I place a cat on the countertop facing right. (I'm right handed.) W/my left hand I place 4 fingers on one side of the head and my thumb on the other, tilt the head back, which automatically opens their mouth, and pop the pill in, then massage the throat. They're so accustomed to it that they don't even fight me any more. Trimming nails, well, that's another story. Some of them are docile enough to let me do all 4 paws. Some, such as my meezer Coco Puff likes to nip at my hand. He never really sinks his teeth in but it hinders me from getting a good clip. If I can do the front paws, I'm lucky. I don't think I've ever done all of Yodie's front paws, maybe 3 at a time and by the time I get to do the rest, the last 3 have grown back. Yodie's serious; she bites and swats, too! LOL Sorry that I can't be of more help w/the claw clipping.