... should I be considering asking for a tetanus booster now that my fingers have been pissing blood for the last week?
Hard work in summer when they don't eat provided food.
Ours went through a hawking glove on a vet... one hand was hawking gauntley thing, the other lubricated rubber..(swallowed a whole rodent skull). no frozen sausages involved
As for tetanus... don't know if its relevant (probably antibiotics - have you installed Liv ) but how many have you had? Last time I enquired they said I'd had enough for life.
She's an awkward little prick for food when she's not poorly so spiking her scran was a non-starter. I thought about oven gloves but it's hard enough to open her mouth and hold it still with bare fingers.
I've no idea how many shots I've had, over the years probably "many" but I thought it was a ten-year booster thing. I'd no idea you could just be finished. My question was more around "pet cat" vs "feral bastard" risks.
The only way to get pills in ours is for person 1 to wrap him up in a towel and hold him so he can't get his claws out then person 2 get the pill as far back in to his mouth and hold it closed. It's pretty horrific for all involved but thankfully a very rare occurance.
Doesn't that require three people?
They gave us pills, I tried once and then swapped them for a tube of squirt. 1ml is a ****ton of liquid but at least she stands a chance of getting most of it down via velocity.
The vet was funny. "So whilst you're holding her under your arm, just pop it into her mouth." I was waiting for the next line, "and then simply stop the chainsaw with your tongue."
We've had to do the wrap in a towel trick. The old slow cat suddenly becomes very angry when you try and get stuff down her mouth. Don't mention worming tablets. I need to do all FIVE of our cats. It's bad enough getting out the flea treatment, as they sus what's going on after the first get's squirted.
I foolishly once tried to get a tablet into one of the cats when I was just in my boxers. It decided to jump on my back with all 20 claws in. Had to get the wife to come and surgically remove the cat.
Cat bites can be nasty. As in losing finger nasty. So if you have been bitten I'd get proper medical advice.
Simplest way to give a cat a pill is to ask the vet to give it an injection instead! I hold the head in left hand, finger and thumb either side of cheekbones. Use right index finger to pull jaw down, move left hand fingers to wedge the jaw slightly open and then pop the tablet down the back of throat.
Sounds easy and some cats still defeat that and end up with pill popper.
It’s easy. Take its temperature in the advised way, then when the cat has dropped its jaw with the look of surprise unique only to the sudden anal insertion of a cold glass object, in goes the pill at the end with two eyes.
move left hand fingers to wedge the jaw slightly open
That's how I got bitten. In addition to the many scratches thus far.
To be fair, I've been properly bitten by a cat in the past and she wasn't particularly trying today beyond a bid for freedom.
Lick-e-lix is the answer. My elderly cat has to have Metacam and three pills every day. Place pills on a small plate, cover in Lick-e-Lix, squirt Metacam on top and give to cat. I occasionally have to add more Lick-e-lix if she licks round one of the pills but otherwise jobs a good 'un.
Lick-e-lix can be bought from most pet shops and in a variety of flavours. Out of the four varieties, there's only one she won't eat. The cheese flavour variety seems to be as morish as crack.
Yep. Lick-e-Lix saves life threatening injuries.. its like Crack for Katz.
We used to cover the pills in marmite. Worked most of the time, but occasionally she managed to lick it off rather than accidentally swallow the pill. The towel/squeeze cheeks etc all work, but its pretty traumatic for everyone
Actual footage of us trying to get some medication into our cats
If it's tablets that you are giving to your cat then get some of these :-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vivi-Treats-making-medicines-treats/dp/B001HWFIXY
Vivi Treats are meant for dogs but cats can't get enough of them!
They a designed to conceal medicine - chop 'em up small, mould round the pill, give the cat a dummy one first, then the real one with pill inside.
A cattery recommended to us & I was sceptical having had similar experiences of our cats not taking tablets.
We used these twice a day on 2 cats for a few years & never once failed.
That’s how I got bitten. In addition to the many scratches thus far.
Can you crush the tablet and put into a syringe?
Its also much easier to get them to swallow and not try and cough out after...
