Need alternative medication/homopathic remedies for bladder inflammation

[shadyferret]

Hi,

I have a cat whom was just diagnosed with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and the vet prescribed him amitriptyline, a medication that can be used for bladder inflammation, for potentially long-term use. He's been on this medication for 3 weeks while he had a UTI and it did not go well in the slightest.

He acts like I'm trying to poison him every time, no matter how nice I am… in the beginning. It’s hard to stay nice when you’ve been trying for 10, 15 minutes to give medication to a strong, big cat who’ll twist and turn and claw every which way (with towel, without towel, with love and affection, with sternness). I've given him rescue remedy before and it slows down the amount of time it takes him to freak out, but he still has the attitude that anyone trying to touch his mouth is out to get him. As you may know, if you give a cat meds then you have to put it down the cat’s throat to make sure they don’t gag it up. When I do get the syringe in his mouth he jerks his head and I lose my grip on the syringe, causing it to get stuck in his throat. Needless to say, it's just not working out. I've tried putting it into his food in a variety ways (pill pockets, crushed, liquid, different flavors, etc) and even if he's really hungry he still won't touch the food.

This cat adamantly hates it with a fierce passion. Eye drops? No problem. Brush his teeth (for his early stage gum disease)? Moderate freak out but still okay. Oral meds? Complete panic and fighting. And always a bathroom trip half way into the looong struggle.

I'm calling my vet tomorrow, however I suspect she's going to push for longer trial of the amitriptyline but I’m going out of town this week and there’s no way my parents are prepared for this. But even if that wasn’t the case, I’m also not interested in destroying my relationship with a cat by doing something that causes him to think that I'm trying to kill him once a day, just in the hopes to see if he changes his behavior. Does anyone know an alternative to this kind of medication? I plan to start him on Apawthecary’s tinkle tonic when I get back, but I’m not sure that’s enough.

 

[minka]

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble with your cat. Its never any fun when you are trying to help them out and they want none of it.
However, i think i can give you a few tips to help you out:
First, get behind him and push him down into a laying position. Get down on your knees and then sit on your feet with him right in between your legs. This basically holds down his body and prevents him from backing up and getting away. Now both of your hands are free to dispense the medicine and hold him on his neck/leg area. I'm not sure who told you that you have to stick the syringe all the way down his throat,because that is not true. You only need to stick the tip of it into the back corner of his mouth. You can also hold his mouth closed afterwards if need be, but it should not be a problem.
Now..as frustrated as you may be, you need to be very kind to him during this whole process. Praising him on how good of a boy he is, giving him treats, and maybe even a nice long petting session before and after the procedure. If you go into it mad and anxious,well, that's how he's going to feel too.

There are also many helpful tutorials on YouTube that you can watch to give you a better feel for the experience. Good luck!!

 

[shadyferret]

When I give him the meds I do crouch over him like I'm sitting on him (but obviously not) and lean forward on my elbows. I've done it with the towel and without the towel to see if the towel helps or hurts. I'm not sure if it does or not. He spins around in the towel more but I think it's because it gives him the grip and he doesn't want to hurt me when there's no towel. In general I try to not use the towel. Even so, he moves around but I guess it might be something I just have to learn how to do - how to hold his neck and give him oral meds. There probably is quite a few videos out there. I did learn my other cat's meds and now he's so well behaved that he even assumes the position in the same spot and doesn't fight me. I wonder how I did that.

I had to give it all the way down his throat before because the taste was so bitter that he'd just foam at the mouth instead of swallowing it. However, the strawberry version doesn't seem to cause that foam. Also, he'll have nothing to do with treats right afterwards. All he wants is the litter box and to be left alone.

I'll try tonight and see what happens.

 

[ldg]

Would it be easier for you to give him a pill than the liquid? Because amitriptyline comes in pill form too.

 

[shadyferret]

I tried pill first. It worked fine until he figured out the untasty thing was the pill pocket hidden in his dinner. From there I couldn't get him to eat it, even if I grinded it and mixed it into his food. I tried it with the pill gun but I swear his saliva acts like an adhesive once it touches the pill gun and tablet. The tablet would stick to the rubber end and just crumble instead.

 

[minka]

Yes, saliva can be very sticky.. But did you follow the pill with water? You're always supposed to follow a pill with water anyways to make sure it doesn't get stuck in his throat. :nod:

 

[orientalslave]

When I have to pill one of mine I use the way I saw the vet nurse get a Drontal down one of my cats.

I pick it up by the scruff, back legs on a flat surface, holding the scruff high enough to control it's head, and hold the pill with my thumb & forefinger.  If you hold it just right it will start to relax, you can encourage it to open it's mouth with the other fingers, and drop the pill right at the back of it's mouth.  A pill that is sticky needs following up with some water, so have the syringe handy with a little water in.

When she did it to my cat he had a face like thunder having just successfully spat out three pills when the vet was trying to pill him!  They were Drontals which are huge and probably taste really nasty.

 

[shadyferret]

I did not chase the pill with water. I thought that wouldn't matter since its not even leaving the pill gun, plus he's upset right afterwards, but I could use the pill gun as a holder and wash it down instead.

I know about the pinching the mouths at the hinges to open their mouths but it never occurred to me to use the scruff to keep their head in an upward position. That's something I could try.

I did try being friendly and just aim for getting the liquid into the mouth but not push it down his throat, as suggested in one of Minka's post. I think it would have worked okay had I not accidentally kneeled on his tail T.T His cries still haunt me.

I won't see him until the weekend since I'm traveling for work, but I can try the different techniques and see what works best for him.

Thank you all for the suggestions

 

[otto]

Contact a compounding pharmacy, such as Roadrunner. They compound all kinds of medications for pets.

http://www.roadrunnerpharmacy.com/

See if they, or someone else, can compound the amitriptyline into a topical (transdermal) medication. Usually rubbed into the upper part of the cat's ear.

 

[shadyferret]

That's a good idea!

 

While my vet wasn't listed as one of vets the pharmacy you listed provides medications, the site lists two vets relatively nearby so I can get a topical version of the medication, if a compounding company makes them. That can be a real saver, because my parents care for the cats when I'm on trips and that's probably the only way they could give him meds. Plus he's a freakishly strong cat (he broke my parent's window lock and busted through the window in the middle of the night!), so I have a hard time giving him meds that end up causing him to like me less.

 

[shadyferret]

UPDATE

I finally got my hands on a trans dermal application for Amitriptyline. The cat was really upset going into the bathroom and immediately used the litter box (I do all meds in the bathroom cuz of litter box and the floors). However, I applied the medication and he was totally calm. It had no negative effect on him

Thanks for all the help!