When you have to give medicine

I'm interested in knowing how you all give your pet medication when necessary. I know I've always had a challenge when giving my cats any kind of medication. I finally got it mastered but it took a long time. Dogs would be easy - just put it in a piece of meat, but how do all our feline friends tackle this one? And what is the preference - pills or fluid medication? We all know that if we don't get it down just right it causes a lot of stress with our kitties. One time a really missed and my cat had a frothy drool for a long time. :(

Wow you really had your hands full with Garbo. The way I give pills is you take the cat by the scruff of the neck (like a Momma cat does with her kittens) and this kinda makes them immobile. You can open their mouths fairly easy and hopefully drop the pill into their mouths. Let go and massage their throats and they hopefully will swallow the pill. This has worked for me. I have to give Spencer Tagament really often since he has an upset stomach a lot. This is a pretty trickey procedure - if the pill doesn't go down and the cat doesn't swallow properly - you got a real problem, frothey cat!!! :( and watch out for those back feet claws!!!!!

LOL, I can relate!! I have one easy cat and one not-so-easy cat...well..near impossible cat!! Scooter has been a "problem" kitty for quite some time. If I get the choice, I usually try to get liquid meds, as it's much easier for me to get it down. Like Spencer said about Garbo, Scooter is NOT pillable!! We ended up doing the crush with spoon method, only we disolved it in a little bit of milk (milk is a sinfully delicious treat for Scooter) and he lapped it right up. When we give him liquid meds, I grab him and hold him on his back, then with my other hand I put pressure at the back of his mouth where it opens (the pressure forces him to open his mouth), I stick the dropper in there and squeeze really quickly and the liquid goes right down :) But you're right...gotta beware of those back feet! :eek:

Liquid I am sure is much easier- have not had to do pills yet, and hope I don't. I have no problem with the liquid with my one cat, but I had another that was almost impossible. I can't imagine trying to give her a pill!

So far, Noah has only had to have liquid meds. Even then, we had to mix them with milk...he would have nothing to do with a spoon!

I have had to medicate Ritz once-she had a UTI and was medicated with pills AND fluid...one was an immune booster, the other more of an antibio...considering her ballistic behavior at the vets, I thought, great, this ought to be a reeeeal treat.

As it turned out, my spouse and I handled this quite easily. Since Ritzy is ever so trusting of us, he held her, I gently pushed her jaw open at the back, and squirt squirt..no problem...a little kitty praise helped.

The quarter pill wasn't so easy. However, by accident, my spouse dropped it on the floor and, being the little hoover cat she is, it was as sweet as forbidden fruit. Subsequent quarter pills were "accidentally on purpose" dropped, and sloop...up they went..


By the way, Spencer, Garbo is as gorgeous as her actress namesake!

[ October 15, 2001: Message edited by: tuxluvr ]

I have never had to give a cat a pill, thank goodness. I like the "accidental/on purpose" pill-dropping maneuver. I'll have to keep that in mind, lol!!
When I have to give them liquid meds, I use a syringe (without the needle, of course). If you can get it into the cheek at the back of the mouth, you can gently squeeze the medicine in and they automatically swallow it.
Gel-type medicine is tough, but I usually put a glob on the tip of my finger, put my finger in the mouth and smear the stuff onto the roof of the mouth. They can't spit it out that way and they have no choice but to swallow it. A vet taught me that trick. ;)

I have had to give both liquid and pills. The easiest way I have found for both is to sit on my knees with my ankles crossed and the kitty between my knees. I then force open their mouth and either squeeze the liquid in with an eye dropper or drop the pill half down their throat. They can't back up to get away and I don't get scratched either. Works pretty well for me. Although I usually have to chase them down to start with.

A humorous take on the situation....

How to give a cat a pill.

1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if
holding a baby. Position right finger and thumb on either side of cat's
mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right
hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth
and swallow.

2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left
arm and repeat process.

3) Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4) 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.

5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call
spouse from garden.

6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and
rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cat's
head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop
pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

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

8) Wrap cat in large towel and 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.

9) 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.


10) 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 elastic band.

11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply
cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab.
throw Tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12) Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road.
Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid
cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13) 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 1/2 pint of water down throat
to wash pill down.

14) 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 a furniture shop on the way home to order new table.

This is funny Edwina and just about the extent of it :D :D

Please take a look at my suggestion under "Giving Pills". I posted it there before I noticed this heading. By all rights I should have put it here. :)

When I had to give Meeshe pills, I hid them in a moist cat treat by molding the treat around the pill with the heat from my fingers. He ingested without hesitation! I was given a pill dispenser/popper by my
vet, but never had to use it with him.

I have heard that if you touch a cat's nose they will lick, and when they lick it is a signal that they have swallowed.

Debra is due in a day or so for her second and final tapeworm pill, so I will proceed with the "cat backed in between legs/pry open mouth/stick pill in/clamp mouth shut/massage throat/touch nose" method since it worked the first time. :) But now, she may be on to me - uh-oh! :eek: