Give a cat a tablet!!?

Question

Any ideas on how to give my cat his antibiotics... we are all scarred where he has scratched us..he will not eat it in his food, he spots it!! We cuddle him in a towel so he cant scratch us but he spits it out. I cant shove it in his mouth far enough.. problem is he has not had these tablets and he needs them!!

Answer 1

http://www.falklandvets.co.uk/factsheets/givingPillsToCats.html go here they explain it very well. you should be able to buy the pill popper from your vet. if holding him doesn't work, wrap him in a towel firmly holding it. best to have two people if he is being a pain

Do however have a look around afterwards as cats are sneaking creatures, they can look like they have swallowed it - it isn't in the mouth anywhere or under the tongue but you still find the tablet on his bed or somewhere some time after.

Answer 2

As everyone's said, the classic technique is wrapping the cat in a towel, putting it into its mouth, holding the jaw, then stroking its throat. However, I've had cats who are far too cunning for this. They would either spit the tablet across the floor, play dead (very scary) or somehow fake swallowing it -- we'd find the tablet on the floor hours later!

So another technique that worked was covering the tablet in marmite(!). Strangely enough some cats absolutely love marmite. Because the marmite is so strong it takes away the smell and taste of the pill so our cat would actually want to eat it. We'd just roll the pill on the floor and the cat would pounce on it and eat it.

If your cat doesn't like marmite you could try some other strong paste/food they like.

Answer 3

First, if the cat has front claws, trim them to avoid bad scratches when pilling him. Many pet stores carry pill poppers or pilling wands or "guns" or they may simply call them pillers. They are sticks with a plunger and a place on the other end to place the pill. You place the pill in one end, stick it in the cat's mouth as far back as you can get it, then push the plunger to release the pill. This way you don't have your fingers in the the cat's mouth. Try less restraint first, then proceed to more restraint if needed. Some cats will freak out with a lot of restraint. If more restraint is needed, get a big towel and make a cat burrito - enclosing the front legs, back end, then rolling him up in it. Place him in the cat burrito on his stomach on a table or other hard surface with his butt in the towel in the crook of your arm or arm pit. Use the arm that his butt is against to pull the top of his mouth open and the other hand to pill by itself or with the piller. Close the mouth immediately after pilling and hold closed while blowing on his face while massaging downward on his neck.

The other option will depend on the type of medication and you would have to consult your veterinarian if this would be an option, but sometimes your can dilute the medication in water and use a syringe to syringe it in the mouth.

Answer 4

unfortunately, because the cat needs the tablets and you have tried nicer techniques, you may have to force feed the cat his meds. a typically successful way of doing this is to wrap the cat up in the towel to try to avoid more scratches. It may take two people to do this btw. Anyway, if you stick your finger in the cat's mouth on either side way back, the cat will open its mouth. this is when you can stick the pill in the cat's mouth. once you get it in, try massaging the cat's throat to get it down.

another idea would be to disolve the tablet in water inside a syringe and once again open the cat's mouth with the finger in the side of mouth (or you could use the syringe in the side of mouth in this case if you wanted), and slowly release the disolved medicine into the cat's mouth.

cat's are stubborn and they sure make things hard sometimes, so good luck!

Answer 5

Two methods to try.( I get the job of tableting everyones cat)
first if your cat likes dairylea cheese you can hide it in a bit of that & they often swallow it before they realise.
If that doesn't work kneel on the floor with the cat between your legs and facing away from you.then with one hand put you thumb & forefinger either side of its mouth & push open as you also have a grip this way you have your other hand free to throw the tablet to the back of the mouth. Then hold the cats mouth closed & stroke & massage the throat area til the cat swallows. Sounds complicated buts its not & it always works

Answer 6

I had this problem with my cats.
But i have got it down to a fine art now, and quite often the cat just lies there waiting for me.

Wrap it up in a towel
Force the mouth open
Throw the tablet in as far as possible to the back of the throat.
Clamp mouth shut
Rub the neck of the cat
Blow towards it's nose

Very soon, you should feel the gulp as it goes down.

Answer 7

This method worked well with our cat who couldn't be tricked with treats. One of you holds him (with towel, gloves, and courage) and also has a syringe full with water put at the side of the cat's mouth. As you introduce the water in the mouth, the cat will start swallowing and opening his mouth. The other person needs to throw the pill in the cat's mouth just as the cat is about to swallow. The cat will take it down in one go. Worked great for us after trying every imaginable trick. Don't forget to reassure and cuddle your cat before letting him go.

Answer 8

Yuo can get a plastic device - looks bit like a syringe - from the vet for giving cats pills.

My technique is to wait until the cat is asleep, stroke it and it will semi wake up. Open its mouth and put the pill as far back as possible and close its mouth.

stroke its neck and hold its mouth closed.

if the cat spits out the ill put it back in the cat's mouth and repeat the stroking and talk gently to the cat.

Once the cat realiases the pill is going to be put back in its mouth every time it spits it out it will start to swallow the pills.

stick with it.

Answer 9

you have the right idea to put him in a towel but keep him in there even after you put it in his mouth if he doesnt swallow it, it will dissolve and thus he swallows it. No matter how much he struggles or how strong he is you got to let him know you are boss....we have to do this 2 a month with a very strong 15 pound cat to trim her nails....it sucks and sometimes you get scratched but just know you are doing it for the kitty...ps I just read the above answers and dissolving it in water and giving it through a syringe is not a good idea whatsoever...the vet told me when my cat was not drinking water that if you do that they will not swallow if they dont want to and it will go to their lungs!! dont do it.

Answer 10

Unfortunately my cat is too clever to swallow a pill wrapped in food etc. She is quite distrustful and senses a trap very quickly. I had a chance to see a documentary on TV how to do it. So they advice to
cover the cat with your body from the back - this way she or he can't move and the person who helps you can keep the jaws and put the pill inside the cat's mouth.