You should have used a Pussy Pushy Pessary (a @perchypanther Industries™ innovation). They're designed to avoid this kind of fractious feline fracas
Ours always fall for the "crushed pill (or metacam) in tuna" trick.
The problem with food is, she's a fussy little sod. She's taken to licking all the jelly / gravy off cat food and leaving the meat. Fine for Metacam but useless for tablets, it was kinda working with the liquid antibiotic but she wouldn't eat it all in one go so she wasn't getting a "dose" exactly. She started relapsing hence us having to take the manual approach.
tried once and then swapped them for a tube of squirt.
Had no idea you could use it for that.
Swap it for a dog. Ours is always so keen on any food that you can hide any sort of medicine in it - and always looks grateful afterwards. Downside is you have to take it on walks and pick up it's shit. Upside is you get to take it for walks and all your neighbours won't hate you because your moggy shits in their garden.
I'm surprised nobody has suggested firing it into it's arse with an FAC rated air rifle. There's a lot of cat-hate on here.
I can't help but this thread reminded me of a tale my friend related a few years back.
He was walking from the living room to the conservatory when was savaged from behind, with no provocation, by his normally docile and placid iguana. It took four huge chunks out of his back. The wounds had to be packed due to the high risk of a potent infection.
Warra bastard eh?
I've just about got the technique down for giving my ex's cat medicine, on my own, 1 tablet and a squirt of metcalm.
Preparation:
Ready a syringe with either metcalm or just water if not using metcalm. about 5 or 6 ml should be enough.
Put the syringe in your teeth, like a pirate would carry a knife when climbing a mast.
Hold the tablet in your right hand (if right handed).
Procedure:
Straddle the cat on your knees so it's in a crouched postilion between your legs (I guess that's the same effect as wrapping a towel).
*this is the bit where you have to be quick*
Using left hand, wedge the jaw open with the thumb and first finger at either side of the back of the jaw from underneath the jaw.
Gently place the tablet at teh back of the mouth/throat - it's important to be placed at the back of the mouth to prevent spitting out.
Quickly use your left hand, remove it from the mouth and gently clamp its gob shut in an 'OK' sign with your finger and thumb.
Then really quickly grab the syringe out of your mouth with your right hand and squeeze the payload in through the lips on the side of it's mouth, forcing the cat to swallow the pill too.
It looks a bit rough, but it's easy to moderate your grip and the cat seems used to it now,
Just be prepared.
Straddle the cat on your knees so it’s in a crouched postilion between your legs
Exactly what I've been doing. That bit worked up until this morning where she's getting stronger, I'd to do that and a towel.
squeeze the payload in through the lips on the side of it’s mouth
Wait, what? Is that even possible? I don't need to prise open the jaws of death?
This is the beast in question, incidentally.
She's got a poorly back leg, which is unfortunate as she's only got the one to start with. (EDIT: click through the image link, with no trace of irony the forum embedding cuts it off.)
Wait, what? Is that even possible? I don’t need to prise open the jaws of death?
Sorry, I wasn't clear, the tablet already needs to be at the back of the mouth, then you syringe some water in to force a quick swallow as the tablet will get spat out otherwise.
Sudocrem?
Can't believe I'm first with this!
APF
emergency union jack too
Sorry, I wasn’t clear, the tablet already needs to be at the back of the mouth, then you syringe some water in to force a quick swallow as the tablet will get spat out otherwise.
I obviously wasn't either. The antibiotic is liquid, it's a 1ml syringe. No tablets involved.
Your own cat is unlikely to bite you (unless it's a bastid one) but the claws come out just to get away, they are where the pain is. Cat bites do carry infection - had to have two or our older cat's treated after getting bitten on a tail.
The old tortie is a nightmare for meds. The rescue ginger ninja is easy, as he adores sandwich ham - wrap tablet in it (he was found on a building site so ham sarnies, bacon and chicken he goes nuts for) He had a load of treatment when we got him - had to remove all his teeth due to cat flu and gingivitis.
The 3 ragdolls are much easier to deal with. No claws or bites - quite a 'chilled out' breed.