Kitty Kitty Wheeze Wheeze

Cleo has been doing a nasty wheezy cough for a number of weeks now. Being a librarian, I naturally did some research and I, in my oh-so-expert opinion, diagnosed her with kitty asthma. Unfortunately, my MLS does not in any way authorize me to diagnose animals, or prescribe treatments for them, so I had to take Cleo to the vet. She loves the vet.

I may have exaggerated her love of the vet just a bit.

I took a video of Cleo doing her whole wheezing thing since you know there is no animals that will actually cooperate and show their symptoms at the vet. It's kind of like when you take your car to the mechanic and it stops making the noise. Anyhow, between the video and the chest x-rays, the doctor confirmed my diagnosis of kitty asthma.

The next step was to discuss treatment, which would begin with a big dose of steroids to help soothe the inflammation.

"Is that an injection?" I asked.

"Well, it can be, but the injection seems to increase the chances of diabetes if it has to be given long term."

"No injection," I said.

There was an inhaler option (yes, they make kitty inhalers), but I would have to get her to take ten "good" breaths with the mask on several times a day. Yeah, not happening. 

The doctor gave us pills with the instructions to give her two pills, three times a day, for three days, then one pill, twice a day, for two weeks.

Um, have you ever tried to give a pill to a cat? Let alone SIX pills in a day??

The vet gave us some pill pockets to try. "Just put the pills inside these. They are fish flavored and she should eat them right up."

Yeah, nice theory there doc. She licked the pill pocket then walked away.

Next we tried hiding the pills in a plate of tuna. She licked the oil off the tuna and then walked away.

Later that evening we tried crushing the pills and mixing them with some canned cat food. She licked the food twice, then walked away.

End of day one of meds - total pills consumed, maybe one out of six.

This morning Duane and I decided to mix the crushed pills into a little milk for her. She sniffed it and walked away.

We finally decided to do things the hard way and try to force the pills down her little kitty throat. Duane held her and I went for the pill popping. We got the first pill down her and thought the second pill had been successfully delivered, when she spit it out. She spit the darn thing out THREE TIMES, at which point I uttered a cuss word or twelve - and then realized Ryan was in the room.

"Ryan, forget all those bad words Mommy said. You are not to say them!" I warned.

"Unless you are pilling a cat and she spits it out three times," Duane amended. There goes our parents of the year award.

Tonight we crushed the pills up, mixed them with milk and put them in a syringe that you use to administer medicine orally. It was still a fight and it's still a miracle no one got bit, but we got those pill down her!

It's going to be a LONG 17 days.