Is It Safe For Cats To Swallow Human Lysine Pills?

[Laura304]

I’m currently trying to give my cat lysine for her chronic URI. She used to eat the flavored paste but she won’t eat it anymore. We’re having weight and appetite issues with her so crushing the pill into her food won’t work. She only eats dry food and is only snacking a little throughout the day and I want to make sure she gets the whole dosage. She has been picky her whole life (she’s 8.5 years old) and will not eat canned chicken, tuna or wet cat food.

My questions this, if I break the pill up into small pieces, is it safe to just allow her to swallow human lysine pills? They’re very large so like I said, I am breaking them up into smaller manageable pieces.

 

[LTS3]

I don't know if Human lysine pills are safe for cats so wait for experienced members to come along and answer that.

For pilling in general, it's best to hide pills in a way to make it easier for the cat to take. Pill Pockets and similar pill dough work great. There are more tips here: Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills Ideally you should never just dry pill a cat because the pill may not make it all the way down the throat. It'll just sit where it is and dissolve there which can cause throat irritation / lesions. If you have to dry pill, follow it up with a syringe of water or some food or treats.

 

[Jem]

I was told that human grade lysine is fine (if that's all that's in there) but I would get capsules instead (no filler), and if the amount (grams) is correct you can simply dip the pill in water to make it slippery and pill her, followed by a small squirt of water from a syringe.
Better yet, buy it in powder form and you can get empty capsules from your local pharmacy and make your own capsules for her (they come in different sizes).

You could also try to find different treat foods to rotate thru (everyday, so she does not get picky) like baby food (no garlic or onions) for example. My cat was obsessed with chickpeas, so I could easily put a small pill in one for him if I had to. But if you find a gravy like food she likes (or make your own), you can mix the powder in there also.

And if all else fails, the paste does syringe very well, I did it with my new kitty, and he took it pretty good. Quick squirt in the cheek and voila!

And on a side note, if the lysine pills taste like anything or leave a weird chalky texture in her mouth, you may end up with a whole new problem of her refusing her dry kibble also. And as LTS3 mentioned, a broken up pill can get stuck/not go down very nicely.

 

[Laura304]

Thanks guys. She won’t eat pill pockets or any other treats. I’ve tried canned baby food with just chicken and water and she wouldn’t eat that, either. I think I’ll head to petco to get a syringe and try to administer the paste that way.

 

[m3rma1d]

Better yet, buy it in powder form and you can get empty capsules from your local pharmacy and make your own capsules for her (they come in different sizes).

I've never seen empty capsules sold in any pharmacy I've worked at--We do get asked fairly often. I've worked in a handful of stores in a few different locations, for two major chains, never seen them.

Easiest thing I've found is to buy the powder and put a scoop into the water bowl and/or wet food.

This is the powder I use:
Tomlyn Immune Support L-Lysine Powder Cat Supplement, 3.5-oz tub - Chewy.com

Apparently there's not much taste to it, because I've got some piiiiiicky dudes and they never seemed to notice if it's added to their food/water or not.

We also put the powder in the water bowls at the cat shelter I volunteer at.

 

[di and bob]

I get the flavored L-Lysine cat treats on Amazon. My cats love them.

 

[Jem]

I've never seen empty capsules sold in any pharmacy I've worked at--We do get asked fairly often. I've worked in a handful of stores in a few different locations, for two major chains, never seen them.

I should have added "If the pharmacy does on site compounding"...In my area only one out of the 5 near me had them. I also talked to the pharmacy tech at the dispensary, not just a floor/sales clerk, they don't have them where you can pull them off the shelf. I did it with my kitty when he had to take 7 different medications up to 3 times a day. One or two compounded capsules with all his doses was way easier than trying to pill him each pill individually.

I'd also like to add that you may be able to get your syringes for free of you go ask the pharmacy tech/pharmacist directly. Anytime I've ever gone to the pharmacy to pick up meds or just to ask for a syringe for feeding my sick kitty, they just gave me a few for free out of a big box they had behind the counter.

 

[Jem]

Does your kitty like milk? You can get cat milk at pretty much any pet store...

 

[She's a witch]

Human grade lysine should be fine as long as there are not additives that are not good for cats.
But in your case I would highly recommend Vetri-Science lysine treats, it might be worth checking if your cats like it, mine love it, they should get 4 a day. They work really good for my FHV and FCV kitties.