Michele 1 #1 February 12, 2003 I bring BK in to the vet's for a check-up and a little monitoring of her condition. He and I talk...and then he notices her eye is still very swollen, nasal discharge contains blood, and she has bad, bad, bad breath. He swabs her sinus, and aspirates some fluid from under her eye. He sends it for tests. The test results come back. He calls me... Dr. B: Michele, you're a realtor, right? Me: Yes. Dr. B: Shown any horse property lately? me: Um. What? Dr. B.: Have you been on a ranch or around horses lately? Me: Not in at least 6 months or more. Dr. B: Can you bring the other girls in immediately? Me: Sure.... So I load up the car with three sceraming and freaked out cats, and I only have two carriers. Esse gets the harness, and roams free in the rear window, plaintively meowling at the world passing her, begging the occupants in other cars to save her from this indignity. the other two chorus with her, and I am nearly deafened by yowls. We make it to the vet, me with bundles of feline freaks, and he takes blood from all three. They are not happy, and all try to bite me. None are successful, but all accomplish the goal of shedding lots of fur on my white sweater, and peeing on me and the counter and in the carriers. The test results come back. Esse and Charlotte are fine, but BK has a serious and massive infection commonly found in horses. WTF??? And when it does occur in cats (which is rare), it tends to settle in the urinary tract. BK somehow has contracted this, but it's settled in her nose and sinus/ear. Because the other two are fine, he figures that it's a secondary infection, but may actually be the cause of her illness. He had me go to a human pharmacy, and get tetracycline...1.6 ml's 2x a day, in a thick, stinky, yellow fluid, for the next three weeks.. BK and I have come to an agreement. Should I approach her with anything in my hands, meds or not, she will leap from where she's sleeping and run away. Should I be so lucky as to catch her, she will impale me with whatever claw she has handy, and scream at me. Should I manage to subdue her long enough to get my hand onto her throat, she will spit and hiss enough to cough and choke herself, which will, of course, scare me into letting her go. At which point, we shall repeat the process until I am either too tired or bloody to continue, or she's gotten the nasty medication into her throat. At which point, the agreement goes, she will close her throat off long enough to fool me into thinking that she's swallowed it, and then, when I let her go, she will spit it out all over her coat and the floor and the clean laundry or the sofa or bed... This is going to be an interesting three weeks. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GiaKrembs 0 #2 February 12, 2003 Michele, WOW, how freaky! Well, at least you know it's treatable with antibiotics, and it's only 1 of the 3 felines.... it guess that's somewhat of a relief, or at least less bloodshed on your behalf for the next 3 weeks. Best of luck Michele & BK Raddest ho this side of Jersey #1 - rest in peace brother Beth lost her cherry and I missed it .... you want access to it, but you don't want to break it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiles 0 #3 February 12, 2003 good luck with administering the antibiotics Michele! It takes two of us to handle it with my feline... first is to catch and hold her....like a baby cradled in my arm, holding firmly her front legs together with one hand and back legs together with the other... ooooooooooohhh she hates this! Then while her head is back, the other person holds her mouth open by pressing each side of her jaw and squirtting meds slowly from plunger into very back of her mouth.... the jaw has to be slowly released as she swallows meds-otherwise 1/2 is waisted by her spitting up. What a performance...the last time she had to take antibiotics the vet perscribed clavamox 62.5 mg each. Tiny tablets were way easier to administer compared to liquid. We also gave her a treat (bit of chicken lunch meat) after each pill and she actually didn't fight at all after first two days!!!!!!! She is our darling, and takes some care as she has chronic rhinotracheitis (what a name!)...sneezing & nasal discharge. Smiles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ladyskydiver 0 #4 February 12, 2003 Hey, hon! Glad to hear that it's just an infection that can be cured. However, best of luck to you dealing with a pissed off cat. Ouch!Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #5 February 12, 2003 QuoteGlad to hear that it's just an infection that can be cured But it may not be...it may be a secondary infection rather than the primary issue. We won't know until she takes the stupid meds...we're trying to eliminate the issues, and still see if there's a problem. Time will tell...but it's at least a chance, you know? Smiles, it is just me - the two person scenario would be most excellent, but it just won't happen here. Rather, I have two other cats who're in cahoots (cat-hoots??) with BK, protecting her from the evil medicine bearing me...they conspire to trip me, leap on me, distract me...and then ignore me once I am successful in cramming that down her throat. They believe they're next... Gia - you got that right - it's bizarre. We are not at all sure how she got it. She never goes out, and even if she did, there are no horses around here (perhaps horses' asses, the human kind...but no equines...). And because the last ranch I showed was looooooooooooooong time past, there is no definitive answer. Then again, it is me, my family...and if it's weird, it will occur here... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hooked 0 #6 February 12, 2003 I'm glad they found some kind of reason behind all the troubles and hopefully it will help.......if she only takes her medicine!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! Such a well told story on how to give a cat medicine! Good luck with the future dosages! J -------------------------------------- Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mujie96 0 #7 February 12, 2003 They couldn't give you pills? I'm a pro at giving pills to sick, irritable kitties-it gets really easy (I took care of a baby with FIP). The only thing I can think of is giving her something she likes immediately after so she associates the good thing with the medicine...but you know cats... Good luck Michele. Just keep swimming...just keep swimming.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tigra 0 #8 February 12, 2003 Michele, Is there any way you can get her to take the medicine with some food? Maybe mix it with fancy feast, or even gravy from a jar?? Mix the medicine with a small bit of food, then follow up with more as a treat/reward? I have to think its a good sign that she's still feisty enough to fight you off like that though! keep us posted! maura (finally after almost 3 years of giving my cat medicine twice a day, we are ALMOST down to a routine!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mouth 0 #9 February 12, 2003 Good Luck Michele. Might I suggest thick rubbermaid gloves to keep her from killing you. -- Hot Mama At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coconutmonkey 0 #10 February 12, 2003 If you can't mix / disguise the meds with food treats, wrap the disagreeable critter in a towel to incapacitate the anit-people devices and give you two hands to deal with the fangs. (try putting heat pads on a kitty with large abcess on the base of its tail sometime) Hearts & Minds 2 to the Heart- 1 to the Mind- Home of the Coconut Lounge, Spa, & Artillery Range Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NtheSeaOrSky 0 #11 February 12, 2003 Very good tigra...this is how we vet techs choose to do it When they refuse to eat the food, or eat all of it, a 'reserve' option is to wrap said kitty snugly in LARGE towel/blanket/etc all but the head. A kitty burrito (also great for birds, but then called the birdie burrito) then at least the claws are out of the equation...and they are ususally so focused on wrigling out you can surprise a bit of liquid into the corner of their mouths PM me if you need more ideas! Life is not fair and there are no guarantees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jessica 0 #12 February 12, 2003 Try giving antibiotics to a BIRD! You need a big supply of syringes and bandaids.Skydiving is for cool people only Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NtheSeaOrSky 0 #13 February 12, 2003 see above : birdie burrito sidenote: research birds are a billion times worse to medicate than pets Life is not fair and there are no guarantees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #14 February 13, 2003 Thanks for the ideas...I can use all of them I can get. If you've got any more, please please post them. The problem with giving it in her food is that she's refused to eat it at times, and, before I can grab it and get it up, the other girls try it out. Not that I think it's bad for them, but still...and the pills are less effective than the liquid. Or would be if she ever got any liquid. The pharmacist has suggested that we try it this way, and once I've lost enough blood he'll try to mix it with other things (fish oil) that she may not be so violent about. I have tried the food before and after, as treats...I will try the gravy thing, though. And if worse comes to worst, a Bitch burrito sounds like it's gonna work. (Lisa, I'd never be able to catch her with the rubbermaid things...she'd see those coming and bail. At least with the syringe, I can almost sneak up on her. Thank God she's old and doesn't run too fast...nor hide too well...if the closets are closed, at least!) She's eagle-eying me right about now. Wants her dinner. The chase shall be on shortly.