cats (~), cat digestive tmi
Well, let's get y'all caught up here real quick.
Ceejay is gonna be fine eventually but he's got tapeworms and possibly more. They got one dose of medication into him at the vet, but our attempt at a second dose was traumatic all around and we only got about half of it in him.
Luckily, he still trusts me just enough that he could be coaxed out from under the house with a bowl of food, and he even VERY warily let me pet him. That's a real good sign.
We're gonna call the vet and let them know their advice of "just scruff him" failed utterly and we need a less intrusive method. I'm not sure why they didn't just recommend mixing it with food, and we're gonna explicitly ask if that's OK.
So basically, even worst-case, Ceejay is probably not at death's door and even just 1-1/2 doses should leave him happier than he was. But I can't turn off the Cat Stress Alarm until I know we've got a way to at least try to get the rest of his medicine in him.
cat medicating advice re: cats (~), cat digestive tmi
@zebratron2084 Have you considered sacrificing a towel to the Purrito Method? It's relatively simple: Acquire towel. Wrap kitty in towel securely enough that they can't squirm or claw you, with their head sticking out. Firmly grasp kitty, lever jaw open, insert medication.
I only phrase it as sacrificing a towel because some kitties go "OHMYGERD I MUST MAKE MYSELF DISGUSTING TO ESCAPE PREDATION" when using this method.
re: cat medicating advice re: cats (~), cat digestive tmi
@LexYeen That's on the list, somewhere around Plan D or E. :) Poor guy had such a total freakout at the first attempt, I really don't want to do _anything_ that involves physical restraint with him unless we absolutely can't get it in him any other way! But if we gotta, yeah, that's probably our top plan that doesn't involve "mix it with something tasty, hope the vet approves, and hope he goes for it." Poor Ceej has just had enough stress already, and was suspicious enough of us to start with.
I'd probably be more for the purrito technique if we had the faintest idea what we were doing, too. :) An experienced cat friend could probably pull it off in ten seconds, but...
