How To Give A Cat A Pill?

Being a veterinarian, you must know how to give a cat a pill. We all know cats are notorious and like to live life on their own terms. Sometimes, a medication for cats is required to improve their health whether it’s for an illness or allergies. In today’s post, I will teach you how to give a cat a pill by yourself. It is very necessary to approach your cat carefully to make the process less stressful for both of you. Using these helpful tips, you can help your pet cat feel better. Let’s now find out more about how to give a cat a pill.

How To Give A Cat A Pill?

In this section, I will explain the step-by-step process of how to give a cat a pill. Before that make sure you consult a vet or vet nurse to show you how to safely give oral medication to your cat.

Follow these steps to know how to give a cat a pill or medication by yourself.

1. First, make your cat comfortable and less stressful.
2. Now, place your cat on a flat, stable surface like a floor or a tabletop.
3. Put down a towel to stop them from slipping.
4. Grease the pill with a small amount of gravy from canned food or a treat. This is will help them to swallow the pill easily.
5. Now, hold this pill between your left hand’s thumb and index finger.
6. Using your right hand, gently grasp your cat’s head by placing your thumb on one side of the upper jaw.
7. Carefully tilt your cat’s head back over her shoulder so that her nose is pointing towards the ceiling.
8. Make sure her jaw is slightly opened.
9. Then, open your cat’s mouth further using the little finger and ring finger of your left hand.
10. Again, gently put pressure on the lower lip and front teeth of your cat.
11. Next, quickly place the pill on the back one-third of the tongue to stimulate an automatic swallowing reflex.
12. Close your cat’s mouth and hold keep it close for a while.
13. Then, place her head back in a normal position.
14. Gently rub your cat’s nose or throat to stimulate swallowing.
15. You can even give her water with a syringe or offer the tuna juice in a bowl.

After giving a pill to your cat, give her some positive reinforcement like a treat, brushing, petting, or playing. This trick will help the process a bit easier in the future.

You can now keep on reading to know more about how to give a difficult cat a pill.

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Give A Pill To A Cat With A Syringe

You can use a pill giver which is a syringe-like device with a plastic plunger to give a pill to your cat. Follow these steps to know how to give a pill to a cat with a syringe.

1. First, keep everything ready and fill the syringe with your medication.
2. Next, position your cat by facing her away from you. You can even tuck her into your arm so that she won’t move much.
3. Very difficult cats can be wrapped in a towel or a blanket by just exposing their head.
4. Make sure you hold the syringe with your left hand and hold the cat’s mouth with your right hand.
5. Carefully tilt your cat’s head back over her shoulder so that her nose is pointing towards the ceiling.
6. Make sure her jaw is slightly opened.
7. Then, open your cat’s mouth further using the little finger and ring finger of your left hand.
8. Again, gently put pressure on the lower lip and front teeth of your cat.
9. Insert the syringe at the side of her mouth and not directly down her throat. This trick will encourage her to open her mouth.
10. You can even let the cat lick the tip of the syringe first if the taste of the medication doesn’t scare her.
11. Now, squirt the medication slowly into her mouth or too close to the front of her tongue.
12. Make sure you hold her head and count to three.
13. You can even gently stroke beneath her chin while doing this to encourage her to swallow the medication.

Most difficult cats might need a different kind of medication such as an IV or injection from the veterinarian. But this technique can work fine on almost all cats!

Give A Pill To A Cat With Food

Some pills can be given with food so ensure that which tablet can be given with food to your cat. Follow these steps to know how to pill a difficult cat.

1. In a bowl, take a small amount of the cat’s favorite food.
2. Now, place the pill hidden or buried in the food that you offer to your cat.
3. You can even use your hand/fingers to feed your cat.
4. Once your cat finishes the food, make sure you check it has also eaten the tablet.

However, some cats are clever at finding the pill buried in food and spitting it out while eating. Here, you can ask your vet or check the instructions on pills to know if can you crush cat pills. You can use a pill crusher to crush the pill thoroughly and then mix it with a strong-flavored tasty treat. 

Note: Make sure you even check out our how to give a cat a pill YouTube tutorial for reference.

Here, I’ve given a list of the best foods to hide cat pills in.

• Canned cat food
• Strained meat
• Tuna
• Canned fish
• Plain yogurt
• Cream cheese
• Butter 

According to me, butter is the best pick as it is helpful to coat the pill and eases swallowing!

Important Tips To Remember

Till now, I hope you’ve understood how to give a cat a pill. Let’s be honest now! Sometimes, cats are against swallowing a pill or might refuse to do it so. You can consider these tips if you’ve tried the methods above with no luck.

• You can try to put a pill-sized portion of your cat’s favorite treat in the piller. Make sure you practice using the piller with the treat till your cat is more tolerant of the process.
• You can use a pill pouch, which is a small pouch that wraps around the pill.
• Make sure you always hold the top of your cat’s heat to reduce the risk of being bitten.
• You can even take the help of another person to hold them while giving them medications.
• In case your cat is getting stressed, stop and offer them a few treats.
• You can also gently stroke and soothe your cat before you feed them with a pill.

If you still have difficulty, you can speak to your veterinarian for advice.

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FAQ

How Do You Give An Unwilling Cat A Pill?

While holding the pill between the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, place your middle finger of that hand into the cat’s mouth, over the small incisor teeth — NOT over the sharp fangs (canines). Warning: The cat might bite. Work quickly. Drop the pill back as far as you can over the cat’s tongue.

Can You Crush A Pill For A Cat?

If you’re looking for another option for how to give your cat a pill, you may be tempted try crushing it into a powder form. But, as Animal Planet points out, “unless your vet recommends it, never crush or grind pills to put in food or water.

How Do I Make My Cat Take A Pill?

Gently tilt the head upwards, and use the middle finger of the hand holding the tablet to pull the lower jaw down and open the mouth. Keep the head tilted up and quickly place or drop the tablet as far back on your cat’s tongue as you can.

What Food Can I Hide My Cats Pill In?

Some recommendations for food in which you might hide pill include: canned cat food, strained meat (human) baby food, tuna or other canned fish, plain yogurt, Pill Pockets™, cream cheese or butter. Butter is helpful because it coats the pill and eases swallowing.

Can I Use Peanut Butter To Give My Cat A Pill?

Some cats can be tricked into taking their medicine through the use of tasty distractions. Coat the pill with a small amount of cream cheese, soft butter, peanut butter, yogurt, tuna, or salmon. Your cat may just gobble it up without being the wiser.

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How Do You Make A Cat Pill Less Bitter?

The best way to give your cat a pill with food is to crush the pill (if possible) and add it to a small portion of wet food which will hopefully disguise the taste of the pill. Make sure your cat consumes it all.

Can Cats Smell Medicine In Their Food?

Before mixing a medication in food, check with your pet’s veterinarian. Some medications are less effective if they aren’t taken in their original form. The Stinkier, the Better. Pets can sniff out unusual smells in their food and may reject even favourite treats if they don’t smell right.

Conclusion

In the above post, I’ve explained how to give a pill to a cat in brief. Giving pills to a pet cat can be a challenging task! But if you suspect your cat is sick, you need to give your pet the specific medicine prescribed by the vet. If you’ve got a cooperative cat, then you can put the pill on the center of her tongue. You can even hide or crush the pill in her food like tuna. But make sure you ask your veterinarian before giving the crushed-up medication. By learning how to give a pill to a cat, you can easily treat your sick pet cat!

 

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