'm not alone. Thank you for reading if you got this far.
And thank you for taking on the challenge of caring for this special needs cat. 
