my cat won't take her meds

josiespcah6ojsh

josiespcah6ojsh

Cathlete
they gave me liquid but i discovered i cannot do that on my own.so i went back and the vet cut pills in 1/4.so i went home and tried putting it in wet food but didnt work.so i went to petco and bought pill pockets.that did not work. what else can i do? i waisted most of the day trying to figure this out.

laura
 
Hi Laura!
This is so tough, I know!! It also depends on the personality of the cat, which can make the whole process either easier, or extremely difficult! :confused: When one of our cats needed meds we wrapped him in a blanket (so he couldn't accidentally scratch with his legs or get away), so only his head was sticking out. Then I would grab his scruff (the back of his neck) and my hubby would open his mouth and quickley pop the pills in with a syringe that our vet provided. It was so stressful!!! (Well for me anyway, my hubby is very "calm, cool and collected")! He needed pills for a week and then his fever still wasn't gone, so then we had another week of liquids! I feel for you!! Try the idea above if you can.

Good luck and I hope your little kitty gets better soon!!
 
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Pilling cats is NOT fun. Wrapping in a towel or blanket usually works well. Just make sure they are secure because they have an amazing ability to free a paw and slash at you. I usually wrap them and then sit with them between my legs. Open the mouth as wide as you can and put the pill back as far as possible. If it's at all towards the middle or front of the mouth they will get hold of it with their tongue and out it goes! Good luck.
 
Also, you may find stroking their throat gently may help - in many cats this activates their swallowing reflex.
 
This was years ago, but I had this same battle when our cat was sick. There was a nutritional gel that came in a tube--cats like the taste, and you can coat the pill in it. I got it through the vet. Sorry, I don't remember the name--nutri something-or-other. It worked pretty well until the cat caught on. It's sure a battle!

Good luck,

Elsie
 
elsie3 said:
This was years ago, but I had this same battle when our cat was sick. There was a nutritional gel that came in a tube--cats like the taste, and you can coat the pill in it. I got it through the vet. Sorry, I don't remember the name--nutri something-or-other. It worked pretty well until the cat caught on. It's sure a battle!

Good luck,

Elsie
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Was it Nutrimalt? Cats love the malt flavor. You can get it at Petco or any other pet supply store.
 
tonight i will try putting it in her mouth while i set on my couch and wrap her in a blanket. i will stop by petco again for the nutrimalt. she has overgroth bacteria. i did not notice she was having loose stools til i changed to her old litterbox-rectangle shapped. her one before had high back and sides. thanks!

laura
 
Laura, I puta little butter on the pill, open the mouth (or just stuff it in) and rub the nose, this makes my cat lick her nose and also makes her swallow. I just hold her tight under my arm, but the towel's not a bad idea. Good Luck:) Kay
 
*disclaimer* - I'm not a cat owner, not really a cat person, either, but it seems like a reasonable idea...

What about opening up a fish oil capsule and covering the pill with it? I have no idea what would work for a cat. When one of my dogs had to have pills, I would wrap it in ham or cheese or something like that. He would take the whole thing, eat the ham, then spit out the pill. We ended up having to hold his mouth open and throw it down his mouth, holding his mouth closed until we were sure he had swallowed it. Half the time he would keep it in his mouth and then spit it out after we let go.

Good luck.
 
My cat, Madrid, refused to take his medicine either. I would get it down his throat on how the vet told me to do, he would spit it back out and then raise his noise up at me and leave. Because of this due to his severe URI, he ended being fed orally with a tube in the hospital and with steroids. Now, three years later, he loves his vet because they gave him lots of love while he was there for seven days.
Try the gel and keep your vet posted.
 
I use Laughing Cow cheese. It is soft, comes in these tiny little squares, and my cat loves it. The one I get is swiss, I think - comes in a green package. I tried everything under the sun but he is too smart - he will pick the pill out. This cheese forms a ball perfectly and he doesn't even try to pick it apart. Here they are: http://www.laughingcow.com/default.asp?section=laughingcow&gclid=CLKy0cb37ZgCFRk_awodAwdp1g

Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Bites - Creamy Swiss. My cat loves them so much he tries to eat the paper afterwards if I don't immediately throw it away!! Good luck. If you look for these, they are often in the deli dept rather than with cheese.
 
Stebby said:
Also, you may find stroking their throat gently may help - in many cats this activates their swallowing reflex.
Click to expand...

Yes: after you get the pill back as far as you can, close their mouth (make sure the tongue is out of the way), tip their nose up, and gently stroke the neck. When their tongue comes out to lick their lips, the pill is usually down (I say 'usually' because I have a Houdini cat, Pete, who is able to not get down pills of any kind).

If pills are cut into pieces, that means there is a rougher edge, which can sometimes stick to the tongue. Coating the pill in a bit of butter can help make it slipperier.

And if you give the pill by hand (I do), make sure someone with small fingers does it.

Some pills can be crushed and mixed with a yummy wet food (this is how I pill Pete). Unfortunately, antibiotics tend to taste very bitter, so they are harder to pass off this way.

Good luck!

(Whenever I get meds for my cats, I prefer sub-Q injections---I''m a pro at those!--but that's not possible for all types of meds).
 
I am currently taking care of 24 cats.

I find the liquid is by far far and away the easier to give. I've nearly lost a finger trying to do the pills. There's a trick to it because I watch the vet assistants do it and the cats swallow them right down. For me? They're like secret agents; they tuck the pill in the side of their mouths and look at me and when I release them, blip - out it comes on the floor! GGRRRR

There's a method to the liquid though. It may seem like you're mounting your cat, but I swear it works! Get kitty, have syringe loaded, hold kitty on the ground and put your entire body over kitty. Cross your feet in the back so kitty can't scoot backward out between your legs. (I find it easier to do with my running shoes on -they're bigger so they block the area more). hold kitty firmly - act as if your body is a cup over kitty on the floor - grab kitty gently/firmly by back of the neck, turn head to the side and insert syringe in the back corner of mouth. Gently work syringe in and kitty's mouth will open - be ready to squirt.

Sounds like it's brain surgery, but I swear it works like a charm!
 
i've been lucky so far. i put the pill in a soft treat and she ate it. i did buy a pill popper if needed. hope not then she would be mad. i used a chicken press mallet that mahed the pill in powder form to put over her dry food.so i think that will work

laura
 
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