# Cat absolutely REFUSES to take liquid medicine. HELP!



## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Found out my poor kitty has Whipworms when she got spayed on Friday.

I have to give her 6 doses (3 consecutive days then 10 weeks later 3 more doses) of Panacur.

She absolutely refuses it. I have tried every trick in the book. I've tried wrapping her tightly like a burrito, even practically sitting on top of her, tried scruffing her to open her mouth. NOTHING is working. She is extremely strong and wriggles out of any situation.

When I first got her 3 months ago she had to have oral liquid, and I don't think she was expecting what it was, it was Ivermectin and the vet gave it to her while she was on my lap and she JUMPED away giving me a scar that I have to this day.

I managed somehow to scruff her hard and squirt some Panacur in her mouth but then she shook her head around violently and got the pasty white liquid EVERYWHERE, even almost in my mouth.

I can't deal with this. I don't know what to do. I have another person helping me! And it's not making a difference.

My other cat has to take this medicine too because he _might_ have worms if the other cat has it, but he isn't nearly as difficult!


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

This cat is NEVER going to trust me! Day after I get her she goes to the vet, gets nasty Ivermectin. 3 months later, gets spayed, 3 days after that has to take Panacur! She's scarred for life, I know it. No wonder she's so skittish.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Do you have anyone who can help you? Sometimes it takes more than one person. Are you close to your vet? I guess worst case, you could take her to the vet to let them do it, but that would be a bit of a hassle...

I feel your pain. I have one who is difficult to medicate and he's figured out when it's med time and usually hides under the bed. :|


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Yes my husband is helping me. Like I said even with 2 people it's just impossible.

3 vets had to hold her down just to clean out her ear mites when I first got her!

The vet is 20 minutes away, not really close enough to want to go there for this. But I guess I will absolutely have to if I can't manage this.

I'm not being wimpy about it either, I'm really trying to hold her down and restrain her! (without hurting her).


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Aww, poor baby. She sounds pretty stressed. Are you scruffing her when you try to give her the meds? I hate doing that unless it's absolutely necessary (and some cats don't even respond to it). I always worry with liquid meds that they'll aspirate on them (not that pilling is much easier). I know it's stressful. I'm sorry you're having to go through that.


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

I feel like a failed cat owner. I'm sure a lot of you are just like "Just hold her down it's not that hard". I wish you guys could see how difficult this is


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

emilyatl said:


> Aww, poor baby. She sounds pretty stressed. Are you scruffing her when you try to give her the meds? I hate doing that unless it's absolutely necessary (and some cats don't even respond to it). I always worry with liquid meds that they'll aspirate on them (not that pilling is much easier). I know it's stressful. I'm sorry you're having to go through that.


Yes she doesn't respond to scruffing. Neither of my cats do.

When I scruff her, she flips and flops and wriggles away. She is very strong.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Auroraei said:


> I feel like a failed cat owner. I'm sure a lot of you are just like "Just hold her down it's not that hard". I wish you guys could see how difficult this is


Don't. I felt the same when I could not pill one of my kitties. He would get so stressed and run/hide from me for hours, and I was really scared I was hurting him more than he already was, and I'd end up crying my eyes out after the the unsuccessful attempts. I felt like a total failure. I talked to my vet about it and she recommended long-acting antibiotics and steriods (so he now goes to the vet every 2 weeks for his antibiotic and steroid shots so I don't have to pill him). I still have to give him his buprenorphine liquid, but I don't have to get him to swallow it, I just have to squirt it in his gums (and it's a TINY amount), so that's manageable. He still hides from me though.  You might talk to your vet to see if they have any other options. Sometimes compounding pharmacies can make it into a flavored chewable pill, and in some cases, they can make transdermal gels that you apply to their ears (I don't think that works with most antibiotics though). 

I've had several kitties who don't respond to scruffing either. It definitely makes medicating more difficult. I wish I had some better suggestions.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

Wow! I am sorry you are having such a difficult time!
Doesn't this medication come in a pill form??? I mean, holy cow! A pill would be a whole lot less hassle. 
Maybe you could call your vet and ask.

