How to give a cat medicine

This isn't just your average "I don't want to take it!" kinda cat. Maui was a show cat and was probably manhandled at some point in his life. Since we got him at age 3 (he's 12 now) there has been no vet (and he's seen several over the years) that has even been able to look inside his mouth during any exam (unless he's sedated). He's terribly congested and until we can take him to the vet on Saturday we've been trying to give him Benadryl to help ease his comfort (1mg/lb of body weight). We've tried pill pockets, we've tried sprinkling it on his food, we tried putting it in a bowl/glass of water (somewhat seperating him from the other cat so that she doesn't ingest any). We've tried opening his mouth. The last time we did that (the last time he needed medicine a year or two ago), it took 3 of us, and one of us got bit really bad and he refused to swallow and drooled so bad it looked like a St. Bernard. We finally resorted to putting him in the bathroom, and making a sort of paste and putting it on his paws so he had to lick it off but once he would lick it, he would refuse to swallow and start drooling again.

I just hate seeing him suffer. Does anyone have any imaginative ways to give him medicine (regardless of what it is?) Because I know that the vet will send us home with stuff on Saturday and he's going to need to take it and we'll really be in trouble. I wish they made injectable antibiotics and stuff that owners could give (with a prescription) - that would make our lives so much easier.

How to give a cat a pill.

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Sit on sofa. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your elbow as though you were going to give a bottle to a baby. Talk softly to it.


With right hand, position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. (be patient) As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. Drop pill into mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.


Pick the pill up off the floor and go get the cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. Sit on floor in kitchen, wrap arm around cat as before, drop pill in mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.


Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. Scoot across floor to pick up pill, and go find the cat. Bring it back into the kitchen. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. Drop pill into mouth.


Pry claws from back legs out of your arm. Go get the cat, pick up half-dissolved pill from floor and drop it into garbage can.


Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of closet. Call spouse from backyard. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.


Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.


Get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.


Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.


Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band.


Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.


Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take another pill from foil wrap.


Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour one cup of water down throat to wash pill down.


Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table.


Get last pill from bottle. Go into bathroom and get a fluffy towel. Stay in the bathroom with the cat, and close the door.

Sit on bathroom floor, wrap towel around kitty, leaving only his head exposed. Cradle kitty in the crook of your arm, and pick up pill off of counter.


Retrieve cat from top of shower door (you didn't know that cats can jump 5 feet straight up in the air, did you?), and wrap towel around it a little tighter, making sure its paws can't come out this time. With fingers at either side of its jaw, pry it open and pop pill into mouth. Quickly close mouth (his, not yours).


Sit on floor with cat in your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking gently to it for at least a half hour, while the pill dissolves.


Unwrap towel, open bathroom door. Wash off scratches in warm soapy water, comb your hair, and go find something to occupy your time for 7-1/2 hours.


Arrange for SPCA to get cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

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Morgan was just given a shot of an antibiotic that lasted two weeks. Perhaps the vet could give him something like that and Maui wouldn't have to have oral medication. Morgan also gets a shot of benadryl at the vet's office before his vaccinations.

Some medications can be compounded into a paste that you can apply to a cat's ear. :-) It might cost a little more, but you'll save a lot in terms of stress - yours and Maui's!

Ask your vet ahead of time and see if that can be done.

Would he stay in the bathroom while a hot shower is run and get a good steaming? That may help...especially if you have a vaporizer running and can put some Vicks in it.

Good luck!:love:

I'm sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble pilling your cat. When my RB Pepper was very ill, my vet did give me several syringes with antibiotics in them so that I could give him these at home. Ask your vet about something like this.

Have you ever tried giving him liquid medicine. Most meds can now be compounded into liquid form and they can also add a flavor to them to help them taste better. You may also want to buy a cat sack or a klaw kontrol bag. I have these and once you put the cat in them, they can't run away from you. Here's a link to them: http://www.fourflags.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.3950/.f and http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=3159. Good luck.:)

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Originally Posted by So-Crafty

I wish they made injectable antibiotics and stuff that owners could give (with a prescription) - that would make our lives so much easier.

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Actually, there is an antibiotic called Convenia that the vet administers by injection. It lasts two weeks and it sure beats having to squirt meds down their throats twice a day. Ask your vet about it. Sure hope Maui feels better soon. :)

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Originally Posted by Catty1

Some medications can be compounded into a paste that you can apply to a cat's ear. :-) It might cost a little more, but you'll save a lot in terms of stress - yours and Maui's!

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I'd be afraid to do this as the other cat, Maddie, likes to give him baths :) His face is her favorite spot to clean! She'd injest it more than he would, lol.

The steam shower sounds good, I will have to try this. He enjoys having the bridge of his nose rubbed and it seems to help him breathe a little better after it. He'll sneeze and get all of that congestion out and then he's good for a little while. I have no idea if it's allergies or a cold (cats can't catch colds, can they?)

Whoever mentioned the claw bag thing, that won't be necessary. I've heard of them - and we're safe from his claws. His first owner did a 4-paw declaw on him :(

This is Maui (a Bronze Egyptian Mau)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3224/...b7debe.jpg?v=0
and an older photo to show his spots:
http://files.dogster.com/pix/cats/82/99682/6.jpg


This is Maddie (DSH)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/...c7cba9.jpg?v=0

Despite your cat being declawed, I second the use of the Klaw Kontrol bag. It's a cat-sized duffel bag with a head opening (and comes in 3 sizes). With their feet completely confined in the bag, they can't offer too much resistance to you.

I think the close confines of the bag and the neck strap may also help settle them down. I used the bag to give meds and sub-q's to a recalcitrant cat (maybe not so much so as yours) and it made the difference between impossible and relatively easy.

Chlorpheniramine (brand name is Chlor-Trimeton, but make sure you get just chlorpheniramine and nothing else mixed in - I use generic chlorpheniramine) is less icky-tasting and supposedly safer for cats. Grind up a quarter pill (1 mg) in a bit of water, mix with chicken baby food, and smear on his fur (paws, face, tummy, anyplace he can reach is fair game).

Love, Columbine

Thank you for that suggestion. I will definitely try that!

I can sympathize with you on this one. My cat Kit-Kat had frequent urinary problems and was on meds off and on. Have you tried a pill pusher. I don't know if that is the correct name for it but it looks like a syringe only instead it just has a rubber end that you put the pill in and shoot it down their throat. (See photo) I believe I bought it at a pet store but I may have gotten it from my vet. Kit-Kat used to foam at the mouth terribly whenever we would try to give her a pill.

http://www.geocities.com/happycat_buddy/pill-pusher.jpg

Good luck and hope she isn't too sick.

The whole problem with an oral syringe and pill pusher is getting the object near his mouth. If we could manage to get anything in his mouth, we would just use our fingers.

We have no problem with Maddie when it comes time to give her anything, and we when we have to we always try to do it in front of Maui to show him that we aren't hurting her when we do it (a kind of "Monkey See, Monkey Do.")

Ugh and the Vet called, they have to reschedule his appointment. Not very happy. Monday afternoon he goes.

I'm going to try doing the other medication (Chlor-Trimeton). If it smells and tastes better than the Benadryl, I might be able to try the pill pocket again. Maui knows the box for the Benadryl and can smell the thing through the pill pocket. If that doesn't work, we'll mash it up and mix it in his cat food, or as a last resort, make it into a paste and put it on his paws.