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Safely Handling Your Cat’s Medicine

If your cat is taking medications, or even just on a preventative schedule for fleas, ticks, and other pests, you need to make sure your cat and everyone else in the household stays safe. Follow these tips from a Smyrna veterinarian.

Proper Storage

First things first—make sure you’re storing your cat’s medications properly. Always keep them out of reach of your cat, other pets in the house, and children. It’s best to put them in sealed cabinets or closets where no one can reach them except you. Also be sure to clearly separate your cat’s medicine from human medicines, as an accidental switch could prove disastrous.

Administer Correctly

Before you leave your vet’s office with your cat’s medicine, make sure you’re aware of the proper administration procedure. Not all pill medications can be crushed up to sprinkle over food; it might need to stay in pill form to work, or worse, crushing could release too much medicine at once, resulting in a dangerous overdose. Administer your cat’s medicine the way the directions and your veterinary professional tell you to.

Prescription Directions

Don’t forget to read the directions about the proper dosage amounts. If they tell you to measure out the amount with a syringe, do it. Don’t use a kitchen teaspoon or cookware measuring spoons—the amounts could be off. Also be sure to finish off the entire prescription, even if your cat seems fine, unless your vet directs you to do otherwise.

Mark dosage days on your calendar so you don’t miss one. Missing a dose could prove harmful to a pet. Never double up on a dose if you’ve missed one—instead, call your Smyrna veterinarian to ask what to do next.

Monitor Your Cat

The entire time your cat is on her medication regimen, keep a close eye on her physical behavior. As soon as any side effects present themselves, you need to inform your veterinarian. Also ask your vet about possible mild symptoms that may come along with the medication, so you’re not worrying over a false alarm.

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