How to pill any cat (kitten, liquid, dog, butt)

[catsmom21]

For pilling, I advise this: use a dot of something soft and wet s/he likes. You can try mayonnaise, yogurt, even a little soft butter or cream cheese. Just a drop will do. Make sure you have everything ready, in a bowl is good. Pill, and spoon with a little mayonnaise (or whatever)

Use the holding position. Kneel on the floor with your feet crossed behind you, hold kitty between your knees facing out. S/he will try to back away and will not be able to.

With cat in holding position (as described above), put a dot of the mayo (or whatever) on kitty's mouth to keep her busy and to get the saliva flowing (so the pill doesn't stick).

While kitty is licking her mouth, hold pill in one hand, pry open mouth with other, poke pill in, toward side of mouth and as far back as you can.

You can let go of her mouth at this point, but keep a hand on her to keep her still while you get another bit of yogurt (or mayo or...) on your finger and put a dot on her nose and mouth. She will lick off the yogurt and swallow, pill and all.

this can work with liquids too.

I make it sound easier than it is, at first. It does take practice. And you have to approach it with confidence, kitty will sense if you are hesitant. But once you master this method you'll be able to pill any cat, any time. I know I can!

Some pills (baytril for instance) are very bad tasting. For those it helps to put the pill into a plain empty gel capsule. Gel caps go down easier too. Check with vet or pharmacist before using capsules, as a capsule may affect the dissolving time and this may be an issue for some meds.

You can order empty gel caps on line.

ps, the wet treat on nose/mouth trick works with ear drops, eye drops or ointment, anything really, even nail trims! the idea is, 1)s/he associates the nastiness with something good, and 2) s/he's so busy licking her nose she forgets about the other stuff.

[lottamoxie]

Makes perfect sense! Thanks for posting.

I could give my golden retriever any pill anytime and she thought it was the most awesome treat ever--dipped the pills in peanut butter and she quivered with excitement.

Fortunately my kitty is young (1 yr old now) and healthy and I don't need to do battle with her yet.

[catsmom21]

Just be sure to handle her every day, now, so if the time comes, she will be used to being messed with.

My cats hate to be picked up (don't they all!) but I pick them up and/or hold them in the position described above a couple of times every day, just so they know that I will sometimes be picking them up or holding them, and it doesn't necessarily mean something awful will be happening.

All my cats except the baby are special needs and used to being messed with, now. Plus they get their teeth brushed every day.

The kitten (10 weeks old) is not used to being handled and at first would scream at deafening decibels, and struggle and scratch like crazy.

She's been here three weeks tomorrow, and is getting much better. I can hold her for a full minute or more before she starts struggling, and another 15 seconds before she screams. At first I would release her right away, but I now hold her until she stops screaming, then release her.

Tomorrow will be her third nail trim. Maybe I won't need the ear plugs this time, LOL!

[lottamoxie]

I pick up my cat ALL the time and kiss her and hold her. She permits it for about 30 seconds, max. She follows me from room to room though, and likes to be petted, and I do trim her nails (with much protest) every 10 days or so.

So she's used to me touching her, holding her and torturing her with kisses. She's not a particularly snugly cat unless she's really cold. She used to snuggle with my golden but my dog passed away so now it's just the 2 of us.

[catsmom21]

Torturing with kisses, heehee.

Mine are all lap cats, as long as it's their idea.

I'm so sorry for your loss of your beloved dog. I'm glad you and your kitty have each other.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by catsmom21

The kitten (10 weeks old) is not used to being handled and at first would scream at deafening decibels, and struggle and scratch like crazy.

She's been here three weeks tomorrow, and is getting much better. I can hold her for a full minute or more before she starts struggling, and another 15 seconds before she screams. At first I would release her right away, but I now hold her until she stops screaming, then release her.

Tomorrow will be her third nail trim. Maybe I won't need the ear plugs this time, LOL!

I thought I would follow up on the nail trim. She screamed, but not as loudly as usual and she did have quiet intervals in between her protestations. Putting miniscule dots of mayonaise on her mouth helped too. Difficult to scream and make yummy noises at the same time.

I'm glad she is quieting down some because she's polydactyl and it is a tricky thing to snip that little transparent claw deep in the cleft, especially if she is screaming in my ear.