NOT a happy camper...
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (63235)
United States
January 6, 2010 10:11pm CST
So, I'm sure most of my friends know I have 2 roommates.
The roomie, who is blind and the other roommate.
Well, the other roommate moved in with 2 cats and a dog - the dog being youngest at about 11 or 12 now.
One of the cats is the mother of the other cat, but Pudge, the kitten, has always had health problems. For one thing, she was the only kitten in the litter to survive, the rest died. For another, she's always had a lot of allergies and stuff.
Well, Pudge is now in kidney failure and I think she might've had a small spinal stroke because she has trouble controlling her back legs.
Last week the owner took her to the vet and they sent her home with meds - like one dose - and fluids.
We should've given her fluids yesterday, but it just got away from us, so we did it today.
Because the roommate isn't... trained... to do certain things and couldn't go to the vet last Saturday to learn how give her cat the fluid, AND, because I had done it before, I injected the fluids into Pudge.
Pudge was not happy about this being held still, in a part of the house she's not normally in, being stuck with a needle or any of the other indignities associated with the fluids.
Now, the former roommate and I had to hold Doctor down while we gave him fluids, Pudge wasn't that bad, but still wasn't happy...
Have you done anything to one of your cats who hated it?
5 people like this
15 responses
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
7 Jan 10
At one time I had 3 cats that had various forms of cancer and I had to give them pills, and some liquid medications. Needless to say they hated that. It was a good thing they were declawed or I would have needed medical attention along with them. One cat used to hide the pills in her mouth and then spit them out when I wasn't looking, just like a little kid.
4 people like this
@cerebellum (3863)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I used to try and message their throats so they would swallow the pill. That worked most of the time. The one would swallow and I would think the pill went down, but then she'd spit it out, sometimes when I wasn't around and I wouldn't know till the next day that she didn't take it.
2 people like this
@kaylachan (57882)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7 Jan 10
I've had to give my cats meds. It seems to me that I'm the only one who can do it. Its not easy to do, and like your one roomate.... I'm blind. But out of George and I I'm the one stuck doing things.No one "trained" me how to do it eaither, its something I've self-taught myself. And, of course cats aren't going to like it. Injecting fluid is the hardest.
4 people like this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
7 Jan 10
Well, I've had a bit of training. My mom's cats needed pills before I ever got my own cat, and the pill popper that she had I could never get to work for my cats, so fingers down the throat on that one.
Since then I've given fluids, and shots and liquid meds - helps to have someone hold the cat for ya.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
7 Jan 10
oh my ElicBxn do I remember as a kid, my dad and my grandpa holding down this cat and trying to give it a pill, the cat was feral to begin with but belonged to my little sister. they were trying to give the cat some worm medication and they make a funnel out of a piece of tin, and were going to shove the big pill into the cats mouth through this little funnel, well the squirming cat cut his poor mouth on the makeshift funnel so my retarded little sister walked over, stuck the pill in some tuna fish , put it in the cats mouth. and voila the pill and the tuna disappeared the c at actually swallowed that pill.the two men stood there looking at each other then started to laugh.She
might have been a little slow but she was not stupid.he he he.
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I've never been able to find a cat to take a pill that way - tho I think the way Tuti swallowed the chicken skin last night, I might've been able to get away with it with her!
Last night was busy - first needed to bring litter and dog food in from car, then change cat litter, then clean the chicken (mostly de-skinned it) and THEN the cat. I was busy busy busy!
1 person likes this
@minx267 (15527)
• Hartford, Connecticut
7 Jan 10
Oh, Yes! I have cats that won't let me give them meds and act like I'm killing them.
Cats that wont let me clean out the gunk in their eyes.. again I must be trying to kill them.
Then I got my little kittens who have had so much meds -they let me do anything..
I put saline drops in their noses.
I have one little guy Malachi- who LOVES antibiotics and would take everybody's share. doesn't care about the saline drops lets me clean up his nose and eyes and purrs the whole time!
Now If he could just teach the others...
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
7 Jan 10
I decided I was going to give one of the puppies a shot once. Thought I was going to be a vet...lol...Let's just say I am by no means a vet. My puppy cried out and I freaked. I probably did it wrong because it doesn't happen like that when the vet gives them shots. I'll never try that again.
2 people like this
@Torunn (8609)
• Norway
7 Jan 10
Poor Pudge, hope it gets better!
We used to have a real circus with one of our cats, a big tom cat, when we were deworming him. The fancy stuff you can put in their fur hadn't come yet, so you had to make them it the medicine. With the other cats we just put into something good that they didn't get to often, with this one one of us first had to wrap him in a towel, put in big glows on and then wrap the arms around him so that the other person could force the medicine down his throat. He hated it of course, but if just cold have been smart and eaten the stuff in a piece of minced meat he wouldn't have had go through it *sigh* But it's not that easy to explain that to a cat :-)
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
7 Jan 10
Unfortunately, kidney failure isn't "fixable" and while I've heard of some cats surviving with the fluids for some time, I just don't think I could afford, either emotionally or financially to keep a sick cat going like that - and the stress of giving them fluids...
but I do know about fighting it out with big cats - happily, one of our big cats is really easy going, the other... well, lets just say I quit trying to do his nails because I kept getting hurt...
