Cats, undoubtedly, make excellent pets; they are wonderful companions for families and singles alike.
However, cats are not the most obedient of mammals and often choose obstinacy at the worst possible times.
For example, when your cat is sick, she may need medicine, and you might experience some resistance.
Cats can be the worst patients if they don’t want to take something, so how can you help them in these situations?
If you are struggling with your kitty, perhaps you wonder how to give a cat a pill; you are in good hands. You will discover how to get your cat to take a pill, and the pitfalls to avoid after applying the advice from this article.
There are numerous reasons to give cats a pill from deworming to parasites, and there are many types of pills.
Before trying the strategies on your difficult feline, make sure you know the medication well.
You must carefully follow the prescription’s instructions, taking note of how much medication to give at one time.
How long to administer the medication, and how regularly to provide the dosage.
Be aware that some medicines are slow releasing and active after some time; crushing defeats this action. You must give certain pills to your cat on an empty stomach, so you cannot hide those in food.
In these circumstances, you must administer the medication as it is.
Table of Contents
Four Ways To Pill Your Cat
1. Hiding Pills In Cat Food
As previously mentioned, it’s not always suitable to hide pills in your cat’s food.
For this technique to be successful, the pill mustn’t have a strong odor or taste, and your cat must like the food.
Many cat owners use a “pill pocket” – a soft treat with a cavity in the middle.
Place the pill inside the treat and hand it to your cat.
If your cat loves treats and doesn’t waste any time chewing – this technique could work very well.
If your feline friend likes cheese, meat, or a hamburger, you could easily place the pill in those food items.
2. Grinding Up The Pill
If hiding pills in food doesn’t work, try grinding it up into a fine powder.
You can utilize a pestle and mortar, a pill grinder, a hammer, or any tool that crushes up the medicine. You can mix the powder in a small amount of delicious food your cat loves.
Make sure your kitty eats all of the food for the medicine to take full effect.
3. Giving The Pill By Hand
If your cat detects the pill in her food, certain pills have a strong smell and taste. In these situations, you must give the pill to your cat by hand.
If your cat is generally docile, you might be able to offer the pill by yourself. If your cat is difficult, you may need help to administer the medication.
If you know your cat will scratch, wrap her up in a towel; think burrito wrap.
If you have someone to help you, place the wrapped-up cat on the tabletop, and as your assistant to hold the cat steady before you open the cat’s mouth and release the pill.
If you are operating alone, kneel on the floor and place your wrapped-up cat between your thighs, with your cat’s head facing towards your knees.
Both of your hands should be free to deposit the pill.
Once your cat is restrained, open her mouth.
Put your forefinger and thumb on your cat’s forehead; your fingers should rest on either side of your kitty’s face along the cheekbones.
Your forefinger and thumb should rest on your cat’s upper lip, raise your cat’s head slightly, with his nose towards the ceiling.
When your cat’s jaw opens slightly, push your thumb and fingertip into her mouth, open her mouth to deposit the pill.
Use your dominant hand to take hold of the pill and apply pressure with your forefinger to widen your cat’s mouth.
Drop the pill into your cat’s mouth. Your cat may try to spit it out, but the contractions of the tongue will push the pill back into the throat.
4. Pill Poppers
Pill poppers are ideal when neither hiding pills in treats nor hand pilling works for your cat.
Pill poppers look like a thick syringe, where inside, you place a pill.
Pill poppers get pills into the back of your cat’s throat with relative ease.
This device reduces the risk of getting bitten and sticking your fingers inside your cat’s mouth.
You don’t require assistance with this method; the only restraint required is holding the top of your cat’s head.
How you restrain your cat is by placing your non-dominant hand around her skull, with your thumb and forefinger behind the eyes and cheekbones.
Use your dominant hand to take the pill popper and use it to open your cat’s mouth and push it inside the mouth.
Once it’s in – push the pill popper behind the canines and push the pill in.
It would help if you acted quickly, as the faster you go, the less likely your cat will fight you.
Also read: How old is my cat?
What To Avoid When Pilling Your Cat
When hiding a pill inside the food, make sure that the food you offer your cat is tasty and, more importantly, safe.
Avoid foods toxic to cats like chocolate, garlic, onions, or anything with lactose in it, as most felines are lactose intolerant.
Tips And Tricks To Pilling Your Cat
To give your cat a good chance of taking her pill, make sure that she’s hungry by taking away food for a few hours before giving the pill.
Try giving your cat a quarter of her usual meal, with the pill in it. If her plate is clean, give her the rest of her food.
Consider hiding her pill in her all-time favorite treat, and serve it along with her food.
What To Do When Nothing Works
First things first, do not panic; your cat can detect when you’re frustrated, which will undoubtedly work against you.
You mustn’t create an atmosphere of discomfort and anxiety around pill-taking. If your cat doesn’t respond well to the methods above, you might be too soft with her.
While you don’t want to grab and forcibly restrain your cat, you must approach her with confidence, work fast, hold your cat, and stick the pill down your cat’s throat – that’s it.
If you are determined to get the pill into your cat, it will happen.
Make sure you give your cat water after the pill is swallowed – this ensures it has gone down the esophagus into the stomach. You can enhance the good mood of the experience by offering your cat a toy or a treat afterward.
After exhausting every technique, as mentioned above, and your cat still refuses to open her mouth to take a pill or manages to escape, your best option is to consult your vet.
Ask your vet if not treating your cat is an option. One day all pet owners will have to face making a choice about their pet’s quality of life.
It’s only natural to want to do all you can to make your cat better, but ultimately your cat knows what’s best for her. With that said, you must try hard to get your kitty to take her medication.
If your feline friend suffers from hyperthyroidism, you could be faced with giving her several pills a day; if it’s going to be a battle, you must consider what’s best for your cat.
If you decide to go the “no pill” route, your vet can discuss with you the best way to care for your beloved cat.
It’s completely counterproductive trying to force your cat to take medication; it will only make her more distrustful of you, as well as aggressive and detached.
There is no point in waging war with your cat over pills.
Also read: Can cats eat rice?
Finally
Cat’s certainly have a mind of their own, and they don’t care what we think of them as long as we give them what they want – which isn’t pills.
Most felines will put up some resistance if your cat is exceptionally strong-willed, don’t let that intimidate you.
Pilling your cat when she needs it is the best thing you can do for her.
You have several options to administer the medication, but ultimately, you have to check your attitude towards the situation at hand. Approach your cat calmly and confidently.
Don’t restrain her forcibly as that will have an adverse reaction; work quickly to get the pill in her mouth.
Close her mouth to make sure the pill doesn’t fall out.
If you don’t like the idea of giving pills to your cat, your vet might be able to offer some prescriptions in liquid form, which might be more tolerable for your kitty.
Others can be offered under the skin, or even though suppository – there are so many options available to you, and always communicate your concerns with the vet.
Pilling your cat isn’t the daunting experience many think it is.
