How to give a cat a pill without ending up iin casualty??

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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As title basically.

Sorry, probably not "horsey" as such, tho' the cats DO provide a useful vermin control service in the yard and barns.

We've got two cats here, gave the first one her wormer pill this morning, OK no problems, swallowed like a little beauty.

Second cat: offered immediate and violent resistance :) Blimmin thing, scratched at my hand and arm and wriggled for England, so I wrapped her up in a towel. She still managed to wriggle out, Houdini couldn't have done it better. Pill was by this time in two bits, so I tried again, but she wasn't having it and escaped me.

So........... OK all you vet nurses out there - how the heck do you do it? Why do you make it look so simple??? FFS why can't I "do it at home"??? ;) Let us in on your secrets!!
 
yes, profender covers everything.

or try putting pill in a blob of butter - they like that.

otherwise it comes down to technique but there's still the odd viscious one who will defeat me. I get someone to hold them round their shoulders or wrap tightly in a towel. Left hand round back of hack and thumb and third finger in corners of mouth, then 3rd finger of right hand to open jaw and stick pill to back of tongue with first finger, then press on tongue which makes them swallow. If they're not so nice then tip their head right back with left hand and just drop pill into back of mouth, shut mouth and massage throat until they swallow.
 
They're often better behaved once at the surgery! I swear by a pill giver if cat's a biter. Or as Star describes-tipping the head back which makes it very easy to open the mouth,pop it in before they notice & hold mouth shut until its gone! I used to work with someone who had a brilliant wrapping in towel method,it was so secure that they couldn't wriggle out of it,sadly I never mastered how to do it!
 
I turn mine on their backs on my knees, then hold their mouth wide open with one hand and throw (you have to have good aim) the tablet down the back of their throat, you will see it go over their tongue and then they can't spit it out. It does take practice, and my cats are quite tame house cats.....not sure how easy it would be with yard cats.
 
I opt to trim claws before I start pilling a cat - that way, I end up with far fewer scratches and can generally be more effective.

After that, it's just a matter of going in with the attitude that the pill IS going right to the back of the mouth on the first go...... easier said than done, but it just gets more difficult the more soggy the pill becomes with repeated tries!

Good luck.

Sarah
 
I'd say profender for an easy life or alternatively you could try a pill popper if you want to tablet and keep all your fingers. Prepare pill in popper and also prepare small (around 5ml size) syringe of water. Tip cat's head right back using either the technique described by star (or some people do just scruff them, problem is repeated scruffing tends to pee cats off). If she's trying to swipe you with her front legs then get someone else to hold her wrapped in a towel for you so you don't have to worry about them bits. Lever mouth open and shove pill popper as far towards the back of the mouth as you can (within reason), press the little thing to release the tablet then clamp her mouth shut, insert syringe into corner of mouth and squirt some water down to encourage her to swallow and help it down. As I said profender is probably an easier option though!
 
Don't make a big deal of it ;)

I've got one that will happily take the wormer tablet out of your hand as a treat (but he is a greedy b*gger). The other I squidge it into a piece of webbox* sausage treat thing, give a couple of bits with no pill, bit with pill, then the rest of the treat - job done. If I make it an issue it becomes one and he gets all stressed, this way he doesn't even notice.

*Or any other squidgeable treat thing
 
Hah! With our yard cat I've tried butter, prawns, chicken, cheese, nothing, pill popper, towel, determination, half Nelson, swearing, sugary kindness, screaming dementia, ripped fingers, spat out pills, giving up, one last try......the lot. Nothing worked. New livery joined yard, 3 young children all under 7, does it in half a second using a towel and magic powers!
 
What we do with CPL is tilt head back squeeze sides the
Jaw then put pill on back tongue and push with one finger


Pill pusher another way


Crush pill in carnation milk


Use kitten foodie
Pill in. All
Cats love kitten food


Buy some gourmet. Sachets



Or fresh chicken. Or
Fish. Sorry. Hard to list on iPhone. And it's. 30 dregrees
Here in Cyprus. Keyboard
Slimy with Creme
Lol
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Hah! With our yard cat I've tried butter, prawns, chicken, cheese, nothing, pill popper, towel, determination, half Nelson, swearing, sugary kindness, screaming dementia, ripped fingers, spat out pills, giving up, one last try......the lot. Nothing worked. New livery joined yard, 3 young children all under 7, does it in half a second using a towel and magic powers!
Click to expand...

