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Kitty Tough to Medicate? Try These Tips!

Posted Fri, Jul 27, 2007, 10:00 am PDT

If you're like many cat owners, you dread the thought of trying to administer oral medication to your kitty. Here are some tips to make the process easier.

If your cat is prescribed a pill, but you know it's easier to administer liquid medication, ask your veterinarian if it comes in liquid form.
Many veterinarians can add flavors to liquid medication, such as chicken, tuna, or malt. If your veterinarian doesn't have those resources, your local pharmacy probably does. Ask your veterinarian whether the prescription can have added flavoring.
Some medications can be reformulated into transdermal form by a compounding pharmacy. Transdermal medication slowly absorbs through the skin. If you're unable to give your cat a pill or liquid, the transdermal method can be much easier. The medication is usually rubbed on the inside ear tip.
Don't crush medication in food, because cats have an acute sense of smell and can detect it. If the cat only partially eats the meal, then he won't be getting the appropriate amount of medication. And crushing a coated pill can expose the bitter-tasting medicine, causing the cat to reject it.
If your cat likes treats, there's a product available called Pill Pockets that can make medicating much easier. The treat has a pocket where you can hide the pill. Pill Pockets have a very strong taste and scent, and many cats readily eat them. The product is available at pet supply stores and online. You can also find them at our Web site. Many of my clients have been very happy with the product.
Pill guns are available at pet supply stores, if you're afraid to have your hands near your cat's teeth.

Stay tuned for my next blog entry, on easy medicating techniques. You can also find instructions in the book Think Like a Cat.

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28 Comments

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1. petratheartist - 1:43PM on 07/27/07

The pill gun is a good idea...I got bit pretty bad when just using my hands. Flavoring the liquid did nothing for my cat....regardless of the food we used. It was rank and he hated it. We decided on shots instead and that was also a disaster. Next, we will be trying the topical method. Cats are incredibly hard to give medicine to. If all meds could be in a topical solution like Heartgard, that would be wonderful!
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2. Jeanie M - 7:46PM on 07/27/07

One cat I used to have (yes he died) didn't mind the pills so bad, when I put butter on the tablet, it stuck to the butter, and he swallowed it a lot easier...
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3. Aleshia - 10:10PM on 07/27/07

The Pill Pockets are a God send. We've used them every time we've had to give our cat medication and he has never suspected that they aren't really treats. The trick is to feed the cat one or two without the medication and then give the one with the pill. We got ours from our vet, but I've seen them in many pet stores and they are well worth it.
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4. Googlemj - 7:11AM on 07/28/07

crush pills on cat food work for me. I put the gravy over the meds, and mix it in the middle of the food.
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5. pj - 12:58PM on 07/28/07

i'm a pet sitter and have used the pill popper device on numerous cats and dogs. i'ts so quick, they don't know what hitem and just go on playing or cuddling
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6. Precious's Mom - 12:21PM on 07/29/07

My vet suggested that I crush the pill that I have to give Precious and mix it with a few drops of water, then I put it in the syringe part of an injectionable, minus the needle, of course. Holding her head back, I insert the syringe at the side of her mouth and squirt. She never even knows she's had medicine. Works like a charm and they gave me the syringe to use for this. Not all pills can be crushed though, be sure to ask the vet if it's ok to crush.
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7. Sharon L - 10:21AM on 07/30/07

If you are using a pill gun and have trouble getting them to sit still, try swaddling them (not too tight) like a little baby in a towel. That way they cant scratch you or run away.
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8. KAT PET - 2:11PM on 07/30/07

I have one cat that I can give the pills to by putting them in her food and one that some times I can get to take the liquid but the other cat I have trouble with -just getting him to sit still long enough to de-flea him- much less medicate him and he only likes dry cat food. Any suggestions ?
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9. mm.marquardt@verizon.net - 12:41PM on 07/31/07

