Help! Ways to give a cat a pill (and other questions)

I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please, if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and thoughts with me - I can use all of the help I can get!

I adopted two 3 year old silver tipped persian brothers from a shelter (they were found abandonned) in mid-March. They were front declawed by previous owners. I have never owned or wanted to own a purebred, but these guys stole my heart in the shelter...anyway, I have had urination problems pretty much since I got them, though it took me some time to realize that the "cat smell" wasn't just from now owning cats but was from the cats peeing outside of their box. They peed on carpets and my couch, and on occasion, on my bed. I couldn't figure out WHAT was going on but tried a lot of solutions. I changed their litter, added a box (for a total of 2), tried different litters in different boxes, got Feliway, removed the carpets, throw rug and down comforter, added another litter box (for a total of 3), scooped the litter once, twice then three times a day, took them to the vet. Cyrus had crystals and a very high Ph; Leo had a slightly high Ph. Ah ha! A UTI. Easily solved. At this point, I still didn't know who was peeing (if it was both or only one). I put them both on prescription wet and dry food but the peeing kept up. So, I added methioform to their diets to up the prescription factor.

Still, I had pee. The longer this has gone on, the more I figured out. The pee has been narrowed to three spots: the couch (usually the spot that Cyrus liked to sleep), the bed (usually in the spot where Cyrus liked to sleep, though Leo sleeps every night in another spot on the bed close to me, Cyrus only naps on the bed and sleeps nights on a chair right next to the bed), and in the closet against the wall beside one of the litter boxes (located in a pantry type closet with an open door). To minimize the incidents and risks, I have kept the bedroom door closed when I am not home (though once or twice he peed on it when I was home!) and tilting up the couch cushions when I am not home. I also had the couch professionally cleaned and enzymed to rid it of smells. Each time I think I have made progress and have loosened my precautions, it is merely a matter of time before it begins again. I think (almost positively) that it is Leo that is doing the peeing (though I keep thinking I need a nanny-cam to be sure). I see Cyrus use the box and he is way mellower overall. Leo is super needy and lovey and a little more desiring of attention most of the time. Oh, I should mention, I am single and have a pretty hectic life. I am often not home all day long and occasionally stay at my boyfriend's for the night. He too has a cat so we try to be fair about spending time with each other and making sure that we aren't abandoning our cats in the meantime.

The latest idea is to put Leo on anti-anxiety medications once a day - yes, I have my cat on Prozac. But, the downfall is that Leo is the WORST pill taker. I mean, if he wasn't anxious before-hand, he would be after the ordeal each night of trying to give him this pill. I tried putting a towel around him on the counter to force the pill. I also tried hiding it in "treats" or other food to get it in. Unfortunately, I have found that the only way I can get it in him is to disolve it in tuna water; I think that the tuna smells so strong and good that it goes right down. However, here is the clincher. Fish is not good for cats with UTI's. Though I don't worry so much about Leo and all of that (since he really barely had one to begin with), I have had an impossible time not giving some tuna to Cyrus too because he can smell it, even though he doesn't take the Prozac. So, I've been giving it to Cy too, and now, smart cat that he is, he doesn't want other prescription anti-UTY wet food in the morning because he knows that the tuna exists. He does eat the prescription anti-UTI dry food in the meantime, but since he has a propensity towards UTI's, I worry about the tuna thing. Tonight, I put the methioform with the fish, which probably did very little, but it was a step.

So, my questions (if you've gotten this far) are...
Any ideas about this pee problem?
Any other trick foods that's smell may overpower that of the medicine enough to give to Leo, without risking Cy's health?
Any thoughts at all???!!

I feel like I read all the time about cats having urinary problems, but neither I, nor anyone I personally know, has ever had them. So...here I am with a "common" problem and no practical knowledge or advice. I love these kitties to pieces and take my commitment to adopt them very seriously, yet, people keep saying "why don't you get rid of one. they are probably marking which you can't stop without removing one". I just don't want to believe this. Partly because I love them each so much for different reasons and can't imagine choosing one over the other, but also because I actually think that they like each other. They occasionally bicker slightly (swatting annoyedly at each other) and occasionally sleep on top of each other, each cleaning the other and mostly coexist fine. So...I am hoping you all have some ideas for my so so sweet boys!!!

Thank you so much in advance.

"Mom of 2 Cuties" wrote in message
...

I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I
have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please,
if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and
thoughts with me - I can use all of the help I can get!

