Attempt #4 (Basil)

[NoahsMommy]

Basil hated me last night!!!!

We tried the "mash up the pill in baby food and feed it to him in a syringe" thing last night. Basil HATED it! He screeched, cried, ran away and hid under a dresser!

Even if I take him to the vet to have his cotton balls chopped off, an all day trip for an xray, temperature taking and blood drawing, he is always sweet when we get home. In fact, whenever we return from the vet, he jumps up on my lap and falls asleep purring. He's never been mad at me...even after bath time. Last night he broke my heart. He hid under the dresser the whole time we watched TV and then stayed at the top of the cat tree while we got ready for bed. I felt so bad, I tried to bribe him with a piece of hot dog. Nope...he stayed up there. Normally, if I am remotely near the kitchen, he is underfoot...not last night.

This morning he came in to the bathroom when I was, well...you know. He jumped up on my lap and was happy again...BUT...his eyes were all teary!! We have him the entire 1/2 pill! Does this mean it doesn't work? Or that it takes more than one pill to work?

Tonight, I'm going to mix it with super smelly wet cat food. Wish me luck.

[sasvermont]

A little advice: If your kitty is difficult to pill, you need to have one person hold him and the other person jam the pill down his throat. It is very, very difficult for one person to handle a difficult CAT!

I just know you can do it. I would try to get over the fact that the cat is angry at you..... it is for his own good. Just grab that furry little devil, have someone else hold his furry head and whammo, toss the pill down his throat.

YOU CAN DO IT!

[trinity]

Please Basil! Your mommy is trying to help (I know, hard to believe when she sticks the syringe in your mouth, but REALLY!!!) Honestly she is and you will feel much better if you let her do this. It will be gone before you know it...and since she seems like a really nice mommy, there just may be a treat to "wash it down..."

Good luck! I know when we were trying to give Bouncer her antibiotics it seemed like more was on the couch and my husband than went into the cat....

[NoahsMommy]

That's the thing....I don't do it alone. My hubby holds him and I do the "mean" part. Maybe I'm too scared to do it right...I think hubby and I will switch roles. I'm going home at lunch to visit sick hubby, we'll try again.

[Russian Blue]

I found the best way to give your cat a pill is this way. Have one person sit down so they are kneeling and have them cross there ankles (so if you looked down, their legs would form a 'V'.

Put the cat between the legs, and if the cat backs up, they will be cornered because of the crossed ankles. If the person is holding the cat is scared it will bite him/her wear leather gloves.

Put your finger along the side of the cats mouth near their molars and push your finger in through the side (that will automatically open the cat's mouth). Then stick the pill in or use the pill gun.

I haven't read every post, but what happened with getting the pill gun? That's way easier than trying to force feed Basil the wet food.

So sorry you are having so much difficulty. It's not a fun process by any means!

[jenluckenbach]

I also cannot remember all the posts, but scruffing the cat really helps a lot. The more skin your partner can get ahold of the better. It only takes one hand to scruff so the other hand is available to hold front feet or whatever is necessary. Then person 2 can put pill at the back of the throat.
I think that part of the reason they hold a grudge when the pill is crushed up is because they can taste it. (whereas the whole pill won't be on the tongue very long)
good luck.

[slick]

So sorry you are having so much trouble! I'll be going through the same thing when Max comes home from surgery. Have you tried the burrito wrap? I take an old sweater and stick Max's head through it and wrap the arms around his body so that only his head is exposed. He's trapped, can't go anywhere. Then I sit him in a chair squeezed between me and the arm of the chair. When you do the dasterdly deed he head may bob around but at least his feet are stable and can't scratch or run. Maybe the person holding Basil could put a hand on top of his head and hold the top jaw open while the other one pushes down on the lower jaw with one hand and shoves the pill in with the other?? Quite a vision, I must admit.

I've tried the gloves thing but it did not work because the cat is scared of the gloves and makes it worse. Good luck

slick
max & speckles

[Nomilynn]

Bassett is a horrible piller too. I realised that half the problem was me, though. I was being too timid and I didn't shove the pill in far enough. When she started needing more medicine for a more serious condition, I thought, "well, if she bites me, she bites me" and I shoved it down there. I pushed it so far she couldn't bring it back up, and it worked! Now she's getting more used to taking pills.

Good Luck!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by sasvermont
Just grab that furry little devil, have someone else hold his furry head and whammo, toss the pill down his throat.
YOU CAN DO IT!

This is the best advice. Basil can probably sense that you're being rather timid about the whole thing. You have to forget the feelings for a few brief moments. Grab him, shove the pill down his throat and lookey there, it's all done! I know it sounds cruel, but it's better to get it over with as quick as possible. The longer it takes the more traumitized they - and you - get.

I use the position Russian Blue described. There's no way he's getting away from me. He tries to stop me with his front paw, but I'm hip to that now and ignore it. You have to put the pill as far back as possible or he will just spit it out and you'll have to try again, which is really difficult. All the while my finger is in his mouth, he is biting down and moving his tongue to try and get it out, so technically he has bitten me, but the back teeth aren't as sharp and only once has he drawn blood.

Tubby has started fighting the pilling more now that I have to do it 3 times a day. Once for the Pepcid and two times for the antibiotic for his UTI. But the good news is, it's over so quick and I always give him a big hug, smooch and body rub when it's over - and then he gets treats!

Just forget that you're being mean - you're not - and go in with authority, take control and it'll be over before either of you realize, and he will still love you. Good luck to you and your hubby. Once you get the hang of it, it'll be a piece of cake. (yeah, right. Suuuurrreee Debbie, piece of cake you say. Uh-huh. Who you tryn' to kid?)

[NoahsMommy]

When I got home, Basie was being a terror...we'll try again tonight.

I tried that knealing v-position last night...it really worked well. That is how I got half the baby food into him. I think I'll try that again and hubby can do the "mean" part. At lunch, we decided that I was was being too timid previously.

The scruffing idea is great! We can try that too. A lot of our problem is that Basil gets very wiggley. He's hard to hold onto like that.

Thanks for all your support and advice. We'll get those pills down one way or another. I just thank God that these pills are just for allergies.

[NoahsMommy]

WOOHOO!!!! We did it AND Basil swallowed it!!! I'm so glad you all kept encouraging me! Thank you for all your advice!

David was home sick yesterday, so I put Basie on his tummy and sat almost on David. I grabbed Basil from behind and wouldn't let go. David pushed the pill really far in and I clamped his mouth shut and gently rubbed his throat. We let him go and he jumped off the couch and walked away. I searced and searched....no yellow pill!!! YAY!! Basie got lots of treats for his cooperation!

YAY!!!!!!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Congratulations!!! See, you just have to take control and it's over before you and he know it, and life goes on....to treats!!!

[lynnestankard]

Hey Basie Baby - wots all dis wez heering bout youz and da tablit fing? Dontcha be succh a wussy boy - youz Meowmie and Doddy have to doo dis to mak youz a well boy! We knowz der not nise butt c'mon baby - youz alwayz getz lotz of treetz after da tiblit.
Nose kizziez atcha basie boy frum Ketchum, Dan and Bagel xxx

[jenluckenbach]

I knew you could do it!

Sitting on husband sounds like a good side benefit,too.

[slick]

Way to go!!! Pretty soon you'll be able to do it with your eyes closed!

slick
max & speckles