I've had a number of geriatric cats (18 to 20) who required multiple medications daily for years. I've used various strategies depending on the medication and the quirks of the particular cat. You might try to get your vet to work with a compounding pharmacy. A quick web search shows that there are some in the northeast. If you don't find one you like, I use Medipets in Mounds View, MN. Many meds can be concealed in gel treats that are flavored with fish or poultry. Some drugs are easy to conceal (e.g., methimazole for hyperthyroidism and potassium supplements). Some are nasty no matter what the flavoring is (e.g., famotidine for acid stomach that goes with declining renal function). Compounded treats are expensive, but if kitty likes them meds are perceived as treats. I've tried compounded liquids and transdermal gels. I didn't like the lack of precision of either. The cats also hated them. One cat preferred injections to any med given by mouth. Some meds can be hidden in tuna water or plain beef baby food. Both are regarded as treats. If the insulin shots have to be permanent, you might want to try Terumo syringes. They seem sharper and finer than regular ones from you favorite national drugstore chain. I also use their needles for subcutaneous fluids for our renal kitty.

Just keep doing what you've been doing. Try to get the cats together but distracted from each other as often as possible by feeding them as close to each other as the younger one will tolerate, playing with them together with wand toys or a laser pointer, and/or sprinkling catnip leaves around the floor so that they can roll around on the leaves near each other. Leave cardboard boxes and paper bags around the floor close to each other that the cats can get into and "hide". Do the same with cushy bedding materials. Get imaginative in finding ways to get them hanging out in the same space without focusing on each other. In time, that will translate into the youngster associating her mom's presence with fun/comfy/good things again. It's also extremely important that the human members of your household NOT overreact to the youngster's behavior, because your cats will definitely pick up on and respond to human stress. Ignore the youngster's temper tantrums. Keep the household atmosphere relaxed and happy in spite of her hissy fits. If you all put a calm and comfy vibe out there into your household environment, that will help relax the youngster, as well. Take a breath. Chant a mantra. Give it time. All will be well. Laurie

The wound has been getting worse instead of better. On Saturday, I noticed that it smelled bad, and I called the vet. They told me to come in on Monday (today). As I'd feared, the infection is bad. The vet thought it smelled "almost like gangrene." The focus now is on saving his leg, although I donÂt think IÂd consider amputation to be an option at his age (15). We went through that with a dog years ago. It was quite an ordeal for her, but she was a lot younger. And we had a lot more money then. The vet gave him fluids under his skin and a DMSO treatment. She gave him two shots of antibiotics (two kinds), plus a steroid. I have to soak his leg with warm water and Epsom salts, for 15 minutes, four times a day. Then I have to squirt DMSO on the wound. I have to keep the bathroom floor mopped, and change his bed every day. And give him a liquid antibiotic twice a day. So far I did one of the soaks. Mickey tried to lunge out of the sink a few times, but mostly he didn't fight. I was hoping he could just stand in the water, but he had to sit. I had to bend over, and it was harder on my back that I'd anticipated. Afterward, his towel and my apron went right into the washing machine. All I can say is IÂm glad IÂm off work all week, and IÂm glad I hadn't planned to prepare and serve a Thanksgiving dinner. Let's hope and pray this works. Since you said the wound was healing at the time you discovered it, why is a collar now needed? Good question. The wound looked much better when I first brought him in a week ago. Today the vet took his collar off and said maybe he can get some of the infection out by licking. Then she changed her mind and said cats' mouths are filthy and their tongues like sandpaper, so they can do a lot of damage. So she put the collar back on. I pointed out that he must have been licking it before I discovered it, and it looked not bad a week ago, but she said it looked much bigger than it should have because of licking. What are you opinions on licking?

I don't have any recipes for you either but I'll check around. A lot depends on the cat. My sister's one cat loved popcorn peas & potatoes! Cheap treats there. Even the stale popcorn was fine. Many times it's an issue of coming out of a "special" container or being hand fed to them. Many dogs will turn up their nose to their dog food, but pick some up of the food (without them seeing it of course) and hand feed it or toss it to them and that's a "treat". A lot of animals are fond of vegetables. They eat grass! My sister's other cat thought it was a treat whenever my sister would spill some of the cat food on the floor while she was filling the dishes. If she heard the rattle on the floor, she'd come flying in from another room and scarf them up before my sister could pick them up. An old neighbor had a Schnauzer (sp?) and a Persian. The cat thought it was a treat to get some dog food and the dog thought it was a treat to get some cat food! The other day I was at PetSmart and went to see what kind of critters then had up for adoption. One was loose while the cage was being cleaned. He was having the time of his life going from cage to cage reaching through and grabbing the food from the other cages. At first I thought "the poor thing is hungry" until I saw the size of the dish of food in each of the cages! The grass is always greener... Treats don't have to be expensive. Course us humans aren't much better are we? I've seen people think Blue Box Mac & Cheese is a delicacy as long as they don't have to prepare it!