We recently started a six-week sit with two elderly cats. It is the first time these cats have been on TH, and we’re running into unexpected challenges. The problem cat gets a topical medication in her ear twice a day. We watched her people administer it, and my partner administered it once while her people were holding her. She was quiet and tolerant both times. Administering it ourselves after they left, however, has turned out to be a different story.
This cat is reportedly friendly and greeted us when we first arrived. She seemed to become more suspicious when we moved into her people’s bedroom. But the real breaking point was the first evening, when we picked her up to administer the ear cream. She writhed and became aggressive. We tried to push through it because we didn’t want to neglect her medicine, but we eventually had to give up.
She now hisses every time she sees us, won’t eat with us nearby, and spends most of time hiding under the bed. The owners have been super understanding and tried to work with us, but they’ve never seen this behavior from her before. With vet approval, we have neglected her medication for a few days to try to win her back. (Of course, now I wish we had neglected the medication and won her trust FIRST, but hindsight is 20/20.) But it’s now day 4 and we are not seeing an improvement. We have mostly given her space to try to help her feel safe, occasionally offering treats when we see her, but she just hisses and swats. We also had a family friend the cat knows come over to try to tempt her out, and she got a similar response.
The options we see are:
- Keep being patient and trying to win her over, even though she is not getting her medication in the meantime
- Wrap her in a towel to administer the medication. I think this would work, but it would probably require chasing her out from the bed with a broom, which is obviously not great. Twice a day for six weeks would be stressful for all, and she’s going to get wise fast. Can’t go back to the first option once we resort to this.
- Switch her to a pill medication and attempt to hide it in her food, but the vet says it tastes bad and most cats have to be force-fed the pill, which leads us back to the above two options.
For what it’s worth, the second shyer cat is warming up to us. Unfortunately, we poisoned the well with the first one trying to fulfill our responsibilities.
Anyone have a secret weapon for winning cat trust?
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I am assuming, based on the description, that this is thyroid medication, as that is what is typically given in kitty ears.
If this is the case, please ask the vet if
a) you can get a coated version of the thyroid pill (the noncoated version is disgusting) and
b) can you give it to the cat in a small ball of cream cheese?
Chasing her out from the bed with a broom will make an already bad problem worse. The cream cheese option has saved my sanity with many a cat; the trick is to ensure the pill is fully rolled into the little ball of cream cheese and that you don’t get the taste of the pill on the outside of the ball.
If the options above are not possible, consider asking if it is possible to get a compounded version of the medication that tastes like fish. It is amazing to me that the cream cheese option, and the fish option, are hardly ever mentioned by vets - because they are so used to pilling or otherwise treating cats that they forget that normal humans are not skilled at this. If the compounded version is possible it might be doable to give it to the cat in its food.
As a final option, it might be worth asking the vet if the cat can be given gabapentin in its food. This takes an hour or two to kick in, but when it does kick in, you should be able to handle the cat long enough to apply the medication. (She will still hiss at you, but you will be able to pick her up) And definitely ask if its possible to change the medication regimen to once a day until the owners come home.
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I realize I left out a few key details.
If the cream cheese thing is an option, a good idea is that the first few times you give the kitty a small ball of cream cheese (and I mean REALLY small, like just over the size of a pencil eraser), that it be - just the cheese. After a few times of getting the yummy treat, then do the version with the coated pill inside.
If it is thyroid meds, then the fact that the kitty has not had it for four days, in and of itself will mean the kitty is going nuts, regardless of what you are doing. She has thyroid hormones coursing through her veins making her feel completely stressed out and threatened. Ironically getting the meds is what she needs to calm down! If gabapentin is an option - many kitties will take it just by having the powder mixed in with their wet food - that should help a lot and could be a solution for a few weeks while she gets used to you (with vet approval, of course - every cat is different). And by that I mean, a solution to get her to calm down enough that you can get the ear medicine on to her ears, which will in turn calm down her thyroid (if it is not thyroid med, ignore all of this!)
