Give a pill to a cat

Alisha2008

Hi,


Our cat has been diagnosed with a thyroid problem and needs a pill a day. The pill cannot be broken or mashed, it has to be swallowed whole, and he's a VERY fuzzy eater so I'm not sure what to use to hide it... (he rarely eats all his food, sometimes doesn't touch it for hours or at all...).


I've been checking all the cat treats @ the supermarket and they are all hard, does anyone know if there are soft treats I could put the pill into?


Between my partner and I can do it opening his mouth but it's a bit stressing for him and I would prefer to give it with food.


Anyone knows a better way?

dandelionclock30

We have this with ours and we either hide it in with her cat meat or put it inside a cube of chicken breast.We just push it in the middle.

jblessing

You might get away with putting it in his food, but cats are pretty good at detecting that sort of subterfuge. We had one cat with thyroid issues and once you got the knack, she (and we) became pretty good at it. Ask your vet to show you the best technique.

(Having said that, we had another cat who would cheerfully rip your face off if you tried it on him )

westy22

Cheese works for us - a nice bit of cheddar rolled into a small ball. Try a couple of balls with nothing in so that the cat gets a taste for it and then wham the pill into the third ball - usually disappears in one swallow.

Revel

We've had success with Marmite (tip from our vet), cheap fish paste and cheese spread.

Gold_Dust_2

A vet once told me to roll it in some dairylea cheese. It worked like a charm.

Mrs_Z

Yes, we had this for 4 years plus with one of ours and pill given twice a day.Pill in a bit of Philadelphia cheese worked well, in a king prawn piece it was almost fail safe and at there were periods when nothing but a raw tune cube (or three) would work. I would buy a fresh £££ tuna steak, cut it in 1cm cubes, wrap each piece in a cling film and freeze them.... and take out a couple of cubes every morning/evening for the next pill.... In the last 6 months or so the end we had to resort to a pill popper.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Wrap cat in all four paws in old towel

Lift him lightly, and hold nape of neck.

Finger open his mouth

Plonk pill in mouth and close

Wait twenty seconds

Release cat from towel.

Note, towel prevents scratches.

Once cat used to pull, you can do without towel.

DS4215

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth wrote: »

Wrap cat in all four paws in old towel

Lift him lightly, and hold nape of neck.

Finger open his mouth

Plonk pill in mouth and close

Wait twenty seconds

Release cat from towel.

Note, towel prevents scratches.

Once cat used to pull, you can do without towel.

You missed the bit about the cat spitting out the pill 2 or 3 times, or holding it in its mouth until you let go then shaking its head hard enough to stick a partially disolved tablet to the nearest bit of furniture. Other than that, this method does work - and they do eventually get used to it.

flutterbymum

We had a cat with hyperthyroidism and we gave her the tablet pushed into a piece of corned beef as it is easy to squash, or a very yukky fish paste...this worked really well ! Tried chicken,ham,cheese,cheese spread,marmite,tuna- everything. good luck

gettingready

Perhaps this will help

How to Give a Cat a Tablet



Pick the cat up and cradle 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 it, allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind the sofa.

Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw soggy pill away.

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.

Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe.

Call partner in from garden.

Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws.

Ignore low growls emitted by cat.

Get partner to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth.

Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from the foil wrap.

Make note to buy a new ruler and repair curtains.

Carefully sweep shattered 'Dolton' figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

Wrap cat in large towel and get partner to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit.

Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat's mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

Check label to make sure pills not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away.

Apply plaster to partners forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

Retrieve cat from neighbours shed and get another pill.

Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing.

Force mouth open with dessert spoon and flick pill down throat with elastic band.

Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges.

Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab.

Throw t-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road and apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid the cat.

Take last pill from foil wrap.

Tie cats front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed and pry cat's mouth open with a small spanner.

Push pill into mouth followed by a large piece of fillet steak.

Hold head vertically and pour a pint of water down throat to wash down pill.

Get partner to drive you to the Emergency Room and sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearms and removes pill remnants from right eye.

Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table.

Arrange for RSPCA to collect cat. Ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.