I know when my kittens were like 3 months old, The vet gave me the same paste stuff in this HUGE hypo. Just turn the dial here, and push the plunger and the proper amount will go in their mouth... so the nurse claimed. Riiiiiight. NOT!! I managed to get two doses before I called and raised heck! 
The kittens were freaking whenever I came near them!!

I ended up putting the paste in their food. The vet agreed as long as I made sure each finished their own bowl so no one overdosed.
They seemed to eat it mixed with wet food just fine because the stuff was suppose to be palatable.


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Not sure if it comes in pill form honestly. I expressed my concerns about how my kitten refuses liquid medicine, but they just reassured me that I could do it and told me how. I should have been more firm. I don't even know if pill form would be easier. It's impossible to open her mouth. She's so small and strong.

I do the trick where I come from the top of the head and squeeze the jaws open with my 2 fingers but by the time I open her mouth even a tiny bit, she's managed to already get out of the towel or the grip all together.


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

At least I'm not the only one having such difficulties! I feel like you guys are all pros and this stuff is a piece of cake to you guys.


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

LOL NO!!! we're not all pros.. trust me!!

I HATE pilling my cats, well two of them. One I can just set the pill on the floor, call her over and she'll sniff and eat it LOL


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## cat face (Apr 4, 2013)

See if you can mix the stuff in with their food


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Also can anyone explain this?

Luna, the one with confirmed worms, got 6 syringes of the medication.

Phoenix, my other cat, only got 3. I had to take him to the vet today to get him weighed so they could give him the right dosage and they only gave him 3 syringes.

I asked why this was the case, and the people at the front desk were basically like "I dunno, a different vet is here today".

I was like Okayyyyyyyyy.

Thinking about switching vets.


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Sometimes less is more with restraint. Try to loosen your grip on hee when you're doing it and go slow. It will probably still get everywhere, but at least she won't be getting forceably held down. All of my cats are this way, the tighter u hold them, the more they squirm, but if I just wrap my arm around them and talk to them softly, I can do anything, all alone.


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

If I loosen my grip, she uses the opportunity to run free. Either way she's trying to run free :\


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## zuma (Nov 5, 2009)

I'd call the vet (or a different vet) to find an alternative. Most medications come in different forms. 

Leelu is fairly easy to pill, but she hates liquids and I think it's my fault. Way back when, I tried to restrain her and once she was quiet squirted it all in which of course made her choke and possibly aspirating the liquid. I didn't know any better and to be honest just wanted to get it over with asap. So make sure you only give her a small amount that she can swallow easily but from the sounds of it you may not even get to that point. 
Now with Leelu I can kneel on the ground, have her between my legs so she can't back up and just hold her with one hand and give her whatever meds with the other, even the liquids. 

The stress isn't good for you or the cat, so I'd look for an alternative. There has to be something else out there. 


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

What amounts are in the syringes (just wondering if they put more in the ones for Phoenix)? Does Luna weigh a lot more than Phoenix? Dosing should definitely be based on weight, not who happened to be working that day! :\

But either way, compounding pharmacies can put almost any med in a flavored chewable tablet (they have chicken, fish, etc. flavors). You just have to get your vet to call in a prescription to a compounding pharmacy. It will be more expensive, but save you and your kitty from the stress you're both under.


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Phoenix weights 2x more than Luna.

Luna is getting 6 syringes of 1.3ML and Phoenix is getting 3 syringes of 2.5ML.

I will definitely be asking about those flavored tablets!


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## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Can anyone answer this for me?

Do I need to clean out the entire litter box now that I discovered they have worms? The vet never told me if I had to.

I only ask this because I literally did it a couple days ago and I'd hate to waste all that litter.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I have trouble with this too. See if vet can give an injectable form of the meds. I have to do this with my two elder cats. In my experience, pill form is NOT easier than liquid.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Sorry, missed your question about the litter. Unfortunately, you will have to toss it and keep their boxes VERY clean while they are in treatment. Whipworms lay tons of eggs and you definitely don't want those getting on their feets, tracked through the house, etc. Plus they often lick their feet and if they've been in the litter box, the process starts over, etc. I would just use small amounts of litter, and dump it and clean the box daily while they are in treatment. I always clean litter boxes with a little bleach, then just make sure to wash/rinse it out very well since bleach is toxic to kitties. Yes, it's a pain, but it'd be more of a pain if their treatment didn't work.


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