Need ideas for giving flea meds

[poolcat]

Sam was a semi-feral that we moved inside early last year. He became very friendly with my husband, and okay with me as long as I was holding another cat. Several months later we moved Rusty (another feral) inside. Rusty and Sam had showed up together a few years earlier and apparently were buddies because they seemed happy to be reunited and started doing everything together.

Now Sam has decided he wants nothing to do with either my husband or me, and won't allow us to apply topical flea medication. I was able to give him crushed Credelio mixed in a little tuna juice for a few months, but last month he wouldn't eat that. Yesterday I gave him no breakfast, then put the pill in a pill-pocket and left him in the cat room alone. When he hadn't eaten it by noon, I removed the pill, crushed it, and mixed it in Churu. Late afternoon, I could see that he hadn't touch it, so I gave up and let him eat supper with the other cats.

Credelio costs about $20 per pill, so I gave it to another cat who usually gets topical stuff. He gobbled it up. There's a third cat who is due for flea meds, so I wouldn't mind trying again, but I've no idea what to put it in. Sam doesn't eat wet food very often, and has turned his nose up at creamed cheese and hard cheese, also lunch meats. Dry cat food is all he really wants.

The only thing I can think of is trying to disguise the pill as a piece of kibble and putting it on top of a small amount of the stuff he normally eats. But I haven't thought of a way to do that. I'm hoping you all have some ideas.

 

[Furballsmom]

I've read that a person might need to use (latex-type) gloves because if the pill has an odor you can transfer that to whatever you put the pill in from your fingers.

Thinking out loud, what about butter? yogurt? A little bit of kentucky fried chicken? ...

 

[ArtNJ]

Can you pet the cat when its sleepy? If so, you should be able to apply the topical stuff. Maybe not perfectly, but probably well enough. If you are willing to accept "probably good enough" it doesn't need to become a cutting the nails type battle. (I agree you can't have a battle with a cat you are still hoping to bond with.) You spread the fur, get it somewhere close, squeeze the hell out of it and hope for the best. Its not the ideal, but it can work.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Try baby food meat to hide the pill in. If not that, test putting some water or gravy on a few pieces of his kibble to make it soft. If he goes for that, then you can mix the flea med into it.

There is at least one member who uses some treats, and actually hollows them out to pit a pill in. I will see if I can find out who one of them are.

 

[poolcat]

I hadn't thought of any of those food items, so I'll try them all. Without the pill first, I think. Hadn't occurred to me that the smell of my fingers might be turning him off. I'll start using finger cots I have for applying transdermals.

Sam has an amazing sense of hearing; I've never been able to sneak up on him. And I swear he doesn't nap as much as any of my other cats. Back when he used to like my husband, just aiming and pressing the syringe was how he got his topical stuff. (I transferred it to a syringe because that made the whole business easier.) But sometimes it ended up in the wrong place, then I'd worry about him licking it off. We'll do it this way again, if he ever lets either of us near him.

Hollowing out Temptations is how I give my foster girl her Cerenia pills. Sam's never shown any interest in Temptations, but I should see if he's changed his mind.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I knew you'd think of stuff I hadn't tried!

 

[Caannes]

It’s not the smell of your fingers, but rather if you touch the outside of the pill pocket with fingers that touched the pill. Not sure how many ppl read the pill pocket package (I did when desperate)—hold pocket in one hand, place pill inside, and *close pill pocket with hand that DIDNT touch the pill*. Then wash hands before picking up pill pocket.
I’d second the opinion of trying to apply topical when he’s asleep. But also make sure he’s not getting a rash w the topical. One of my cats hated it (we’d slow speed chase around the table for an hour)—after a year of that he lost fur where applied. I changed from one brand to a different one and he’s been fine (we still slow speed chase but he doesn’t act like he’s been set on fire afterwards and no rash/hair loss)
Another possibility might be get gabepentin from vet, give him that (hopefully he will eat that in a pill pocket) and when he’s zoned out apply topical
Last but not least, once my cat (slow speed chase guy) figured out there were meds (his levothyroxine) inside pill pockets he refused them. I had to buy a different flavor. Then for weeks gave him empty ones when he was starving. Then finally he now gets an empty one, a stuffed one, and a hard greenie chaser
Good luck

 

[poolcat]

Thanks, Caannes. No, I've never read the pill pocket instructions. Guess I should, and try the other flavor, too. I think getting him to eat anything with gabapentin in it would be even trickier since it's kind of bitter. Credelio has vanilla in it to make it smell good, and yeast to improve the taste. It's supposed to be chewable, but Sam doesn't believe me me when I tell him all this. Now I'm trying to picture a slow speed chase...

 

[FeebysOwner]

There is also pill masker that you can buy. The ones I have seen are bacon flavored, and my cat really likes it.

 

[poolcat]

Just found it on Amazon, thank you FeebysOwner. (The jar with Jackson Galaxy's picture is a little more expensive than the one without. )

 

[srpjuly]

I know you mentioned them not liking it crushed inside creamy treats, but do they generally go for creamy treats otherwise? If so I recommend putting the whole dose inside the creamy treat. This is the only way I can pill my skittish cat and I've got this method perfected to the point where I actually kind of enjoy giving her pills.

If it's a really big pill and can be split, then do that, it makes it less noticeable. I worried about the medicine taste being obvious if the pill was split but my cat has to take a lot of half-pills and takes it totally fine. Just make sure you don't put the pill inside until your cat is in a good position and knows they're about to get a treat, that way it doesn't have time to start dissolving.

Here's the trick: I put the pill just inside the opening of the treat, careful not to touch it to the part where they're actually gonna lick. Make sure it's covered with just enough treat that they can't see it. If it's too close to the top they'll smell it and if it's too deep inside it will start dissolving and taste bad. If the pill is split, make sure the jagged/non coated edges are pointing away from the top of the tube so that if they do touch it with their tongue, they won't taste it as easily (this also makes it go into their mouth easier somehow).

Then, when you're giving them the treat feed it at a height just above their mouth level and position the tube at a slight angle so it's pointing downwards towards the cat. Don't squeeze out too much or they'll take a bunch of little licks and just lick around the pill. Try to time it so that the whole pill will come out with the next squeeze. Because of the angle, it kind of just "falls" into their mouth as they take the next lick. Make sure you have enough treat squeezed up and keep the tube close to their nose/mouth so that if they start doing that thing where they flick it around in their mouth, getting more treat is more enticing than worrying about whatever that weird lump they just got was.

You may have to fine tune it to work for your cat, but I hope it works as well for you as it does for me! I would also recommend testing the method out a few times with a piece of kibble cut to approximately the same size as the pill. That way you can get the motion down and if you have a few fumbles with the angle/timing, it won't be a real pill they're tossing around in their mouth and getting turned off the treats The things we do for our cats!

 

[srpjuly]

For your dry food cat, if he's kind of dumb and doesn't chew his food much like mine, you can try burying it under some dry food. I've had success with that method a few times, where my cat just laps it up and swallows it whole without realizing. But that was for a coated gabapentin, might not work so hot with anything that smells bad or is split.

 

[poolcat]

Thank you for all the tips & tricks, S srpjuly .

Sam's not very interested in treats, but I will try hiding his flea pill in with some dry food. If I crush some of the dry and let the pill sit in it for a while, maybe it will smell right to him. It's also occurred to me that I should try isolating him in the room where he spends most of his time. That will require some cat herding, but might be possible.