Help with giving cat medication?!
Question: My cat has recently been diagnosed with asthma and placed on a steroid. He was also given an antibiotic. I've been having a heck of a time trying to get him to take his pills, and our whole family has now been shredded to pieces by the cat. We have a pill dispenser (looks kind of like a syringe) that helps, but not much. We've also tried crushing the pills in soft food (which is a treat for him) but he must be able to smell & taste the pills because he refuses to eat the canned food (we've even tried people-food - shrimp, tuna, tilapia, but no luck). We're now putting on coats and gloves to try and protect ourselves, but he still fights it. I'm wondering if the stress it's causing him (and us) is worth it. (You can't exactly explain to the cat that the pills should help clear his lungs now, can you?)
Answers: My cat has recently been diagnosed with asthma and placed on a steroid. He was also given an antibiotic. I've been having a heck of a time trying to get him to take his pills, and our whole family has now been shredded to pieces by the cat. We have a pill dispenser (looks kind of like a syringe) that helps, but not much. We've also tried crushing the pills in soft food (which is a treat for him) but he must be able to smell & taste the pills because he refuses to eat the canned food (we've even tried people-food - shrimp, tuna, tilapia, but no luck). We're now putting on coats and gloves to try and protect ourselves, but he still fights it. I'm wondering if the stress it's causing him (and us) is worth it. (You can't exactly explain to the cat that the pills should help clear his lungs now, can you?)
Wrap him in a towel, lay him on your knee (head at your knee, feet at your crotch), and then pry his mouth open and drop the pill in. Make sure you do it in a room where he cannot hide if he does get away.
I hear you though - I thought I'd post this;)
*How To Give A Cat A Pill*
*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 on to 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 bastard's 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 SPCA 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.*
i had same problem, giving my cat pills. I wrapped him in a towel tightly so he couldn't scratch me, my mom held his mouth shut as i stuck pill in and waited for him to swallow. i know it sounds bad but he needed the pill and it got easier.
just give him some peanut butter or cheese with it =). then he wont really know its medicine. good luck! i hate cats honestly, but i have dogs and thats how we get them to take meds. =)
Turning him into a cat burrito sometimes works. Is it possible to have the medications compounded into a liquid form and then you can squirt them into his mouth? There are some veterinary compounding pharmacies that will do that. I have found with my cats that it is a little easier to do the liquids.
Sometimes you can mix the crushed pill into a tiny bit of wet food and scrape it onto the roof of their mouth.
I personally do not find the pill shooter to be very useful. If you can shove the pill as far back as possible without gagging them and then closing their mouth it lessens the likelihood of them spitting it out. You are also supposed to make sure that they have access to water after, or you can syringe some water into their mouth.
Giving pills to animals on a regular basis is one of the hardest things, honestly. If you haven't already, you may want to purchase a pill organizer so you will remember them and it will become a part of your routine. My little dog was on six different heart and cough meds until this last Sunday, when she suddenly passed away. Giving her the pills was a huge battle, and of course she did not realize how important the medication was for her.
I hope that your cat feels better and you can at least get the medication into him somehow. Good luck with this.
http://www.wikihow.com/Give-a-Cat-a-Pill