I adopted two 3 year old silver tipped persian brothers from a shelter
(they were found abandonned) in mid-March. They were front declawed by
previous owners. I have never owned or wanted to own a purebred, but
these guys stole my heart in the shelter...anyway, I have had urination
problems pretty much since I got them, though it took me some time to
realize that the "cat smell" wasn't just from now owning cats but was
from the cats peeing outside of their box. They peed on carpets and my
couch, and on occasion, on my bed. I couldn't figure out WHAT was going
on but tried a lot of solutions. I changed their litter, added a box
(for a total of 2), tried different litters in different boxes, got
Feliway, removed the carpets, throw rug and down comforter, added
another litter box (for a total of 3), scooped the litter once, twice
then three times a day, took them to the vet. Cyrus had crystals and a
very high Ph; Leo had a slightly high Ph. Ah ha! A UTI. Easily
solved. At this point, I still didn't know who was peeing (if it was
both or only one). I put them both on prescription wet and dry food
but the peeing kept up. So, I added methioform to their diets to up
the prescription factor.

Still, I had pee. The longer this has gone on, the more I figured out.
The pee has been narrowed to three spots: the couch (usually the spot
that Cyrus liked to sleep), the bed (usually in the spot where Cyrus
liked to sleep, though Leo sleeps every night in another spot on the
bed close to me, Cyrus only naps on the bed and sleeps nights on a
chair right next to the bed), and in the closet against the wall beside
one of the litter boxes (located in a pantry type closet with an open
door). To minimize the incidents and risks, I have kept the bedroom
door closed when I am not home (though once or twice he peed on it when
I was home!) and tilting up the couch cushions when I am not home. I
also had the couch professionally cleaned and enzymed to rid it of
smells. Each time I think I have made progress and have loosened my
precautions, it is merely a matter of time before it begins again. I
think (almost positively) that it is Leo that is doing the peeing
(though I keep thinking I need a nanny-cam to be sure). I see Cyrus
use the box and he is way mellower overall. Leo is super needy and
lovey and a little more desiring of attention most of the time. Oh, I
should mention, I am single and have a pretty hectic life. I am often
not home all day long and occasionally stay at my boyfriend's for the
night. He too has a cat so we try to be fair about spending time with
each other and making sure that we aren't abandoning our cats in the
meantime.

The latest idea is to put Leo on anti-anxiety medications once a day -
yes, I have my cat on Prozac. But, the downfall is that Leo is the
WORST pill taker. I mean, if he wasn't anxious before-hand, he would
be after the ordeal each night of trying to give him this pill. I
tried putting a towel around him on the counter to force the pill. I
also tried hiding it in "treats" or other food to get it in.
Unfortunately, I have found that the only way I can get it in him is to
disolve it in tuna water; I think that the tuna smells so strong and
good that it goes right down. However, here is the clincher. Fish is
not good for cats with UTI's. Though I don't worry so much about Leo
and all of that (since he really barely had one to begin with), I have
had an impossible time not giving some tuna to Cyrus too because he can
smell it, even though he doesn't take the Prozac. So, I've been giving
it to Cy too, and now, smart cat that he is, he doesn't want other
prescription anti-UTY wet food in the morning because he knows that the
tuna exists. He does eat the prescription anti-UTI dry food in the
meantime, but since he has a propensity towards UTI's, I worry about
the tuna thing. Tonight, I put the methioform with the fish, which
probably did very little, but it was a step.

So, my questions (if you've gotten this far) are...
Any ideas about this pee problem?
Any other trick foods that's smell may overpower that of the medicine
enough to give to Leo, without risking Cy's health?
Any thoughts at all???!!

I feel like I read all the time about cats having urinary problems, but
neither I, nor anyone I personally know, has ever had them. So...here I
am with a "common" problem and no practical knowledge or advice. I love
these kitties to pieces and take my commitment to adopt them very
seriously, yet, people keep saying "why don't you get rid of one. they
are probably marking which you can't stop without removing one". I
just don't want to believe this. Partly because I love them each so
much for different reasons and can't imagine choosing one over the
other, but also because I actually think that they like each other.
They occasionally bicker slightly (swatting annoyedly at each other)
and occasionally sleep on top of each other, each cleaning the other
and mostly coexist fine. So...I am hoping you all have some ideas for
my so so sweet boys!!!

Thank you so much in advance.




--
Mom of 2 Cuties

Just some random thoughts here.

You can give one of your cats fluoresce. This is a dye that will assist you
in identifying which cat is urinating outside the box. You feed it to a cat
and then check the spots where the cat is peeing outside the box with a
black light. The urine from the treated cat will fluoresce bright yellow.
Once you determine for sure which cat is the 'guilty party' you can
concentrate your efforts on that cat.

