I'm going to KILL my cat! Ugh!

[Charade]

She's such a stinker. She's on thyroid meds and antibiotics. They are both in pill form. I tried everything (short of shoving it down her throat!) to get her to take her meds. The thyroid is usually not a problem but the Vet has her on antibiotics. Obviously age (she's 20) has not affected her sense of smell.

I've tried cheese, bacon, real tuna and real chicken but she can STILL smell the antibiotic and won't eat the little bit I put down mixed with the meds even if she's really hungry. She's not getting her meds, wasting the pills and frustrating the heck out of me.

Any tips???

 

[Tazicket]

You might have to shove it down her throat. My idiot cat hasn't required pills yet, but I know my Dad used to put the pill in the cat's mouth, hold her mouth closed, and rub her throat until she swallowed it. Not very nice, but it worked.

Have you been grinding up the pills to mix with the food?

 

[Charade]

Have you been grinding up the pills to mix with the food?

Yep. I crush them and mix it up in the food.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I sympathize, LOL. Some of the antibiotics are sulfa based and there is a strong smell. I'm not a cat person but with my dog I always used ice cream (no flames, my dogs are fine with dairy). I also sometimes just open their mouths and place it in the back of the throat - I don't know how that would work with a cat, perhaps wrapped in a towel? I wonder how they do it at the vet's? Maybe call them and ask. Good luck!!

 

[kaw1218]

I actually have had to put it down my cats throat. Not very fun, but my vet actually showed my how to do it.(sorry I can't describe it in words.....no matter how I put it, it won't sound right.) But, you do have to put it in the very back of their mouth, or they will keep it there and spit it out later.

 

[Charade]

I sympathize, LOL. Some of the antibiotics are sulfa based and there is a strong smell.

That must be it. I can detect a faint smell. The last time she was on antibiotics, it was liquid and smelled like bubble gum. I think this perscription is stronger but only comes in pill form. I hate to force it down her throat because she's so old and I'm afraid I'll break her. She doesn't fight like a young cat though but she can clamp her mouth shut pretty tight.

I'll keep trying.

 

[Tazicket]

Yep. I crush them and mix it up in the food.

Hmmmm....are the pills small enough to leave whole and then wrap them in a small piece of lunch meat, or cover them with tuna, or maybe shove them into the middle of a small piece of chicken? I know my cat can seem like a total maroon sometimes, but the next minute she's doing something smart (like training me to give her treats or let her out on the back porch!). I guess it's kind of a matter of tricking them into having a maroon moment.

 

[SueM in MN]

You have my sympathy. The first time we tried to put the cat's pills in food it worked, by the second time, she neatly ate all the treat and left only the pill. The third time, she would not come near the treat.

Crushing pills doesn't usually work with cats - they are too picky with what they eat. Friends who have tried it with dogs don't usually have too mcuh problem (the dog's desire for the treat usually wins over his distrust of the smell). Also, some pills are not supposed to be crushed (check with the vet before crushing).

What did work (but was still agrevating) was a pillowcase and a pill dispensor like this one. It's still not easy, but at least the pills mostly got into our cat.
Here's what we did.
Prepare the pill dispensor acoording to the directions on the package (it basically has you put the pill in one part and when you push on the plunger, it shoots the pill into the cat's mouth).
You catch the cat and put her into the pillowcase with just her head sticking out. Fold the pillowcase around the cat so she doesn't have much room to move and also to make the open end of the bag small anough that she can't poke her paws thru. Your vet's office can show you how to do this. We got instructions on the phone from a friend who is a vet.

Open the cat's mouth - there is a secret way to do it that looks really easy in the vet's office. Once you get home, you can push in the same place and it is not quite so easy, but once you get the hang of it (like the last day the cat needs medication ), it does work.
Put the dispensor into the cat's mouth and push the plunger.

The first time we did it, it worked great (element of surprise goes a long way). Cats are very smart (and can produce enormous amounts of saliva on demand if they thing that will be a handy thing to do). Our cat found that large amounts of saliva were very helpful in ejecting pills after we thought they had been in long enough to swallow all of them. NOTE: Cats have good ability and aparently a lot of places in their mouths to hide pills.
Our cat also decided that large amounts of saliva would encourage us to not give her the pills at all, so she began salivating (really nasty) as soon as she saw the pill dispensor, pillowcase or pills. It helped to prepare those things "backstage" and then slip them out just when we needed them.
Also, we kept a roll of paper towels in the room we had chosen to give her pills.

