Giving a Cat a Pill - Any Tips
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Topic: Giving a Cat a Pill - Any Tips
Posted By: sally belly
Subject: Giving a Cat a Pill - Any Tips
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 6:49pm
Our cat has been diagnosed as being stressed & anxious (& I agree!) & we have been given a 2 week trial of cat prozac  .
Trouble is, it has been VERY difficult to get these pills into her. It's only 1 a day. She is, by nature, an extremely feisty cat & DH is covered in scratches from attempting to get them down her throat. We have tried disguising them in her food but she won't have a bar of it. We've also tried dissolving the pill in a little water in a syringe but that is also proving difficult/impossible. I don't think I'll have much luck when he goes away next week & it'll be a shame because they have really helped her "condition" thus far. Any tips, anyone? -------------    
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Replies:
Posted By: RBsMama
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 6:58pm
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My cat is quite skitterish and I try to hold him under my arm and tip his head back. When I put the pill in his mouth, I try to put it as far back as possible. If he's being really sneaky and tries to spit it out, I just hold his mouth closed until he swallows, but normally the back of the mouth works.
I hope you have some luck and your kitty feels better soon.  ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: peachy
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:06pm
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Crouch down on the ground, put the cat between your legs, tip its head as far back as possible, pry its mouth open with both your hands and get your DH to throw the pill down its throat as far as possble, or place it on the back of its tongue. Then let it close its mouth and hold it closed until it swallows a few times.
The vet taught me this trick and it works very time for our very feisty cat! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: tropics
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:10pm
do as the above and rub in a downward motion on its throat (makes cat swallow)  ------------- http://lilypie.com">    [/url]
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:13pm
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Hi, the best thing you can do is towel wrap the cat so that only her head is out that way she can't scratch you and it actually calms them down. You do it basically like swaddling. Then pull the upper jaw right back as that way they can't physically close their mouth, drop the tablet as far back as you can then hold the jaw closed with the head still up and then rub the throat gently to get her to swallow, you can also try syringing some water in with the tablet to help them swallow or put tablet in a small amount of butter or cat food so that it is easier to swallow.
Did the vet talk to you about feliway? that's a spray that helps calms stressed out cats, that might help her as well as the tablets. Oh and if that doesn't work pop back to the vets and ask for a pill popper, that way they bite that instead of your fingers. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: WRXnKids
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:18pm
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what the last 2 said and buy some homeopathic anti stress stuff you just put a few drops in their food or water -------------   
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Posted By: MummyFreckle
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:33pm
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When they have licked their nose it means that they have swallowed. We have to hold our cats mouth closed until she licks her nose otherwise she spits them out.
------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: sadie
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 7:35pm
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We have a pill popper that we got from the vet. It looks like a small olive grabber thing - you just clip the pill to the end of it, and then use it to shove the pill down the poor cat's throat! Then hold his/her mouth shut and stroke their neck until it is gone.
Definitely easier if you have one person to wrangle the cat and one to administer the pill. Someone mentioned feliway too - that is great for calming. |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 9:38pm
I have a plug in of Feliway - works like an air freshener. Humans can't smell it though 
It's a few years old now but you are welcome to try it if you want. It was for our lost cat who liked to urinate inside. But yeah I would go with a towel swaddle and rubbing the throat to make her swallow. Good tip about licking the nose - I'll remember that one. -------------  
 
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Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 01 August 2009 at 10:08pm
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Or try tweezers instead of your fingers ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: QHX
Date Posted: 02 August 2009 at 8:29am
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My sister was a worked at a vet clinic for a couple of years and her main job was medicating the cats. She was taught to put a regular clothes peg on the scruff of the neck. It incapacitates them, leaving your hands free to open their mouths and put the pill as far to the back of the throat as you can manage.
Our cat has major attitude issues and always takes a couple of pegs to get him still.
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Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 02 August 2009 at 1:45pm
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Well it is nice to know that we're not the only ones that have a stroppy as cat .
Thanks for all the tips ladies. We tried the towel last night & that was a little more successful. DH has been holding her by the neck but it's her claws that are the problem 
When we go back to the vet I will ask about this feliway stuff as he didn't mention it last time. He did mention a plug-in hormone thing but I thought we'd try the pills first. Thanks again. -------------
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Posted By: ALittleLoopy
Date Posted: 03 August 2009 at 9:52pm
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Im a vet nurse and i suggest doing what i do for a fiesty cat: Towel wrap the cat so that only the head is out, then it can't scratch you. at the same time as your pushing down on the body, use your middle finger and thumb to pinch in the spot where the jaws meet/hinge. this will make their mouth pop open. Then tip the head back into a 90degree angle so the cat is looking at the roof and then pop the pill at the very back of the throat (using a pill popper if your scared to use your fingers). Then hold the jaw closed with the head still up and then rub the throat gently up and down till it swallows - you will see or feel the swallowing action. Hope this allows you to do it safely from now on, practice makes perfect! And sally belly, if your going to use a peg make sure there is some sprt of cloth or the towel underneath as pegs tend to pinch too hard and you are better off scruffing them with your hands. -------------    CHEM 6/12+ |
Posted By: sally belly
Date Posted: 04 August 2009 at 8:18am
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Thanks Nic .
It really does sound easy in theory but we're now going to try the feliway because giving her these pills has become really stressful for all involved. DH is going away tomorrow & there's no way I can do this on my own  . It really is a shame because they really seem to be helping. Will keep in mind about the pill popper as we haven't tried that yet.
Thanks everyone but I really think we just have one evil & viscious cat -------------
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Posted By: Aprilfools
Date Posted: 04 August 2009 at 8:25am
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Oh dear. Sorry I can't help but have a little giggle. Our cat was on thyroid meds for four or five months at the end of last year and after two days all DH had to do was shake the pill bottle and she'd come running and sit at his feet. Anything for a bit attention!!
Good luck I hope it helps and she gets better. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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