A Kidney-Disease Cat’s Daily Battle with Medications

This is a personal record of my life with my cat, Mickey, who lives with a chronic illness.
The English version is translated with the help of AI tools, with care and love.
This post was originally published on May 18, 2025.

The Challenge of Giving Medicine

It has been about one month since we first rushed to the animal hospital.
Who knew giving medicine could be so difficult!?
Every day has felt like a test of patience and creativity between Mickey and me.

Here are the three types of medications prescribed for Mickey:

Lanthanum carbonate (a phosphate binder) — crushed into powder
Ipakitin (a phosphate-binding supplement) — powder form
RAPROS (an anti-inflammatory drug for kidneys) — tablet form

Mickey and medicine are not the best match.
He always sniffed his food before eating, but when medicine is involved — no chance!
I sighed every time, thinking, “Well, no wonder you don’t want to eat this…”

My Tried-and-True Strategies

💊 For Powdered Medicine — “Churu Strategy”

Mix the powdered medicine with liquid Churu paste on a small spoon.
First offer plain Churu on its own to switch Mickey’s hunger on.
Once his appetite is awakened, immediately present the Churu-plus-medicine and hope he eats it quickly.

Tip: Speed matters here! I use renal-friendly or senior formulas when possible.
If Mickey still refuses, I occasionally use tiny bits of other pastes as an “emergency trick.”

🐾 For Tablets — “MediBall Strategy”

Wrap the tablet tightly in a MediBall (a soft treat that can encase a pill).
Offer it by hand and hope he eats it whole.
If Mickey eats only the MediBall and spits out the tablet, rewrap and try again (sometimes adding a little Churu on top).
Last resort: Two-person teamwork to gently place the pill directly in his mouth.

Important: I really try to avoid #4 unless absolutely necessary — it can harm trust if used too often.

Never Easy, But Always Worth It

Truthfully, some days we finish in 10 minutes, and other days it takes more than an hour.
Those long days can drain 80% of my mental energy, yet still — for Mickey’s health, I keep going.