If you´re a doting owner of a cat, you must be curious about the proper handling of your pet when it´s sick and the possible preventions from sickness.
Here are some simple tips you need to know when it comes to medications and administration of medicines for cats.
Medication for Cats
Cats don´t take medicines kindly nor can they withstand much handling, thus medical treatment should be very limited and only when necessary. There are many medicines for which they have no tolerance. These include disinfectants, especially those of the coaltar group. They´re particularly susceptible to carbolic acid. You shouldn´t use disinfectants on cats or on anything which it will come in contact with.
Sick Cats Need Peace and Home
Sick cats prefer quiet and darkness and will seek to hide away therefore they should be handled as little as possible. If it´s possible to take care of a sick cat at home, it shouldn´t be sent to strange quarters or vet homes. The change of surroundings can cause a sudden death to the animal.
Cats succumb very quickly to disease, and so it is essential that treatment is given early in the course of the illness.
Administration of Medicines
There are times when it´s necessary to give medicines to the cat. The most effective way of doing this is by oral administration of tablets. The cat can be held on a table by the forelegs, he can be held by grasping the forelegs with one hand and the hind legs with the other, or better, he can be rolled in a Turkish towel, with only the head projecting out. The upper jaw is grasped by the operator from above with the thumb and the forefinger of the left hand, and the tablet carried back into the mouth with a spoon. Liquids may be given in the same manner.
But if you want it to be easy, you can dilute the tablet on its wet food and let the sick cat consume it together with the food.
Some cats don´t seriously object to taking liquid medicines while to some, it´s almost impossible to administer. Unless they take them readily, it´s better to resort to tablets. Suppositories may be easily used through the rectum, but enemas are hard to give through this manner.
When giving suppositories it may be more easily done if the cat is rolled in a towel. Cats will not tolerate inhalations. Because of their small size vaginal douches, it´s impractical. Skin diseases are treated in much the same manner as in dogs, but the applications must be mild and non-toxic. Ointments are applied sparingly and over small areas.