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NtheSeaOrSky 0 #15 February 13, 2003 fish oil? lord, just drain the water from the tuna can and mix it in...and close the other cats in or out of the room till BK devours it all!Life is not fair and there are no guarantees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #16 February 13, 2003 Would you mind explaining how to burrito wrap a bitch kitty? I just took a claw up my nose while trying to wrap her, and now I'm bleeding like a pig from a puncture wound. It's not a scratch. It's a hole. And it hurts. And she's so mad at me. I am so bad at getting her meds in her. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
numbknuckle 0 #17 February 13, 2003 "Scruff the kitty bitch" Grab her firmly by the back of the neck, like mama kitty. it dosen't hurt em and the dont move much Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jessica 0 #18 February 13, 2003 Michele, I don't know anything about kitty burritos, but here is how to towel a parrot: www.nd.edu/~kkiessel/toweling.htmlSkydiving is for cool people only Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #19 February 13, 2003 reminds me of when I had to give pills (pennicillin) to my cat once...no matter what Itried it didn't work: pilling him made him foam at the mouth & cough it out (IF I could get him under control) And hiding it in food, like cream cheese, tuna, or cat treat, didn't work, apparently due to pennicillin's vile flavor. But I never had that much trouble with amoxicillin, which I could easily hide in food without him noticing (evidently it doesnt have the bad taste of pennicillin). See if you can switch to amoxicillin, and then you can just hide it in food. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #20 February 13, 2003 QuoteGrab her firmly by the back of the neck, like mama kitty. it dosen't hurt em and the dont move much Um, well, I did that. She flails worse than me when she's hanging there in midair. She still managed to nail me. She's old, she's sick, but she's still earning her name on a regular basis. Usually I like to see her feisty. Not when she's trying to pick my nose with her claw. O.K., I'll try it again after dinner. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #21 February 13, 2003 Thanks, Jess. I now have a bit of a clue. But now, to adopt the bird method to my cat. "Be calm and affectionate" made me laugh, sitting here with runnels of blood under my nose...I'm supposing tossing the towel over her head and then scooping her up was the wrong idea. Speedy, I swear, I asked about that. The vet and the pharmacist want to try this first. I think they're sadistic. Not against the cat, you understand...but against me. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
numbknuckle 0 #22 February 13, 2003 if you grab her with your right hand and shes facing to the right, grab alot of skin-and rotate your palm upwards so that her head tiltsback a tad. Her feet should just spread and dangle. see my cat is still. if you have time, i could go grab a camera Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
numbknuckle 0 #23 February 13, 2003 like this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #24 February 13, 2003 QuoteHer feet should just spread and dangle. That happens with my other two. BK is a frantic neurotic cat. She's named Bitch Kitty for a reason. And how am I supposed to wrap her if she's not holding still and being a good little kitty? She squirms and wigs out and displays her claws and paws the air...yowling and cursing my name in kitty talk all the while. Quotesee my cat is still. if you have time, i could go grab a camera LOL... Ciels- Michele She's taking a nap and I'm getting my dinner ready, so I'll try again in a little bit. At least my nose isn't bleeding. ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freefallfreak 0 #25 February 13, 2003 A Japanese man in New York breeds and sells kittens that are called BONSAI CATS. That would sound cute, if it weren't kittens that were put in to little bottles after being given a muscle relaxant and then locked up for the rest of their lives!! The cats are fed through a straw and have a small tube for their feces. The skeleton of the cat will take on the form of the bottle as the kitten grows. The cats never get the opportunity to move. They are used as original and exclusive souvenirs. These are the latest trends in New York, China, Indonesia and New Zealand. If you think you can handle it, view >>http://www.bonsaikitten.com/ and have a look at the methods being used to put these little kittens into bottles. I wish there were a way of shutting this down. FFF "Upon seeing the shadow of a pigeon, one must resist the urge to look up." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
