Does crushing cat's tablets and putting them in food have the same effect?

Question

As you probably know, trying to give cats tablets is notoriously hard, and after several attempts I was beginning to look like a self-harmer.

As such, I have since been crushing them and putting in their food. Do you know if this is as effective? The tablets were antibiotics, but now I need to give them worming tablets too and was wondering if it's okay to do it this way?

Answer 1

I don't see a problem. My Stimpy prefers liquid though. Also try [e-mail] . Hey its FREE.

Answer 2

With our cat it was like a war zone if we attempted to give her a tablet. Shredded curtains, smashed ornaments and lots of blood (all ours).
Crushing the tablet into food didn't work, she'd just detect it and refuse point blank. Or, if we buried the tablet in the food, she'd carefully eat all around it and leave it sitting there in the bowl.
The only way we found was to embed it in a small piece of cheese, a rare treat, and the whole thing would get wolfed down in one.
Good luck!
PS You may be able to get some treatments in liquid form that you can just drop onto the back of the neck. If you're quick enough!

Answer 3

This has never worked with my cats, they just walk away from the food whatever it is and panacur wormers was just as bad, I had one cat that would try to eat everyone elses and they just sat there and watched him.
The easiest thing is a little device like a syringe, you can buy it at the vet's for about £2. Then you get an old sweatshirt or something and put your cat up the sleeve so just his head is sticking out at the small end (this keeps the claws under control if you don't have an assistant) Open the mouth and pop the pill in at the back.
So easy I wish I'd had one years ago as I'd have less scars !!

http://www.falklandvets.co.uk/factsheets/givingPillsToCats.html

Answer 4

Crushing the tablet into food didn't work, she'd just detect it and refuse point blank. Or, if we buried the tablet in the food, she'd carefully eat all around it and leave it sitting there in the bowl.
The only way we found was to embed it in a small piece of cheese, a rare treat, and the whole thing would get wolfed down in one.

Answer 5

Crushing tablets can be a bit on the bad side even for humans. Some tablets are meant to disolve either fast or slow in the stomach, by crushing the tablet it will start its effect the minute it hits the tongue which may or may not make ur pet sick or may be fatal!, even to humans! asprin are ok to be crushed.

Go to ur local vet they sell tablet injector thing or watever u call them. Unlike dogs, cats have teeth like needles.

With our wee poodle we put used frying oil that has been flavoured by frying fish etc, I have a feelling that this will help, but use a spoon and scoop the oil onto its own bowl and dip the tablet in it 4 a few secs. I bet ur cat will swallow it b4 it realises it was a tablet!

Let me know how u get on. Jimmy

Ps, dont use ur cats spoon to scoop the oil from ur fryer, YUCK!!!

Answer 6

If it isn't something that is like a time-released caplet... crushing it up and putting it in food is certainly a good idea, as long as they eat all the food. Usually, if I give meds to them that way...I make sure the food is more gravy than food, and they will just lap that right up.

I've also crushed tablets, and put them into a childrens eye-dropper container with enough water to pick up the meds, so I could sit legs folded on the floor, and wedge the cat between my person and my legs, so they are essentially encompassed and can't move.

If you use your hand to hold their head, and stick your thumb and forefinger to the sides of their mouths, eventually they open enough that you can put the eyedropper toward the back of their mouths to squirt the meds in and then just hold their muzzle until they swallow.

It may sound cruel...but necessary to get their meds in so they can get better.

I know what you mean when they just become an octopus and you can't get them to keep any tablet in/down, they just spit them out, and claw you in the process.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Generally this is OK. There was a recent human health warning about this practice of crushing tablets as it increases the absorption rate into the body - which with certain drugs can be dangerous.

For animal medicines no problems but remember to ask your vet. We do it with our cats and dogs all the time for wormers and anti-bioyics.

We have also used a pair of tablet tongs which allow you put the tablets right at the back of the animals throats, we then hold the mouth shut and inject milk from a syringe so the animal has to swallow. With cats you might want to wrap them in a towel to incapacitate their front claws.

Answer 8

Hi

Yes, no worries, I've done the same with my dog and his medication....... until I discovered that if I covered them in cream cheese he just wolfed the lot down!!

A tip for worming tablets......... there are other products available that don't come in tablet form. Try those, much easier to ge the cats to take. I believe you can get them in granule form, that you sprinkle on food....... for my dog I now buy 'meaty treats' that taste great and don't look anything like a tablet, but do the same thing! Not sure, but there might be something similar for cats.... certainly worth looking into.

Good luck and don't worry.

Answer 9

Crushing the tablets and feeding them to your cats as you describe, is probably the only realistic way in which the tablets will ever be administered. There's just one thing however, but it may not relate to cats as such. I read an item recently about patients in hospital chewing/crushing their administered tablets before swallowing and doctors saying that doing this means that the tablet contents are not released slowly enough so that their effect is not as good. Like I say, this may not be applicable to cats.

Answer 10

The majority of tablets made for animals are just as effective when crushed in food, however some pills need to be taken whole. Worm pills are okay to crush but for any other kind you should ask your vet first.

My cat has to take pills every day because he gets crystals in his kidneys, I put them in a bit of fish or chicken paste and he thinks its his daily treat - I've never seen an animal refuse to take a pill hidden in fish paste!!

Answer 11

Yes, crushing up tablets will still work, amd will be digested and absorbed more easily into the bloodstream. Mix with small amount of food to make sure cat eats all of it.
Don't crush tablets if they are time-release though (check with vet).