Ever since we adopted our cat, she always has peed on the edge of the litterbox. This was ongoing for 6 years. On a whim, I bought finer litter and she stopped this behaviour immediately. Just thought I’d share.
Ever since we adopted our cat, she always has peed on the edge of the litterbox. This was ongoing for 6 years. On a whim, I bought finer litter and she stopped this behaviour immediately. Just thought I’d share.
My girl was doing this. We started her on Solensia for arthritis and it stopped immediately. Turns out it was hurting her to squat down.
Exact same situation here. My old vet was useless. New one recognized it as soon as she saw her walk.
Had a similar experience with our dog. His toe swelled like crazy and we didn’t want to take him to my vet because we have more pets than the city allows, and my wife’s vet went off into MAGA land.
So we took him to several other vets, spending about $1500 with no answers except a shrug and “try giving him benadry” l, before we finally took him to my vet.
Took all of 60 seconds for him to say, “oh, he tore a tendon and has arthritis.” Gave him an arthritis shot and he was fine in a few days.
I need to talk to my vet about Solensia (I sound like a commercial). My cat will be 15-16 in November (don’t exactly know, we estimate he was 2-3 when my wife ripped him from the streets), and the vet thinks he’s got some arthritis, and he’s definitely slowed down a bit, and has trouble cleaning certain spots on his fur, which has led to matting. They gave us a pill that we could open and sprinkle on food, but he hates it, even when I cut the dose in half, then in quarter. Refused entire meals because of it. I’d never heard of Solensia, but the idea of a monthly shot is intriguing, so worth the conversation.
Dasuquin.
What’s the pill? Lyrica? Meloxicam?
If you’re in the US try Greenies pill pockets for cats. They’re highly flavored little dough things, not super expensive. My cats love them and now they’re a very special treat (for when a very special treat is needed the most).
Pro tip, though: don’t try to put the capsule in the pill pocket like in the picture. It’s a fool’s game. They say you can but it’s a waste of time, even when it’s not cracked or banged up, which is rare.
Your best bet is to ignore the “pocket” altogether and flatten the whole thing into a thin, even, round pancake (maybe 1" to 1.25") with your thumb into the palm of one hand, dump the contents of the capsule in the middle, and then carefully bring up the sides like you’re making dim sum. Pinch the top around the med to close completely and then roll it gently around in your palm.
This method also lets you use all the broken ones in the bottom; just squish as many as you need all together. If they’re a little dry add a tiny bit of water and they’ll mash together as if new.
If there’s too much med and you can’t close it, use two, or however many. I had one pill from a vet that was far too big to just shove down his throat to start with, and I had to quarter it into four to use the pill pockets, but they worked.
They can be a pain in the ass, but as long as no material escapes from the pill cover I make with them I’ve never had a cat refuse one. I have, however, had every cat I ever owned tell me to fuck ALL the way off with anything sprinkled on their food. It’s worth a try if you already have the meds.
Pilling a cat is a skill but one worth learning. I had two elderly cats who each needed pills and both hated it in their foods. I hold the kitty in my lap, pull back their head and poke a finger between their front teeth and release the pill down their throat. Then stroke the throat gently and release, and give them a high value treat right away. First time is rough but it gets better and becomes routine for everybody. If the cost ends up being a big difference it’s something to consider
They make a pill holder thing with a plunger that works extremely well. You don’t have to do the throat rubbing thing if you get it past the tongue bulge at the back of their mouth, they’ll reflexively swallow it.
I believe it’s called the Pill Popper
I’ve tried it, but personally I wasn’t able to handle it, the cat, and holding the cat’s mouth when trying to use the plunger. It was just way easier for me to hold the pill in the same hand holding their head and just drop em in.
Highly recommend signing up for the zoetis pet rewards if you go this route. Get some money back. Side note, thanks for reminding me to submit my invoice!