Please let us know how you guys are getting along. A final piece of advice is to meditate! Really. It seems from your profile that you have lots of dog experience. Cats are like little aliens that pick up on our own nervous systems. If you and your partner are stressed about trying to get the medication into her, she will totally pick up on that. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed she’ll be. Wishing both you and the kitty well!
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I agree with all the suggestions made by KittySitter (I have over 20 years’ experience as a cat-sitter, and have had 6 cats of my own). Just have a few suggestions to add.
Once the kitty will eat the tiny ball of cream cheese, and you’re ready to add the pill, I suggest making 3 small balls, 2 fake and one with the pill, and line them up for kitty. Strange as it sounds, it’s made a difference a few times with cats I’m taking care of.
Another thing I’ve done is purchase empty gel caps, very small ones, and put the pill inside. But ask the vet first if it is ok for kitty to chew on the gel cap, since you’ll be putting it in either her food or the cream cheese . I’ve only used them when I’ve actually pilled the cat by popping the pill into a cat’s mouth, but that isn’t possible in this case.
If you are able to start medicating the cat, I’d suggest closing the doors to any room with a bed in it, to prevent her from hiding under it. I once had to have help taking a bed apart in order to administer subcutaneous fluids to a cat who had hidden under a bed.
If you go the compounded medicine route, be sure fish is the cat’s favorite flavor. Butter was a favorite with my cats who needed a compounded medicine.
I would feel terrible if I were experiencing this, so can only imagine how you must be feeling. I hope one of the suggestions you’ve been given helps improve the situation.
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As a cat person, I agree with @KittySitter.
You can’t fight a cat. The broom thing is a terrible idea. Mostly you need to leave the cat alone and if the other cat allows you to love on it, hope the one who hates you will get jeolous and come around.
Work with the pet parents and the vet to get the meds and find another way to give the meds. The meds can be compounded in many different ways. Besides cream cheese, I’ve found that Greenies pill pockets work pretty well but sometimes you have to try a variety of flavors. At this point our guy that needs meds will ONLY take them in the salmon flavor.
Another thing I’ve discovered recently about the transdermal meds – they are a lot easier to give using a finger cot rather than gloves. Gloves look medicinal and remind cats of the vet’s office – aka the torture chamber that smell like death. The finger in the finger cot can be hidden and it just seems like scrtiches as usual. I also won’t give transdermal meds at meal times as I dont want a cat to get freaked by something and associate it with food.
Another thing that might work and you can check with the vet about this is calming spray – Feliway. But if that won’t do it, talk to the vet about gabepentin. Yup, it’s also a pill that you’d need to put into a pill pocket but it’s great for stress to chill out the cat. This might be help a lot. It’s entirely possible the pet parents even have some around as it’s often used before vet visits.
Another way to bribe the cat into liking you is find out from the owners if there is some special food or treat the cat doesn’t usually get, but really likes and if there’s not ask them if it would be okay to make a little homemade plain roasted chicken – just cut up the skin and meat and make sure there are no bones. The cat may become very friendly after that.
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It made me laugh with happy memories to hear your experience about lining up the three small balls of cream cheese, as that often worked for me too! I felt like one of those carnival tricksters who would put money under one of those cups. 
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Great advice @Marion; I love the tip about the gloves and had never thought of that.
@Emily17 , since you seem new to cats it is critical that you know that you should never give those commercial rotisserie chickens (or other store-bought chickens) to cats. They are typically marinated in sodium phopshate, which is toxic to cats’ kidneys. It would be a disaster with an older cat.
Marion’s idea of homemade is perfect - JUST chicken. Garlic and onions are also toxic to cats and plus they don’t like them!
The same is true for canned tuna, by the way. 95% of canned or packet tunas contain additional ingredients that are bad for cats. It is possible to find tuna that is TRULY in water - JUST water, but it is challenging. Read the labels. Many of those that say “tuna in water”, when you read the label, say “vegetable broth” and who the heck knows what is in that.
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To be clear to all, I fully agree chasing her out from the bed is a terrible plan! I mentioned it to emphasize how much we need better ideas. Sorry this was not clear.
I have less cat experience than dog experience on TH, but I am not new to cats. 
Still, I appreciate everyone’s advice!
