So a couple of weeks has passed since Gaga came home from her "mis-adventure". Here's an update:

She's gotten much more tolerant of the medicine, and less "wobbly". To the point where I am more confident, letting her roam around the house at large (supervised) when I am home. And she hasn't had another seizure since all this has started, which is the big thing. Serafina is still putting up this big "show" of being unhappy with Gaga, with big theatrical growls and hisses, but it never goes farther than that. Gaga is a bit fearful and sad about this, but it's clearly just a show. Serafina will be hissing one minute, and eating inches from Gaga the next. So it's not going to be a problem long-term.

Neytiri's reaction is kind of strange. No hissing, no growling, no show of emotion at all. But sometimes when Gaga walks in close proximity to her, Neytiri will raise her paw, and give a single "whap" to Gaga (not real hard). And Gaga's reaction is kind of "wtf?".

Initially, giving her, her 2 pills a day was a cinch. Gaga is a very food motivated kitty who loves treats. Whenever I go to the fridge she sprints into the kitchen, jumps up on the island for a good look as the fridge opens, and then makes various meows and chirps to let me know she is there and to "share the love".

So giving her, her pills merely consisted of getting her favorite deli turkey, inserting the pill into a generous sized piece, and watching her chow down.

But unfortunately for me, Gaga is also a pretty smart kitty, and those pills are apparently pretty bitter. So now she is very mistrustful of treats, and can smell the pill in them. She now has gotten to the point where she will reluctantly eat a piece of turkey without a pill, and will turn her nose up at one with a pill. Same with the other treats I've tried, same with her regular food. I even tried some "stinky" food (weruva fish flavored foods), with mixed results. So I've had to resort to using the pill gun. And right now I really suck at using that It's difficult, and of course Gaga is getting good at reading me and knowing my intentions, so that makes it doubly difficult.

So really my only choice (during my vacation, which I'm at now) was for me to take Gaga to the vet and "board" her there. They gave her a pretty big cage in a secluded part of the building. I brought her toys and food and one of her favorite cat beds. And they let her out of the cage to roam several times a day. I call them, or they call me daily and give me updates, which have so far been very upbeat and positive. Good appetite, active, and they aren't having much problem pilling her.

So the plan when I get back is to have them teach me how they pill her, and also look into "compounding" the medicine. I guess what specialty pharmacies can do is sort of crush it up and incorporate it into other things (like treats) in such a way that it will be less noticeable and more palatable for her. So this sounds like a great option that I want to explore.

Anyway, that's the update. 2 more days and I'll be back home and getting Gaga back home.

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The little monsters 3

Brian, thanks for the great update! Glad there have been no more seizures and super happy you decided to board her with the vet so you could still enjoy your vacation! Pilling a cat is the worst! You need at least 8 hands to do it. Supposedly, some meds can come in fish flavor (but my Raiden doesn't like fish). The vet techs are good at pilling and there are extra hands there to help out. If this is medication Gaga needs for the rest of her life, you are going to be forced to get good at it and Gaga is just going to have to get good at taking it. I guess it didn't take her long to discover her treat wasn't really ALL treat! And some pills do have an after taste to them. I hope you're successful at the compounding.

I guess it may take a while for your other two babies to be completely accepting of Gaga, especially when she comes home from the boarding with a new cat smell to her.At least your other babies aren't aggressive toward her.

Enjoy what's left of your vacation. I'm happy you didn't cancel or postpone it and that Gaga is getting well cared for at the vet. I know you'll be happy to have her back home in a few days.

Good choice to have her looked after by pros who can keep an eye on her condition and administer medication easily. I'm sure you have tried these, but pill pockets are the only way I can fool my cats into taking medication. They are like putty and seal off the pill. My kitties think the pill is a treat and gulp it right down. They actually beg for their medication, lol.

I tried the pill pockets with Raiden and he refused to eat them. I was forced to use the regular way, crack open his mouth, throw the pill in and close his mouth! Even saw his tongue touch his nose which is supposed to indicate swallowing the pill. The joke was on me. When I got down on the carpet to play with him, there were several little blue pills on the white carpet!

There is a paste you can get that is supposed to be for extra calories that smells like meat. I snuck pills covered in that into chicken and that worked prety well for one of mine. It was a GNC product for pets. I would also see if you can crush the pills and work them into something else she will eat. I am glad to hear she is doing better!

The key with the pill gun is to first put the pill into an empty size 4 or 5 gel cap (size 5 is extremely small) to mask the taste of the pill, then coat both the gel cap and the pill gun in melted butter so the pill goes down smooth.

The grip is also important on the cat's head, come from behind and with your thumb and pinky, pry open the corners of it's mouth, then shoot the pill in fairly deep into the throat, the butter should make it go down smooth

Very pleased to hear Gaga is doing better, and I'm sure you will get to grips with pilling her!

Hope you're having a good break, I think you needed it after all the stress and Gaga is in good hands so you can properly relax.

I hope the vet can give you some good tips for the pilling and she keeps improving and also that normality will return for you all with the rest of your girls too.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Glad to hear Gaga is improving steadily. I hope the other two girls stop being mean to her, the little toads! Vets is the only option for your peace of mind on holiday. As for the pills, I find falconry gauntlets a great help for personal safety! Surely the pharmaceutical companies could come up with a chicken flavoured coating for these pills or something???......it's not rocket science!

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Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

Brian, hope you continue updating us. Let us know how Gaga is when you get home.