Best Way To Administer Meds (pill) to a Cat?

Question

The vet prescribe a tablets (for uniane infection) to my cat this past Friday. She is to take it one daily. I tried to give it to her by picking up her by the neck...but she refuses to open her mouth. I try to push the tablet between her teeth which it did go through but she refuses to swallow it. Crush the tablet and mix it with a treat with her dry food..no results..i believe she knows something different. I don't give her any soft foods at all. Strictly on dried foods...Now what?

Answer 1

Hi Karen...here are two instructional videos presented by Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine on how to administer either liquid or pill medications to cats:
Liquid: http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/liquid_medications/full_movie.shtml
Pill: http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/pill_or_capsule/full_movie.shtml

Answer 2

I too have a hard time giving cats pills. Ask your Vet if there is a liquid equivalent to the pills and if so using a eye dropper is the best way to give cats medication. If there is no liquid, try crushing the pill and adding it to a small amount of canned cat food ( try a fish one like tuna or salmon). If that fails, try dissolving the pill in water and using a dropper to administer the medicine ( ask the Vet if this is Ok first). What I do is take the medicine, open my cat's mouth and squirt the medicine in as far back as possible and hold the cat's mouth shut ( don't forget to wrap the cat up in a towel so the front paws aren't loose ...don't want you getting scratched up). Good luck...you'll need it (smile).

If all else fails you just might have to take the cat in daily to get medicated or ask a friend who's had better luck than us in administering pills to cats.

Answer 3

My new kitten (not declawed yet) has to take an antibiotic pill once a day, and since she still has all of her claws, I wrap her up into a towel so that she cannot fight. I wrap her up so that only her head is sticking out of the towel. I hold the towel closed with one hand and with the other I force (gently of course, but enough to get the pill in there) the pill down her throat. She gags, and then she hates me for a while afterwards, but usually she seems to forget about it soon because within about a 10 minute period, she'll be jumping onto the couch next to me, wanting to be petted. Try this method, it is useful even if your cat has been declawed. You know you are successful with getting the pill down your cat's throat when you let go and you don't see the pill come back.

Answer 4

I have been through this a lot. The best thing to do is to put the cat on a counter. This keeps him at an easy height to work with. The secret is to get the cats legs out from underneath him. use your right forearm to apply gentle pressure so he can't get up. Your right forefinger and thumb can be used to hold his mouth open, and you will use the left hand to throw the pill in. The secret now is to blow on his face. It will freak him out a bit and make him swallow. If you don't, he'll just spit the pill out and you'll have to start over. DO NOT crush or cut the pill, many of them are formulated to release their medication at a specific rate, and you may make your cat sick. Also, in my experience, cats aren't like dogs: if you put the pill in food, they'll eat the food and leave the pill. Good luck!

Answer 5

While lesley does have a humorous answer, I found the best way to give our cat pills without becoming sushi in the process is to grab him by the scruff of the neck. While this doesn't "paralyse" him, it does make it easier to control. Now, take a bath towel and wrap it around him snugly (not TOO tight) so that he can't get his claws into action (a second person helps here).

After he's wrapped in the towel, lay him face up in your lap. Open his mouth by pressing on the sides by his back teeth using your thumb and forefinger.

Keeping his mouth open, place the pill on his tongue and push it toward the back. remove your finger and release his mouth.

Watch for swallowing motions. Let him down onto the floor and let HIM get out of the towel. Again, this keeps you from becoming sushi. Let him run and sulk for a while.

Good luck!

Answer 6

This might sound kinda cruel but this is what the vet told me to do.

First grab the cat by the scruff of the neck, then roll your hand backwards, this will bring the cats head up and back opening the cats mouth in the process, place the pill on the tip of your finger and push the pill to the back of the throat on the back of the tongue, remove your finger and release the scruff. With the pill on the back of the tongue the cat will have no choice but to swallow, but if you don't get it far enough back it will spit it back out.

Good Luck

Answer 7

If you grab them by the neck, they can't open their mouth as the scruff makes them freeze up. So you were going against nature there.

Sit on the floor on your feet having the cat between your legs facing out (back of cat facing your front). Bend the cats neck back (not far) and grab both sides of the cats mouth at the jaw (back V where lips come together). This will make the cat open its mouth and try to fight you off some by moving its head and tongue. This is when you drop the pill in then let go. If you got it far enough back on the tongue the cat will swallow it. Otherwise try again.

Answer 8

I've never successfully pilled a cat. Ask your doctor if you can have liquid instead. It's far easier to give a cat liquid meds than pills.

To give a cat liquid meds. Draw up the dosage in an eyedropper. Grab cat by scruff of neck and hold eyedropper near mouth. Gently press tip of dropper to make mouth open, shoot meds in, let cat go.

Answer 9

I do not think that you should crush it because some medications have layers that disperse at different times and if all of them are let go at the same time then that will not be good. Once I helped feed my neighbors dog medicine by hiding the whole pill inside of a piece of steak. If you hide it in tuna or some other thing that cats love but rarely get than she will most likely eat it.

Answer 10

You could try Pill Pockets for cats. There are 2 flavors, chicken & salmon. Some cats love them & some don't. There are special pill injectors you can get that you put in their mouth & it shoots the pill in. Ask your vet if they have one. I wouldn't pick her up by the neck. She should be relaxed when you give the pill. Good luck.