Have you checked the paws to make sure they are healed properly? If a
declawed cat is having pain in his paws he's likely to avoid the box. Even
if the paws appear to be healed properly, the litter might be hurting their
paws or he could be having phantom pain. You may want to avoid perfumed
litter. I forget what consistency is recommended and hope someone else will
chime in on this. If it hurts to use the box though the cat will avoid it.

Have you had a follow up urine test done to make sure the diet change has
addressed the problem? My cat Isabelle had a URI a couple of years back that
took 5 weeks on antibiotics to clear up.

You could pick up some lengths of plastic floor runner. They sell it at
places like Home Depot. It's on a big roll in the store so you can purchase
the length you need. If you put in down pointy side up that will discourage
the cat from going there.

That's all that I can think of offhand but you might want to try googling
'inappropriate urination cat declaw'. There's a lot of info out there on
this subject.

Good luck and thanks for being willing to work with these cats.

W

Have you tried using a pill crusher (available at Pet Smart) to grind the
pill into a powder and then mixing that with wet food?


"Mom of 2 Cuties" wrote in message
...

I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I
have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please,
if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and
thoughts with me - I can use all of the help I can get!

I adopted two 3 year old silver tipped persian brothers from a shelter
(they were found abandonned) in mid-March. They were front declawed by
previous owners. I have never owned or wanted to own a purebred, but
these guys stole my heart in the shelter...anyway, I have had urination
problems pretty much since I got them, though it took me some time to
realize that the "cat smell" wasn't just from now owning cats but was
from the cats peeing outside of their box. They peed on carpets and my
couch, and on occasion, on my bed. I couldn't figure out WHAT was going
on but tried a lot of solutions. I changed their litter, added a box
(for a total of 2), tried different litters in different boxes, got
Feliway, removed the carpets, throw rug and down comforter, added
another litter box (for a total of 3), scooped the litter once, twice
then three times a day, took them to the vet. Cyrus had crystals and a
very high Ph; Leo had a slightly high Ph. Ah ha! A UTI. Easily
solved. At this point, I still didn't know who was peeing (if it was
both or only one). I put them both on prescription wet and dry food
but the peeing kept up. So, I added methioform to their diets to up
the prescription factor.

Still, I had pee. The longer this has gone on, the more I figured out.
The pee has been narrowed to three spots: the couch (usually the spot
that Cyrus liked to sleep), the bed (usually in the spot where Cyrus
liked to sleep, though Leo sleeps every night in another spot on the
bed close to me, Cyrus only naps on the bed and sleeps nights on a
chair right next to the bed), and in the closet against the wall beside
one of the litter boxes (located in a pantry type closet with an open
door). To minimize the incidents and risks, I have kept the bedroom
door closed when I am not home (though once or twice he peed on it when
I was home!) and tilting up the couch cushions when I am not home. I
also had the couch professionally cleaned and enzymed to rid it of
smells. Each time I think I have made progress and have loosened my
precautions, it is merely a matter of time before it begins again. I
think (almost positively) that it is Leo that is doing the peeing
(though I keep thinking I need a nanny-cam to be sure). I see Cyrus
use the box and he is way mellower overall. Leo is super needy and
lovey and a little more desiring of attention most of the time. Oh, I
should mention, I am single and have a pretty hectic life. I am often
not home all day long and occasionally stay at my boyfriend's for the
night. He too has a cat so we try to be fair about spending time with
each other and making sure that we aren't abandoning our cats in the
meantime.

The latest idea is to put Leo on anti-anxiety medications once a day -
yes, I have my cat on Prozac. But, the downfall is that Leo is the
WORST pill taker. I mean, if he wasn't anxious before-hand, he would
be after the ordeal each night of trying to give him this pill. I
tried putting a towel around him on the counter to force the pill. I
also tried hiding it in "treats" or other food to get it in.
Unfortunately, I have found that the only way I can get it in him is to
disolve it in tuna water; I think that the tuna smells so strong and
good that it goes right down. However, here is the clincher. Fish is
not good for cats with UTI's. Though I don't worry so much about Leo
and all of that (since he really barely had one to begin with), I have
had an impossible time not giving some tuna to Cyrus too because he can
smell it, even though he doesn't take the Prozac. So, I've been giving
it to Cy too, and now, smart cat that he is, he doesn't want other
prescription anti-UTY wet food in the morning because he knows that the
tuna exists. He does eat the prescription anti-UTI dry food in the
meantime, but since he has a propensity towards UTI's, I worry about
the tuna thing. Tonight, I put the methioform with the fish, which
probably did very little, but it was a step.

