how to get kitty to take medicine? - Pet forum for dogs cats and humans

smg680 · #1 February 24th, 2023, 08:32 PM

Sassy went to the vet for the first time yesterday. She's been sneezing, of course, but she's also been having diarrhea, and pooping outside the litterbox, which I do get cleaned up. We took her to Ambre's old vet, but I have some questions about what she said.

The vet told us that Sassy's lymph nodes are swollen, and her paw pads are cracked. As I've said before, she started her life in my dad's garage, until she, Pretty Kitty, and Shadow were fixed, and now the three of them are indoor cats. Anyway, how can we fix the cracked paw pads, or as the vet called it, pillow feet? I've seen some products online that might help, but I want to get some opinions first. She also tested negative for FIV and feline leukemia.

The vet also gave us some medicine for her. Some of the things she gave us include things to sprinkle on her food, as well as some cans of cat food and a bag of cat food. My dad and I asked if these would be safe for Pretty Kitty and Shadow to eat as well, since they all eat from the same dishes, and the vet said yes. However, there is one bit of medicine that is exclusively for Sassy. It's a gel-like substance that smells and tastes like maple, and we have to feed it to her. My question is, how do we keep her from putting up a fight? My dad holds her, and I try to squeeze out the recommended amount into the spoon, but then I smear it on my finger and try to get Sassy to open her mouth and take it. She put up a little fight tonight, but she took her medicine. My question is, how can we give Sassy her medicine and not have her fighting us?

hazelrunpack · #2 February 25th, 2023, 12:22 PM

Have you tried putting a dab of the medicine on her paws? Cats are pretty finicky about keeping their paws clean. I wouldn't do the whole dose that way till you find out if she'll clean her paw--try putting just a pea-sized amount on the top of her paw, and if she licks it clean, add more, till eventually she gets the whole dose.

smg680 · #3 March 1st, 2023, 11:10 AM

I've been putting the medicine on Sassy's paw, and she does lick it off. Thanks for the idea! But now, I have another question. I bought some salve for her 'pillow feet', but I haven't tried it on her yet. I'll probably put it on the bottom of her paws, so she doesn't lick it off, but what else can I do for that?

hazelrunpack · #4 March 11th, 2023, 07:25 PM

Have you had Sassy screened for FIV? I think pillow foot is an immune disorder of some kind and is sometimes associated with FIV, which is a pretty serious disease in cats and can be contagious between cats in close contact. So I think you're first step is talking to a vet--both for an FIV screening and for something that may be able to treat the foot problem. It's probably not something you can treat with over-the-counter meds, but I don't know much about it...