If you have one of the furry furring balls at home, maybe you know, in what kind of devil some of them are capable of turning into, if you need to give them a pill. If your cat belongs precisely among those, in which it’s almost a superhuman task, I have several tips for you, which might save you some nerves and scratches.
I am lucky, that I usually don’t have a problem to make the cat, or more precisely, to outsmart it, so that I can get a pill into her. But I used to have a tomcat, to which I had to give pills several times a day because of his illness and it was getting harder and harder. I’ve tried everything from the simplest tricks all the way up to the “most brutal” methods. So, it would be a pity to keep all this involuntarily acquired experience for myself.
I’ve ranked the tips on how to administer a pill to a cat from the easiest ones to the most complicated ways, according to my opinion:
Hide the pill inside a treat
I would have to give my cat pills only in case of deworming, so, not as often. Maybe that’s why a simple trick to hide the pill inside a piece of processed cheese might be enough, or into a meat bar or a piece of meat. Pick a treat, that your cat loves and doesn’t get too often, therefore it’s for sure, that it will dig into it with gusto and in most cases, it will wolf it down at first try pill included. Don’t forget, that the treat shouldn’t be too big for the cat not having to chew it too much. However, sometimes it still uncovers the trick and then it is necessary to repeat the process once or twice. Watch the cat during that and also a moment after, to be sure that it really swallows the medicine and doesn’t spit it out. If you choose meat to hide the pill, it helps to warm it up shortly to body temperature.
Crash it into a paste
If the pill is to large, so that not even halving would help or the cat always finds it and refuses to eat it, you can try to water it down and mix it with a paste or pate. However, this doesn’t usually work with too aromatic, mainly bitter pills. I also don’t recommend trying it if you don’t have another pill that you could use in case you’re unsuccessful.
Insert it directly into the cat’s mouth
Grab the cat firmly, open its mouth with your index finger and thumb and insert the pill all the way to the root of its tongue. If it spits it out, you can hold its mouth closed for a few seconds. It is possible, that you won’t avoid a few scratches and quite household. However, some cats fight back so tenaciously, that you might not even succeed with this. In such case, it is better to invite a helper to the event, who will hold the animal for you during the application, alternatively wrapped in a towel or a blanket, if the cat really isn’t scared to use its claws and is capable of wringing away from any grip.
When the cat refuses to swallow the pill
If it isn’t enough to hold the cat’s mouth for it to swallow the pill, or you simply aren’t able to hold it, try injecting a bit of water or cat’s milk using a syringe into its mouth, to make the cat swallow. Or it might help, if you smear its nose with a sauce from a can or with a paste. This will make it lick it and then swallow.
Using an applicator
You can also get a special applicator for inserting the pill into the mouth. It looks similar as a syringe with a wider opening. The applicator is filled with water and the pill is put into the holder. Upon injecting water, the pill gets inside the mouth along with it and it’s swallowed immediately. The process is faster and thereby also less stressful than manual application.
Dissolve the pill
If you’re still unsuccessful, you can try to dissolve the pill in water and then inject this water into the mouth of the cat using a syringe.
It’s always necessary to reduce stress as much as possible and this way spare both cats and your nerves. Especially, if you must repeat pill application daily, for instance, in case of antibiotics. When administration of a pill is an especially unpleasant experience for the cat, always, when you will be getting ready to apply the medicine, the cat will suddenly be impossible to find. Therefore, before the administration itself, you will have to look for it for an hour and pull it from under the bed for another hour or from another inaccessible cat hideout. And not in the least, the stress definitely won’t help the animal with healing and it may extend the illness or the healing process.
If your cat takes receiving a pill really badly, find out, whether the medicine can’t be substituted with another form, injection or a spot on.
Have you got any proven tricks, that work on your cat?
According to the data published at the end of last year, more than half of the people from around the world lives with at least one pet. The most numerous dog population is in the United States (70 million dogs), followed by Brazil (36 million) and...
When I travel, I'm always interested in what is the view of the given country upon the keeping of pets. And generally, how animals are treated there. The position of cats, dogs and rodents varies significantly in different countries, so there’s...
People often confuse the grey wolf with the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. This shepherd’s and today a very popular breed was bred from the German Shepherd by crossbreeding with the Carpathian wolf. Even though the dog and the wolf are very similar in...
The golden hamster, sometimes referred to as hamster-teddy bear because of its appearance, was first captured less than a century ago by zoologists in Syria. Hence also its second name – the Syrian hamster. Over time, it became a popular pet throughout...
The cloning of dogs or cats is slowly becoming a completely normal reality. For now, you can encounter it mostly in Asian countries. It’s the companies in South Korea that are most famous for their business plans focusing on the grieving dog and cat...
It would probably entirely unnecessary to describe the appearance of the German Shepherd. Probably everyone, even non-dog-lovers, have seen the German series Inspector Rex. Apart from the most famous colouring with black or golden marks, it is bred...
Getting a cat doesn’t mean only buying a cat toilet, bowls, a bed and a couple of toys. You also have to realise that the animal will also need certain care and count with this already before getting it. Each breed has its own specifics. While some are...
The Persian Longhairs, which have most likely descended from the Turkish Angoras, were bred in England at the end of the 19th century. Since then, they have undergone great changes, and today they have a much more compact body in comparison to the...
The desire for your own dog friend can also lead to a great disappointment. Since a lot of people fall for scammers when buying through an ad. Getting a dog this way is a risk not only from the money point of view, but also with respect to the mental...
Traveling with a dog in the city is stressful for many dog owners. One of the reasons may be the fear of riding escalators. If the dog is not accustomed to them since young age, he can have issue with it as an adult. Even in the case that your dog aces...
For the majority of dog breeders, winter is the period that has to be waited out somehow. But this time of year provides ideal conditions for the musher sport. And if you found pleasure in summer trainings with the dog, don’t hang the dog harness on an...
Most owners consider pets kept at home to be full-fledged family members. And year after year, they invest more and more money in them. Just for dog and cat food, Czechs spend around eight billion crowns a year. The business around pets is experiencing...
