Most cats do not take their medication without fuss. Getting your cat to take a pill can be a very difficult process but one that you will need to go though to ensure it gets the proper medication. This is a guide about giving a cat a pill.
Can't get your pet to take their vitamins? This morning, I had a flash of genius. Take a small handful of a favorite treat and add the vitamin pill. It probably helps if you wipe the treat on the pill, but I didn't do it and it still worked. I set the treats in front of my cat, with the vitamin in the middle, and he just ate what was in front of him. with a dog you could just hand the whole thing to them, and that would probably work too. Some medicine might pass this way too. I'm going to see if I can get him to take some Dronset that way.
One other thing I found that works for most pets are Pill Pockets (brand name). For all but a few cats I have no problem getting them to take a Dronsit pill in a Pill Pocket. so if you're at your wits end, try these. I'm no longer "mean mommy" with the use of Pill Pockets and treats.
By nekocat from OR
Be sure cat's nails are trimmed. Put on a light jacket (not your best one). Set the cat on a stool or something higher. Love and pet the cat; talk gently.
Wrap your arm around the cat lengthwise, so he can't back away. With the same hand, grasp head gently with one hand. Pinch jaw with a finger on each side to force mouth open (requires very little pressure).
With your free hand, toss pill down throat as far as possible. Release jaw and stroke throat with fingers to encourage swallowing.
If cat starts looking anxiously left and right, he's probably looking for a place to spit it out. Put your hand in front of his mouth to discourage this and to catch pill if necessary.
If he licks his lips, he swallowed. Feed a meal or a treat. Even a really dumb cat will soon realize that when the pill is gone, the food arrives.
If this fails completely, wrap cat in a bath towel in a way that completely disables all four legs quickly (not as easy as it sounds). Open cat's mouth, insert pill, wait for swallowing, unwrap towel and feed. I had to resort to this with one cat. Within three days, all I had to do was show him the towel and he became very cooperative. LOL
By shoe from NW PA
Does anyone have any ideas on how to "pill" a difficult cat or get him to ingest Panacur powder (He has worms)? Our vet tried 6 times to "pill" the cat and was unsuccessful, so we tried the Panacur powder instead. He will not eat this either. We have tried mixing it with everything we know that he will eat, but 2 days later, that food is still there. I think he would rather starve.
Any ideas or suggestions would be great! Thanks and have a blessed day. Kelly
Kelly from Racine, WI
By jwrh626
03/27/2006
Can the medicine be mixed with water? If so, use a syringe with out a needle, like you can buy in the infant dept. and open the mouth, and slowly push the liquid into the side of the cats mouth. Slowly, so they won't choke. Good luck.
My kitty won't take her pills. There is no way I can run her down, wrap her in a towel and force a pill down her throat twice a day.
For those of you that have a hard time giving a pill to your cat, this works beautifully. Crush the pill into a powder then mix it with a dab of hairball medicine and smear it on the front paws. The cat will lick it off and you don't get all clawed up. Just make sure to spread it thin enough that it can't be flung off. My vet told me this.
The picture is of my furbabies. Bubba, who crossed the Rainbow Bridge, is the tabby, and the other one is my sweet girl, Kitten, also known as hunnybunny.
By pinkmellie59 from Austin, Tx
By MisMachado
Instead of taking the time to sit on my cat and shove his worm medicine down his throat time and time again, I did this.
Like ThriftyFun on Facebook