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 10
I used to have to things to my Cats and Dogs that they did not like
Gissi hates having the Flea Treatment and he tries to bite that is one of the reasons I let the Vet do it now, he will mussel Gissi and then do the treatment, it always hurts me as Gissi looks at me with those begging eyes lol but he has to be mussels or he will bite specially when they clip his claws and empty the Anal Glance, I always come out of there covered in scratches on my chest and arms where Gissi has been trying to climb into my arms lol
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
7 Jan 10
I am very fortunate in that this was never something I had to do. I once had to give my kitty cat a pill, but I just wrapped that up in a piece of smoked salmon, and he was fine with it. my mother needed to give our dog meds once, and just inserted them in a piece of wiener, and the dog was fine.
2 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
8 Jan 10
aww..poor pudge 
yea,many things.formost being tho the 2 FeLV+ cats i had previous.
they refused to eat partially due to nausea their meds caused,so i had to hand feed them food and medicine through a veterinary syringe.neither was happy with me.
then there was the cat who bought himself a space cone,two drains and a shaving
because he tormented his sister and she bit him.the bite caused an abcess waist down to tail.the drains had to be cleaned every day and antibiotics applied to area and he was not happy with me at all.however,that was the last time he picked on her,left her alone after that..i guess he learned.
yea,many things.formost being tho the 2 FeLV+ cats i had previous.
they refused to eat partially due to nausea their meds caused,so i had to hand feed them food and medicine through a veterinary syringe.neither was happy with me.
then there was the cat who bought himself a space cone,two drains and a shaving
because he tormented his sister and she bit him.the bite caused an abcess waist down to tail.the drains had to be cleaned every day and antibiotics applied to area and he was not happy with me at all.however,that was the last time he picked on her,left her alone after that..i guess he learned.@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
9 Jan 10
one time I went to a different vet because the regular vets were closed - and that vet put in a drain and I had to try and flush it - finally went to regular vet after they came back and they knocked him out, cleaned it out and fixed him right up - like them better than that trying to flush out abscesses the other vets want me to do
Doctor was the first cat I called Frankenkitty because of all his stitches leaving scars - there toward the end they'd shave one spot and you'd see where the stitches were from a former abscess... He'd fight all the neighborhood toms and I fixed him at 5 months... but he didn't roam as far as he might've.
Got so the toms would go WAY around my yard and all of Doctor's claimed yards because he was the biggest cat in the neighborhood!
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
10 Jan 10
LOL yea that's what this one was too.
my cats had a knack for injuries when my regular vet was on vacation.
he'd laugh when he reviewed his messages-he said he knew somehow he'd be getting a call from me
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
7 Jan 10
Poor Sunny, before he got out, had to go to the vet once a month. He had a chronic viral thingie in his mouth. He had injections at the vet and he often had to have antibiotics at home. He hated that. I sometimes wonder if he didn't just leave because he was pissed at all the medical stuff that he was subjected to.
1 person likes this
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
8 Jan 10
The worst thing I've had to do was give the last two cats pills. I learned to coat our previous cat's pills with butter, then hold his mouth shut and rub his throat until he swallowed. I thought I could do the same with Sleepy, our present cat in residence. However, it didn't work as well with him. I'd let him go after I thought he had swallowed the pill, and he'd spit it out. So the vet gave us liquid medicine. Did you ever try to get prescription medication off your glasses? It took both my husband and me to get that medicine down him. Getting him into the carrier to go to the vet is almost as difficult. I usually have to stand the carrier on end and stuff him in it head first. This is that docile, well behaved cat who loves everybody. He just doesn't like to get into the carrier or to take any kind of medication and lets us know about it.
1 person likes this
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
8 Jan 10
The fluids thing is a pain, but it's really easy to do with 2 people. I can do it alone, but I have friends who need help. I'm tough as nails and don't have a problem with needles and blood or doing any treatments on animals. You can train you roommates on how to give fluids. Yes even your blind roomie cam learn to do it. All you do is put the needle under the skin in an open area and let the pocket fill with fluids. My best friend is blind and I can't doesn't fly with me.
The meds for kidney failure are actually more important than the fluids. The fluids make kitty feel better, but the meds keeps kitty alive. My vet gives enalalpril. It's really cheep. It's actually a human medication. Kitty now should get a new special diet. Some proteins are harder and easier on the kidneys.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
9 Jan 10
I guess I should add that this other roomie is kind of bad about projecting on her pets her own feelings. I suspect that she kind of feels like they are more than animal "children" and is treating them like she raised her kids (and she did such a great job at that too.)
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
9 Jan 10
You live with kitty and it barley knows you? How is that possible? Is her hu-mom really protective of her?
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
9 Jan 10
This bring back memories of when I was taking care of my very sick act that ended up passing away from cancer. Aside from cleaning up daily vomits and after bouts of diarrhoea I had to give him one to two tablets every day. I managed it by wearing thick gardening gloves and using a pill popper! I could see it in his eyes that he hated me for it!
I am now attempting to train my new kitten to sit on my lap and it isn't easy!
1 person likes this
@loveleah10 (22)
• Philippines
7 Jan 10
I've never been a fan of cats as much as I am for dogs, but I hope things will be okay for your pets.. and finally have peace in your room!