Good luck.

 

[alliecats]

I pill my cat strictly by "force." However, it is so simple and "non-invasive," trauma-free, etc using a pill popper. Pill Popper
I don't have to jam my fingers in her mouth or anything. I have been doing it for 9 years, the first 7 once a day. Now she has multiple conditions, so multiple meds and med times. This popper is my friend. It helps get the pill to the back, and pretty much keeps the nasty taste from touching her tongue. I swear by it.


Hee, hee missed the above post. Well, see, now you have it on authority from two veteran pillers! Good luck!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Can cats eat peanutbutter? I know that works well with our dogs. It's so gooey that when they have a glob in their mouth that they don't notice the pill mixed in

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I've never seen the pill popper before but it looks like a great thing.

 

[ToriLammy]

We've always found that giving our cats pills is a two person job, one to hold the cat (wrapped like Sue said) the other to shove down their thoat and hold their mouth shut. One other option, ask the vet if the medicine comes in liquid form. Squirting it down his throat with an eye dropper (syringe) while someone holds the wrapped cat is sometimes easier and it's less likely the cat will be able to spit it back out. Good luck, I really hate when either of my cats require any kind of medicine.

 

[susan514]

We had a kitty that even the Vet's office could not get a pill down. We tried every way we could but no luck. After she was at the vet, they told me to forget about the pill because it was stressing us and Gizmo. Since the pill is an antibiotic, ask the vet's office if you could just stop. I know it sounds bad but the antibiotic is not as necessary as say diabetic drugs would be. And, since the kitty is 20, I would say that you do want to make her comfortable and not always on edge waiting for the pill.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

My cat also takes meds on a daily basis , thank God she never gives me a problem taking them -I just hold her on my lap , open her mouth, put in way back on her tongue and it's gone .My mother on the other hand has to use the pill popper for her animals- it's so easy -just open , aim and"shoot"!Great invention!

 

[ducklite]

I was thinking liquid would be the way to go as well. A compounding pharmacy can make it into a very concentrated dose so you only have to get a cc or so into her mouth. Grab her by the scruff, put the syringe in her mouth and shoot it across her tongue, then stroke her throat until she swallows.

A compunding pharmacy can also make the liquid in many different flavors.

The other option is a transdermal patch. I don't know if this can be done with antibiotics, but probably with the other meds.

Shara at Belvidere Pharmacy in Plainfield, NJ specializes in pet medications, in flavored liquids as well as transdermal patches. She's got over 200 flavors, many sugarfree. You can google them for their phone number. They will ship anywhere in the US and work with vets all over the country. Their customer service can't be beat, I've been using them for over 10 years now.

Anne

 

[Sir Real]

How to give a cat a pill

1) Pick cat up 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 Doulton figurines 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 glass of water 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. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto 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 door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12) Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.

13) Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat's mouth open with small wrench. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet mignon. Hold head vertically and pour 1/2 pint of water down throat to wash pill down.

14) 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 store on way home to order new table.

15) Arrange for SPCA to collect cat and call pet shop to see if they have any hamsters or fish.


How to give a dog a pill

1) Wrap it in bacon.

 

[alliecats]

Just thought of something else. When my cat was sick last year and was vomiting a lot, we had to give Phenergan (nausea) and Metronidazole (aka Flagyl, an antibiotic). Due to the vomiting and never knowing when it would strike, and the fact she REALLY needed the medicine, we had them both compounded into a cream we could rub into the skin on the inside of her ears. 1cc may not look like much but it SEEMS like a lot when you are rubbing it into a cat's ears! Anyway, it still might go easier on you & her than the pilling.

 

[Shelby5514]

While I can't help you with the anitbiotics, I did want to mention that my Maine Coon is on thyroid meds and I am able to get in gel form. You just wipe a little inside the ear flap everyday and it absorbs through the skin. MUCH, MUCH better than trying to get a pill down her and much less tramatic for both her and me.