So, my questions (if you've gotten this far) are...
Any ideas about this pee problem?
Any other trick foods that's smell may overpower that of the medicine
enough to give to Leo, without risking Cy's health?
Any thoughts at all???!!

I feel like I read all the time about cats having urinary problems, but
neither I, nor anyone I personally know, has ever had them. So...here I
am with a "common" problem and no practical knowledge or advice. I love
these kitties to pieces and take my commitment to adopt them very
seriously, yet, people keep saying "why don't you get rid of one. they
are probably marking which you can't stop without removing one". I
just don't want to believe this. Partly because I love them each so
much for different reasons and can't imagine choosing one over the
other, but also because I actually think that they like each other.
They occasionally bicker slightly (swatting annoyedly at each other)
and occasionally sleep on top of each other, each cleaning the other
and mostly coexist fine. So...I am hoping you all have some ideas for
my so so sweet boys!!!

Thank you so much in advance.




--
Mom of 2 Cuties

Is there a liquid form of the medication available? My particularly anxious
cat somehow let's me pick her up, place her off to the side of me and,
holding the scruff of her neck with my less-dominant hand, I coax an
eye-dropper full of the medicine in her mouth. She moves her head around in
protest, but I eventually have a couple openings to empty the dropper. It
usually doesn't take but about 30 seconds now. She then gets kitty treats
immediately afterwards.


"Mom of 2 Cuties" wrote in message
...

I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I
have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please,
if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and
thoughts with me - I can use all of the help I can get!

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 04:19:19 +0000, Mom of 2 Cuties wrote:
I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I
have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please,
if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and thoughts
with me - I can use all of the help I can get!
...
Unfortunately, I have found that the only way I can get it in him is to
disolve it in tuna water; I think that the tuna smells so strong and
good that it goes right down. However, here is the clincher. Fish is
not good for cats with UTI's.

It's not the tuna meat, rather the fact that canned tuna (and other fish)
has lots of bone in it. I have no idea whether the cats would accept it,
but you could try getting some type of fresh fish with easy to remove
bones. Cook it enough that it's safe, then puree it in a blender with
water (or oil).

I have usually had luck lightly "buttering" pills. It slips down the cat's
throat easier so he/she doesn't have as much opportunity to spit it out.

My best guess is that the urination problem was established at the cats'
previous home(s). Possibly the owner didn't get them neutered before they
started territorial spraying. I agree with the suggestion to try plastic
over the places the cats have been using.

I have tried crushing the pill into the wet food and he turns his nose up at it in an instant. Clearly, he can smell it.

I've thought about the fluoricide option, but I really don't feel like the issue is with Cyrus. I see him use the box all the time. Leo, on the other hand, I don't see use the box all that often and have actually caught him peeing outside of it twice...

Good thoughts about the paw issue...however, he does use the box sometimes. Certainly for defacating he does. And sometimes for pee, just not always.

I use unscented scoopable litter. I have also tried "cat attract" in it to lure them to it more often. Either way, I am still finding pee.

Thanks for your insight and keep the ideas coming. I know that there MUST be a solution...and I really can't envision giving one away.

Interesting about the bone issue (vs. fish). I'll keep that in mind and maybe experiment around it. Any thoughts about whether canned chicken is as bad?

Mom of 2 Cuties wrote:


Interesting about the bone issue (vs. fish). I'll keep that in mind and
maybe experiment around it. Any thoughts about whether canned chicken
is as bad?

Get some salmon flavored pill pockets from your vet (45 for about
$4.50). Cats can't resist them. They even make a good treat so you can
get him hooked.
-mhd

My cat took prozac for inappropriate urination. I obtained the meds from a
compounding pharmacy that was able to compound the med into a flavored chew
treat (chicken, tuna, etc). They also offered flavored liquid compounds.
The pharmacy I used was Veterinary Pharmacy of America (website is
vetrxrx.com). You will need a prescription from your vet or your vet can
call them with the prescription.

Sue

"Mom of 2 Cuties" wrote in message
...

I am struggling here...and really need some advice. I also think that I
have to give a lot of history just to get you all up to speed. Please,
if you have a few minutes, read this and share your insight and
thoughts with me - I can use all of the help I can get!

