Giving pills to cats

[Porsche-O-Phile]

One of my cats developed a UTI last week and got *ahem* "plugged up" sending him into renal failure. $2k later he's finally back home and doing much better but I've got to give him some medication to keep his urethra from spasming 3x a day. Good night - talk about hell on earth. My hats off to vets and veterinary nurses who make this look easy! I just spent an hour chasing the cat around the house knocking stuff over, etc. I'd had him in his own room with a minimum of hiding places (no beds to run under, etc.) but of course my boy wanted to "check on him" and let him out this morning - off went the cat like Ussain Bolt.

Finally managed to get the pill administered - he's now sulking under an upstairs couch probably planning all the ways he's going to tear at my jugular when I try again this afternoon.

Fun, fun.

[motion]

Have you tried Pill Pockets?

[bell]

We had to give our ava pills 2 times a day for 6 months. ...
We had to use a pill shooter, and took 2 of us. We used the thin style shooter and it worked every time.....

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by motion

Have you tried Pill Pockets?

These can be a miracle. With cats, I dunno. How about grinding up the pill and putting it in some wet food?

[jyl]

Rectal administration?

[stomachmonkey]

Have had many cats I've had to pill over the years.

The thing with cats is you can't let them see what's going on.

Sorta like putting them in a carrier head first does not work pilling them face to face is a fail.

My fail proof method is cradling them like a football with my dominant hand, palming the top of their head, grabbing their upper jaw with my fingers then gently pulling back which will make them open up. Stick the pill as far back as possible and push on the back of their tongue when you drop the pill then quickly close their mouth and hold it shut till they swallow.

Another option that works with some cats and small pills is cream cheese.

Stick the pill in a dollop of cream cheese them smear it on their nose. They will reflexively lick the cream cheese off and swallow the pill.

FWIW, had a diabetic cat, sticking her with a needle twice a day was easier than pilling. YMMV.

[Rikao4]

pill pockets ..lol
there is a hilarious episode about this on..
All creatures big & small..(Brit)..
the old vets sent in the newbie to give Ferrance his pill..
and tell him..
you'd better suit up..



Rika

[scottmandue]

Long time cat owner.
As others have said.
Hide pill in cream cheese or Velveeta
Grind up pill and mix in wet food.
Unfortunately the little *^%&+#@ are too smart for their own good and usually figure out what you are doing.
Extreme measure, force pill in mouth, hold mouth shut, drop or water (wet finger) on nose will make them swallow.

Call vet and see if you can get the med as a liquid...

Or... I kid you not cats have very thin ears with lots of blood vessels... some meds can be given as a cream where you smear a dab on the tip of their ear.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I just spent an hour chasing the cat around the house knocking stuff over, etc. I'd had him in his own room with a minimum of hiding places (no beds to run under, etc.) but of course my boy wanted to "check on him" and let him out this morning - off went the cat like Ussain Bolt.

The cat is already freaked out with the pain, the car ride to a strange place, the strange people holding him down, his new wound, etc.
Why is his owner trying to kill him now?

Make it a positive experience. Be gentle and clam.
Get some cream cheese/tuna and have it come to you. Special treat. A reward. Fun.
This will take a lot of time if it happens at all.

I second the liquid application.

[Noah930]

I've given my cats abx in both pill and liquid form. They only seem to ever get sick like that when Mrs. Noah is out of town so it's usually a solo effort for me.

For a pill, I put the cat on the counter and wedge him between my left elbow and side of my body. Then use my left hand to palm the top/back of his head, thumb and middle finger grasping him firmly at the base of his mandible below the ears, and then rotate his head backwards so he's staring up at the ceiling. With my right middle finger I gently pry his jaw/mandible open and drop the pill (held between my right thumb and index finger) into his open mouth, down his throat. Then hold his mouth closed and gently stroke his throat to encourage swallowing.

Liquid meds I hide in canned tuna or a scrap of lox. (We don't have wet food in the house, but that sounds like it works just as well.)

Good luck!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

No liquid or dermally applied option for this stuff unfortunately. Pill pockets didn't work at all. The first time I got him to eat it in the first bite of wet food (he was pretty hungry) but after that he got wise and would eat around the pill or just refuse to eat (bad).

