I have a neighbor for whom I have pet-sitted for her in the past for long weekends. She has a pretty 15-yr-old Simaese kitty. She asked me last week if I’d feed kitty while she is in Mexico for two weeks. I said of course. So, the day before she left, I went to her hosue so she could show me where she keeps everything.
After showing me where she keeps the litter, etc, she then told me "Oh, and yoyu have to give her medication every day" :eek: . It's a transdermal med that goes in her ear. I used to give the same thing to one of my elderly kitties. However, her kitty does NOT like me. Even a little. So, I am having a LOT of trouble medicating her. Neighbor did tell me that "it's OK if she misses a couple of doses".
I have tried going into her house and watching TV or reading for awhile, instead of approaching the kitty right away. That worked twice. Tonight, I waited until she got where I could at least get to her (under the dresser), and she bit the crap out of me, but I still got the meds into her. Since she's so old, I'm a little worried about stressing her out.
Neighbor isn't coming back 'til Sunday. I'm really afraid that I won't be able to get the meds in Kittly the rest of the time she's gone. I don't want to call her- she can't do anything from Mexico. Should I call the vet? Any other suggestions on how to get an old crotchety cat to cooperate?
I would call the vet and ask- maybe the medicine comes in another form that you can give her for the week. Or possibly you can run the cat over once or twice and the vet can medicate her.
Do call the vet and find out their opinion on missing doses v.s. stressing kitty. If you are not having trouble catching her, the big towel technique is usually effective. My experience with giving meds to cats who don’t like people is to forget about trying to calm them before or after by petting or brushing or sweet talk, but to do it quick and then give a special food treat as an apology.
Getting someone to help you is not a bad idea either, even if you wind up having to pay for it. A professional pet sitter or a vet tech would probably be willing to help you and a little calling around would should get you in touch with someone sympathetic to your plight and willing to do it for a good price, especially if they live close by. If you have to pay for some help, do call and tell your friend in Mexico so she won’t be surprised when you ask her to repay you. I am willing to bet this would be cheaper than a vet bill if the cat gets sick.
katie1341, some contrarian advice - you’ve already been told, by the person who hired you, that missing some doses was acceptable to her. Presumably she already knows that the animal isn’t your bosom friend.
I’d let it slide, and just let her know about it when she got back. If you’ve bled for my pet, that’s usually all I’d ever ask of a pet sitter. It’s usually where I’d draw the line when I am pet sitting - so long as I can still feed, water and exercise the pets involved without bleeding.
Not saying that the advice given by the other people in this thread isn’t likely to be helpful, just that I wouldn’t go that far, myself, since the pet’s owner seems to have given you the bye, already.
I got my husband to go with me last night, and did the kitty-burrito-in-a-towel thing, and was able to get her medicated. I stopped by tonight on my way home, and she was asleep on the bed and I was able to get her again. She seems fine, and I have to say that no one makes mad ktty noises like a siamese cat! Thanks for all of the suggestions- I’ve had cats all my life, but have never had trouble giving them meds. It sure is different with someone else’s pets!
You are so right. I was a pet sitter for several years and I recall a few visits needing two people, a beach towel, gloves, a leather jacket and a pet piller so I didn’t get my fingers bit off. And the owners would tell you all they needed to do with kitty was put her on their laps, easy-peasy. NOT.