This morning, the cat consented to be in the same room as us without hissing. Still very cautious body language, but maybe we’re making some very slow progress.
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You have received some fantastic suggestions here. My input is based on 20 years as a cat owner, 140+ foster cats, and pet-sitting. I’m in the US, so food suggestions might be different if you are in another country.
My old cat hated transdermal meds and it was easier to pill her. I used the gel caps method that @Brindle mentioned.
Since the cat is now scared of you, maybe the owner could arrange for a pet-sitter to come by for a couple of days to give the meds. An experienced pet-sitter might find it easier, plus the cat won’t have negative associations with that person (at least, not the first time!). You can watch what the sitter does, and work on gaining back the cat’s trust without having to medicate her.
In my experience, the best food to use as a treat for cats is Gerber’s baby food in jars, (#2), Churu, or plain boiled chicken. My current fosters went mad for the chicken when they were off their food (but only as a supplement. It doesn’t have the nutrients cats need). Also sardines are very enticing and it is what I use to trap cats. Again, just a tiny amount.
You have my sympathy. I recently sat for an elderly cat who behaved very differently with me than with her owners. I needed to give her an inhaler. At first it went OK, but after a few days the cat was swatting and hissing at me. I have lots of experience with fearful cats but none of my usual strategies worked. Luckily it was a very short sit and she could manage without the inhaler for a couple of days.
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Exactly, three-card Monte! Or sometimes called Find the Lady when using a deck of cards.
More great suggestions have come in. Feliway is a great one; you could spray your hands. There’s not enough time for the dispenser variety to work. Also available as wipes.
Or maybe the kitty likes catnip?
Wishing you well!
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Churu is one of the things we’ve tried without success, but I’ll give it another go this weekend and/or ask the owners about some of these other treat suggestions. They don’t seem to be highly food motivated cats, unfortunately!
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@Emily17 I give my senior cat topical thyroid medication. Are trying to apply a pen applicator that you twist to get the measuresd dose then apply the pen (it has a little sponge at the tip) direct into the the ear?
Maybe applying the dosage direct on to a finger cot (little diposable plastic covers) and then applying gently to the inside of the ear with your finger once you have gained a bit of trust.
My cat hears the applicator turning and is then on high alert, so I go into a bathroom and flush the toilet so he doesn’t hear it. I give treats just before and immediately following application. Good luck.
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Funny, I’ve been giving my cat transdermal appetite stimulant lately. That’s how I figured out it was better to use finger cots which I had leftover from another short-term med a while back. I too realized he could hear me open the tube and knew exactly what was happening. I do this in the kitchen and now run water too! They are so smart when it suits them!
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My cats are indifferent to churus. I now have several different kinds of pill putties but honestly for whatever reason the Geenies Pill pockets seem like the most pallatable. One of my guys goes crazy and wants them as treats. Save time and get an assortment of flavors in case one doesn’t work.
This cat doesn’t mind the medication at all. I watched her receive it placidly twice. It’s strangers getting in her personal space that she’s sensitive to.
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The owners suggested bacon as the forbidden treat this cat loves but doesn’t often get. Thanks to the tips here I made sure to get the fancy uncured kind with no phosphates or nitrates added. We’re only giving her little pieces at a time, but she likes it! It’s not an instant cure, but it’s finally a treat she’s willing to approach for. And now that I have a reward she’s interested in I know how to proceed with building positive associations. Thank goodness! Thanks everyone!
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Oh I am so happy! Thank you for letting us know. 
Update: along with bacon, we’ve been using smoked salmon as a high value treat, and we’ve had success giving kitty pills hidden in that! We also started using a pheromone diffuser (not Feliway but I think it’s the same idea; it’s called TopSum).
The cat showed no change of heart for almost two weeks, and then–out of nowhere–approached us while we were sitting on the couch to request ear scritches. We were shocked and delighted, and still have no idea what exactly made the difference. Maybe everything together! She’s still a bit antsy, and petting must be on HER terms, but the change of attitude has been hugely encouraging.
Thanks again everyone for your advice, just wanted you all to know that kitty is getting her medicine and even a cuddle once in a while.
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