Giving pills to cats

**Gin** · 11-06-2007, 05:51 PM

Sassy and Missiger had a diarrhea problem recently and had to go to the whitecoats. I was given a bottle of pills and instructions to give them both 1/2 pill daily.

That was six days ago and I can now bring you a progress report.

Missy is as good as gold about taking her pills. Giving Sassy pills is like wrestling an alligator, so I tried to come up with an alternative. First, the soft sell approach. I took a piece of cheese, hollowed it out, inserted the pill, and gave the cheese to Sassy. He carefully ate the cheese from around the pill and spat the pill out onto the floor. Okay, back to the Neanderthal method.

Contrary to popular belief, giving pills to cats is easy. The procedure is as follows:

1. With one hand, hold the cat still.

2. With the other hand, open cat's mouth.

3. With the third hand, push pill down cat's throat, using the tube-like thing from the vet's office.

4. If the cat struggles, you will need more hands.

There are four more days to go with this treatment. Think we will all live through it?

**Freedom** · 11-06-2007, 07:13 PM

Ahahahaaa, I can definitely relate! I have ONE out of all the cats I've ever owned who was easy to pill. The rest? Each demands a different skill set.

ALL require more than 2 hands. Good luck!

**krazyaboutkatz** · 11-07-2007, 12:57 AM

When I had to pill Starr, I had to put him in a cat sack. It's called a Klaw Kontrol Bag and you can buy it from Drs. Fosters & Smith. I also had to use a pill syringe and I'd also fill up a small syringe with water to make sure he'd swallow the pill. Sometimes I'd get lucky and it was easy but sometimes it would take forever and stress him so much. Now I have to have his pred compounded into a liquid and it's so much easier.

I pill Storm 2 times a day using pill pockets and he just thinks that he's getting a treat.

I also tried this with Starr but he figured it out after the first time. Maybe these will work for you. You can buy them at petsmart or most pet stores and vet offices. Good luck.

**Medusa** · 11-07-2007, 05:47 AM

I think we've all been there but I've finally learned how to pill a cat, or I guess I should say, my cats. I place her on a table so that she's at waist height, have her sit side ways so that I can place my thumb on one side of her mouth and grasp the other side of her mouth w/my fingers. I tilt her head back and pop the pill in, getting it as far back in her throat as possible, then I massage her throat to make sure she swallowed it. (Yodie is especially good at pretending to have swallowed it, only to find the pill on the floor later.) I used to prefer giving medication in liquid form but now I actually prefer pills. Good luck.

**catnapper** · 11-07-2007, 06:05 AM

You can do it! I have cast all along the "pilling scale" -- Pouncer is the poster child for being easy to pill. Allen is impossible.... even if I swear he's swallowed the pill after a 20 minute struggle, I find the pill sitting on the carpet somewhere about an hour later. The other 3 fall somewhere in between, with Abby a close second to Allen. I swear both Abby and Allen can tap into my mind and know when I'm even thinking about giving them their next pill.

**Randi** · 11-07-2007, 06:45 AM

I do it exactly the way Medusa described, fortunately, it has been long ago I last had to pill Fister.

The trick is to do it while he's sitting relaxed and pretend you're just coming to give him a cuddle, that makes it so much easier.

Good luck!

**catmandu** · 11-07-2007, 09:50 AM

I Mentioned To The Vet How Hard It Is To Give Joseph His Meds So Hes Making The Meds A Liquid One Which I Can Wipe On His Mouth.
Hes Giving Joseph An Ejection So That Will Take Care Of A Lot Of It, And Hopefully The Gummie Will Be Mostly Healed Up, But I Will Do My Best To See Joseph Takes His Meds.
Please Wish Me Luck.

**RedHedd** · 11-07-2007, 11:37 AM

Mitzi is a little minx when it comes to pilling. Although my "straddle the cat" technique works with her, she has psychic (or is that psychotic?) talents and knows when it's pill time. She does her magical *poof* the yocto second I even think if pilling her and disappears up into the center of my king-sized mattress where she knows I can't reach her.