Straight Shooter

/ justdrivewillyou

So, I’ve learned a new skill lately.

Giving a cat a shot.

Our girl Lizzy had been losing weight at an alarming rate these last few months, so we got her in to see her vet. That’s a chore right there, because Lizzy is, shall we say, not the best patient when she goes in for a visit. She gets kinda growly and hissy. So, before we take her in, we have to give her a pill to mellow her out.

Problem is, she ain’t too good with pill-taking, either. It’s a two-person job; my wife holds her while I try to shove a pill down her throat. (Lizzy’s, not my wife’s.)

Anyway, after several blood tests, a sonogram and an endoscopy (Expensive!), Lizzy was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and was prescribed shots of B-12 weekly and steroids daily.

Now, neither my wife nor I had ever given anyone a shot before, so we got a quick lesson on administering injections, after the vet explained that many cats who have trouble with pills and liquids seem to do better with injections.

So my wife said, only later realizing her pun, ”Well, I guess we can give it a shot!”

It took a few tries for me to get the hang of it. I was nervous, at first, unsure of how Lizzy would react; I didn’t want to hurt her. By now, though, I feel like I’m pretty good at it. Once in awhile, she’ll wince or voice a mild protest, but usually, she acts like I didn’t do anything. And then, I can just go back to petting her to her heart’s content. (And mine.)

And yes, it’s way easier than pills or liquids.

And it seems to be working! The vet told us at Lizzy’s checkup yesterday that she’d gained two pounds. (Lizzy, not the vet.) This was great news. So the vet told us we were going to start decreasing the steroid dosage, and see how that goes.

We don’t like giving our girls medicine but, you know, we love ’em, so what’re ya gonna do, right? They may be 13, but they’re still our babies!

Get well soon, sweet girl.

14 thoughts on “Straight Shooter”

  3. I’ve had to give cats shots. They seem more tolerant of shots than pills. Maybe it’s because the shot gives them relief more quickly than pills. Maybe it’s just that it’s less intrusive (and demeaning from the cat’s perspective) than having a pill forced down their throats.

    I hope Lizzy is feeling better. ❤

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