The Struggle with Oral Medications
If you’ve ever tried giving a pill to a cat, you know it’s like trying to wrestle a tiny, furry alligator. Cats have a special talent for detecting hidden pills, spitting them out, or simply vanishing at the mere sight of a medication bottle. It’s frustrating and stressful. But what if there was a way to get them the medication they need without the struggle? That’s where transdermal medications come in.
How Transdermal Medications Work
Instead of forcing a pill down your cat’s throat, you can simply rub the medication onto their ears. The inner pinna of the cats’ ear is ideally suited to transdermal medications as it is hairless and highly vascular for absorption into the bloodstream. In addition, the inner surface of the pinna cannot be directly licked during grooming making oral ingestion of the full dose unlikely. No fuss, no stress—just an easy, effective way for owners to keep your feline friend healthy.
Mirtazapine: A Boost for Appetite
One medication that works well as a transdermal treatment is mirtazapine. It’s commonly prescribed to cats struggling with appetite loss, nausea, or weight loss, especially older cats with chronic kidney disease. Mirtazapine administered to the inner ear pinna for several weeks has demonstrated improved appetite and weight gain in cats with chronic kidney disease. Transdermal mirtazapine as a commercial product is also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manage undesired weight loss in cats.
Why Choose Compounded Medications?
So why isn’t transdermal medication used more often? Well, commercially available options are still limited. That’s where veterinary compounding pharmacies step in. We specialize in making tough-to-administer medications easy. Need mirtazapine in a gentle transdermal ointment for your picky eater? We can make it.
Compounding is completely customizable. We adjust dosages, combine medications when appropriate, and create formulations tailored to your cat’s unique needs. Every cat is different, and their medications should be too. Whether you have a stubborn senior cat, a finicky kitten, or a cat that just refuses traditional meds, we’re here to help.
Conclusion
At Twenty Script Compounding Pharmacy, we believe giving medication shouldn’t be a daily battle. Our goal is to make it as easy and stress-free as possible, so your cat gets the care they need without the struggle. If transdermal medications sound like the solution you’ve been looking for, talk to your veterinarian and reach out to us—we’re here to make feline healthcare simple, effective, and cat-friendly.