I've tried to make it as positive / quick as possible and yes, a pill gun helps (also good for having him not embed his fangs a quarter inch into my index finger) but it's still a process that he doesn't like. Maybe in time he'll get used to it and realize I'm not trying to hurt him but for now... Good gravy what a PITA. For now I'm just trying to get him back into "his" room away from the other cats with his own water and litter box so I can (1) monitor his in/out and (2) do the pill easier later since I took all the "easy to hide under" stuff out of there making the capture and administration of the pill less drama (but still not pleasant).

The vet offered to medically board (including pills) for $60 a day - I'm considering it... Might try the cream cheese - good thought.

[jcommin]

I have done the cream cheese and blend in with wet food. That works best foe me, Cats just have too many weapons: speed, claws, teeth.

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

No liquid or dermally applied option for this stuff unfortunately. Pill pockets didn't work at all. The first time I got him to eat it in the first bite of wet food (he was pretty hungry) but after that he got wise and would eat around the pill or just refuse to eat (bad).

Pills in wet food/tuna only worked the first time, too. Then they wised up. Pill pockets didn't work for me, either. Well, they work, but only for the dog. The dog that sometimes eats from the kitty litter box, so we all know she's not the most discriminating of palates.

[Baz]

Grinding the pill and mixing with food item sounds like the best strategy to me.

Can you mix it into something liquid that they cannot turn down......like gravy?

You can buy gravy mix very cheap in several flavours....or get some in a can/jar.

Cats love to slurp up good tasting liquids - thus my suggestion above.

For my pups I use pimento spread...never had to administer pill to my kiddles.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Lots of good ideas here - thanks guys! I want to work smarter, not harder!

A couple of tips I've picked up:

Don't take the pills out right beforehand - they'll hear it no matter how quiet yiu think you are and go into defensive mode. Lay out the one for the next dose right after giving the previous one so its out and ready to grab (I load up the pill gun)

Little syringe with water helps keep them from spitting it out - open mouth, pill gun, little squirt of water - gulp. Won't get spit out.

Don't let the cat dig his hind legs anywhere near your groin when you try to get behind him and hold onto him. Ask me how I know.

Supposedly pill pockets only work if you don't touch the pill first and then pinch the pocket (they'll smell it). I tried to be careful - maybe he just didn't want the pill pocket then (?) I'll try again I suppose.

[Por_sha911]

How to give a cat a pill.

It's easy just follow the directions below.

1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger 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 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 rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases 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 1 beer 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. Open another beer 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 cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer.. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw Tee shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

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

13. Tie the little %&**#t front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. 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 furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for ASPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How To Give A Dog A Pill

1. Wrap it in bacon.

2. Toss it in the air.

[scottmandue]

I also have found cats swallow when I put a drop of water on their nose... I usually administer pills at their feeding station.
Wrassle pill into mouth.
hold mouth shut and position head up.
Dip finger in water bowl and tap on nose.
Gulp

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Baz

Grinding the pill and mixing with food item sounds like the best strategy to me.

Can you mix it into something liquid that they cannot turn down......like gravy?

You can buy gravy mix very cheap in several flavours....or get some in a can/jar.

Cats love to slurp up good tasting liquids - thus my suggestion above.

For my pups I use pimento spread...never had to administer pill to my kiddles.

This is what I do. Sprinkle the powder iinto his favorite food.

[Evans, Marv]

My cat died some years ago, but everything was a struggle with her when I had to expose her to something she didn't like. I once had to give her an antibiotic in pill form. It was pure hell. She hid from me, would struggle against me trying to administer it, absolutely wouldn't eat it no matter what I put it in. It would be setting there after she finished the food. If I ground it up, she either wouldn't eat the food or eat around whichever part the pill was ground up in. After a while, when I would take the plastic pill bottle out of the cabinet, she would hear the sound of the pills rattling and start making gagging noises with froth coming out of her mouth. That time I called the vet who asked how much I'd been able to give he and said I could stop because she had probably had enough. Other times, I'd just take her in for injections every couple of days or so if that was possible.

[yetibone]

I've used this on our cats for years. Junior had to have orabax for over a year after his UTI deteriorated into necrotized tissue that blocked his urethra, and surgery was needed. he eventually got so used to it, I didn't have to sneak up anymore.

Used it on all of my cats at one time or another, and it does require some practice to develop the technique. Each of my cats take to it differently.