I adopted two 3 year old silver tipped persian brothers from a shelter
(they were found abandonned) in mid-March. They were front declawed by
previous owners. I have never owned or wanted to own a purebred, but
these guys stole my heart in the shelter...anyway, I have had urination
problems pretty much since I got them, though it took me some time to
realize that the "cat smell" wasn't just from now owning cats but was
from the cats peeing outside of their box. They peed on carpets and my
couch, and on occasion, on my bed. I couldn't figure out WHAT was going
on but tried a lot of solutions. I changed their litter, added a box
(for a total of 2), tried different litters in different boxes, got
Feliway, removed the carpets, throw rug and down comforter, added
another litter box (for a total of 3), scooped the litter once, twice
then three times a day, took them to the vet. Cyrus had crystals and a
very high Ph; Leo had a slightly high Ph. Ah ha! A UTI. Easily
solved. At this point, I still didn't know who was peeing (if it was
both or only one). I put them both on prescription wet and dry food
but the peeing kept up. So, I added methioform to their diets to up
the prescription factor.

Still, I had pee. The longer this has gone on, the more I figured out.
The pee has been narrowed to three spots: the couch (usually the spot
that Cyrus liked to sleep), the bed (usually in the spot where Cyrus
liked to sleep, though Leo sleeps every night in another spot on the
bed close to me, Cyrus only naps on the bed and sleeps nights on a
chair right next to the bed), and in the closet against the wall beside
one of the litter boxes (located in a pantry type closet with an open
door). To minimize the incidents and risks, I have kept the bedroom
door closed when I am not home (though once or twice he peed on it when
I was home!) and tilting up the couch cushions when I am not home. I
also had the couch professionally cleaned and enzymed to rid it of
smells. Each time I think I have made progress and have loosened my
precautions, it is merely a matter of time before it begins again. I
think (almost positively) that it is Leo that is doing the peeing
(though I keep thinking I need a nanny-cam to be sure). I see Cyrus
use the box and he is way mellower overall. Leo is super needy and
lovey and a little more desiring of attention most of the time. Oh, I
should mention, I am single and have a pretty hectic life. I am often
not home all day long and occasionally stay at my boyfriend's for the
night. He too has a cat so we try to be fair about spending time with
each other and making sure that we aren't abandoning our cats in the
meantime.

The latest idea is to put Leo on anti-anxiety medications once a day -
yes, I have my cat on Prozac. But, the downfall is that Leo is the
WORST pill taker. I mean, if he wasn't anxious before-hand, he would
be after the ordeal each night of trying to give him this pill. I
tried putting a towel around him on the counter to force the pill. I
also tried hiding it in "treats" or other food to get it in.
Unfortunately, I have found that the only way I can get it in him is to
disolve it in tuna water; I think that the tuna smells so strong and
good that it goes right down. However, here is the clincher. Fish is
not good for cats with UTI's. Though I don't worry so much about Leo
and all of that (since he really barely had one to begin with), I have
had an impossible time not giving some tuna to Cyrus too because he can
smell it, even though he doesn't take the Prozac. So, I've been giving
it to Cy too, and now, smart cat that he is, he doesn't want other
prescription anti-UTY wet food in the morning because he knows that the
tuna exists. He does eat the prescription anti-UTI dry food in the
meantime, but since he has a propensity towards UTI's, I worry about
the tuna thing. Tonight, I put the methioform with the fish, which
probably did very little, but it was a step.

So, my questions (if you've gotten this far) are...
Any ideas about this pee problem?
Any other trick foods that's smell may overpower that of the medicine
enough to give to Leo, without risking Cy's health?
Any thoughts at all???!!

I feel like I read all the time about cats having urinary problems, but
neither I, nor anyone I personally know, has ever had them. So...here I
am with a "common" problem and no practical knowledge or advice. I love
these kitties to pieces and take my commitment to adopt them very
seriously, yet, people keep saying "why don't you get rid of one. they
are probably marking which you can't stop without removing one". I
just don't want to believe this. Partly because I love them each so
much for different reasons and can't imagine choosing one over the
other, but also because I actually think that they like each other.
They occasionally bicker slightly (swatting annoyedly at each other)
and occasionally sleep on top of each other, each cleaning the other
and mostly coexist fine. So...I am hoping you all have some ideas for
my so so sweet boys!!!

Thank you so much in advance.




--
Mom of 2 Cuties

On Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:19:25 +0000, Mom of 2 Cuties wrote:

Interesting about the bone issue (vs. fish). I'll keep that in mind and
maybe experiment around it. Any thoughts about whether canned chicken
is as bad?

I wouldn't think chicken would be as bad. If we're talking human canned
tuna, I doubt it has as much bone as tuna cat food. If you look at a cat
food label, there is a listing for % Ash. That at least used to be
considered the number to look at for cats with urinary problems; lower is
better.