Hahahaha, brilliant!

Sometimes all it takes is for someone else to step in. I could pill my old cat ok, my mum couldn't, never, ever managed. If I was away it took my mum and dad to tag team the cat :)

My current cat is ok, I favour the sneak up on her when she's in a deep sleep approach followed by treats by way of an apology :)
 
I squeeze the sides of the mouth to open, then put the pill in as far back as possible, clamp the mouth shut and gently rub the throat to make cat swallow. This is how the vets manage it anyway!
 
Probably going to get lynched for this, but with one of my cats who is particularly tricky, I get a stretchy cotton long sleeved top and shove her into the sleeve - her head sticks out the wrist end, but the Freddy Krueger claws are then trapped inside so I can get the pill inside her without being shredded.

It took me a while to find the right size sleeve for her (she's not a particularly big cat) and it is showing signs of wear, however, Raffles is not at all bothered by my improvised kitty-straitjacket and it makes pill delivery much easier for us both!
 
Box_Of_Frogs said:
Hah! With our yard cat I've tried butter, prawns, chicken, cheese, nothing, pill popper, towel, determination, half Nelson, swearing, sugary kindness, screaming dementia, ripped fingers, spat out pills, giving up, one last try......the lot. Nothing worked. New livery joined yard, 3 young children all under 7, does it in half a second using a towel and magic powers!
Click to expand...

This has made me laugh and laugh!!! Very funny.
 
Bit of raw chicken - make a cut inside and pop the pill in. The cat, who would take my arm off if I tried to put the pill directly in his mouth, gulps it down in one go and then looks at me for more!
 
Im sorry but this thread has made me giggle... god it brings back memories! Getting a pill down a cats throat is like a full on military operation isn't it?! We had one girl who had to be wrapped VERY tightly in a towel, and even then no towel was big enough to wrap her securely enough and cover all claws for long enough that you didn't come out completely unscathed! :D:D
 
I wrap mine in a towel, get OH to hold him tightly, put on my rubber gloves and press the side of his mouth to get him to open his mouth and chuck it in there. He also needs sedated to trim his claws
 
Approach cat from behind, casually,grab a piece of skin between it`s ears and pull back..this causes the mouth to drop open like a letter box..pill,either with a dispenser or fingers..shove well down throat and drop it`s skin.Probably it will have swallowed in shear shock,cats are best not forwarned of any attempt at treatment.:eek:Cat bites or deep scratches ,more so from yard type cats,are very often poisonous ,not funny ,and need immediate treatment before sepsis sets in,nasty creatures in fact.:)
 
http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-3597-milbemax-cat-tablet-2-8kg.aspx

These are designed to be tasty treats.....Well it works on very stupid cats as long as you smother the pill in butter(make sure it is organic,slightly salted butter!) and have a few prawns ready for pudding(if no prawns, organic,free range chicken might do.)

If that fails grab cat by scruff with one hand,secure between your knee and opposite elbow,prise jaws apart with middle finger and thumb,(pill is between index finger and thumb) shove pill to back of throat,clamp jaw with elbow and fingers and knee,rub throat with spare hand(yes you need three)
All this must be done within 2.5 seconds,any longer and you will fail to administer the medication.
 
We have same problem - one of them a total muppet who will just swallow pill straight down,no fuss & other who (tho you can see its done with reluctance ie.'Look,I don't want to do this but you're peeing me right off!') gets the teeth and claws out. Sometimes you get a lucky strike first time,others,he susses it all & there's no chance. I discovered my vets provide a service whereby vet nurse will administer drugs to cats free...excellent! Job done! Bit of a pain to drive him there but at least he doesn't spend days eyeing me suspiciously & 'not speaking' to me after my cack-handed efforts! (She made it look sooo easy too & cat loved her,before AND after!) Get the professionals in I say!
 
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