I volunteer at a local Animal Shelter in my area for the cats that are rescued, fosterd and adopted out by the volunteers that devote their time their. The women who started the program out of this shelter showed me how to medicate and clip kitten and cat claws with such simplicity for the cats ready for adoption under there care. I used this method on all four of my cats, which were all rescued. You simply sit on the floor on your calve muscles and tuck the cat/kitten between the V shape between your legs. Your back feet touch so the cat can't scoot out from the back, locking them in place. Your knees are pressed against the cat/kittens shoulders. Gently prey open their mouth, drop the pill down the back of their throat, and with a tinny skirt bottle, skirt a small stream of water into their mouth, close their mouth shut, and I scratch their throats while they swallow the water along with the pill form medication. I've done it to hundreds of cat out of the shelter that were adopable cats/kittens. I also use this method when clipping their nails. It really works, there'res nothing to it, once you've done it a few times. When the procedure is over, the cats walk away without any fuss.
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10. yes2justice - 12:04PM on 08/01/07

My cat has a lot of eye problems and often has to have eye drops. He hates it! Any suggestions?
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11. Don't Get Me S - 12:19PM on 08/01/07

The pill pockets are great as long as you feline doesnt figure out there is medicine inside, like mine did LOL! he picked out the pill and ate the pocket LOL! so I got a different flavor which helped so I try to switch up on flavors so he doesnt get bored.
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12. Mrs. B - 12:28PM on 08/01/07

And what about ear drops? Mine developed an ear infection and it was WWIII trying to get those in!
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13. Joshua C - 1:30PM on 08/01/07

I have no troubles with my cat. The vet showed me an awesome technique that always works. I take my right hand and put in on the back of his head, and sort of hook the back of his head with my middle and ring finger, then i use that thumb to tilt his head back. Then with the pill between my index and thumb, with my left middle finger I pry his little mouth open(from the side is easiest) and drop the pill in his mouth. And try to drop it directly in the back of his throat so he will swallow it quickly. I have to give my cat 2 pills every day for his asthma and this is tried and true the best way for me. And he has also gotten used to it and doesnt even fight it anymore.
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14. L S - 1:52PM on 08/01/07

Giving the medication as a liquid is a good idea, in theory. However 5 years ago when my cat was diagnosed with asthma the vet prescribed an oral med in liquid form. To this day we still don't know how she did it, but CK was able to spit the medication back out, foaming at the mouth. She looked like she had rabies! After I moved to California my vet there recommended inhalers and even though she doesn't like them, at least she can't spit the medication out! Next time she needs an oral med, I will definitely ask about the transdermal form. I didn't know they could make oral meds into topical ones for cats. Thanks for the info!
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15. angie - 5:14PM on 08/01/07

if it is liquid put it on there nose they will lick it off and it will be fine. just put small amounts on the nose
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16. jf - 5:19PM on 08/01/07

My (nearly) fool proof method is to bury the pill in a small bite of cream cheese. While I'm sure my kitty knows the pill is there, it's sticky enough to make the pill tough to spit out. And she always gets a few bites without the pill as well. We just call them snackers with a crunchy center!
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17. kitten_bombshell - 5:25PM on 08/01/07

Pill pockets are fantastic! Another way i administer pills to my cat is just poking a little hole into his regular treat and squishing the pill into the treat. The routine of every morning he gets a treat before I leave for work is helping too!
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18. Loooney2ns - 5:26PM on 08/01/07

I grind up my cat's pills and mix them with vanilla ice cream(he doesn't like any other flavor). He laps it up like crazy! It only takes half a teaspoon full and he never leaves any on his plate. I think the ice cream masks the bitter taste.
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19. Jan - 5:36PM on 08/01/07

My orange tabby Fred got a pill stuck in his throat, and the irritation the disolving pill caused stopped him from eating. Liquid medications didn't work either after that episode. The vet suggested the transdermal method, which worked GREAT!!! Turns out, it was cheaper than the rx's from the vet. Not all meds, however, are available for transdermal transmission. Also, I tricked my sister's 4 cats into taking traveling tranquilizers by coating the pill with butter first. While it worked for me, it also keeps one of the cats off of her cupboard looking for the butter dish!
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20. leah b - 5:38PM on 08/01/07

With pills, I use the Straw method- get 2 straws, on wider than the other- make a plunger out of it, by sliding the skinny straw through the wide one, cutting it to fit my hand- open her mouth and use it like a syring- I have such a hard time using my fingers near her mouth- shes a bitter, it worked great and she couldn't spit it out!
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21. Jamie - 5:46PM on 08/01/07

i hide my cat's pill in about half a teaspoon of yogurt. she loves it (esp pina colada which works b/c it has lil chunks in it that the pill can blend in with). but sometimes she figures out there is a pill in it, she wont eat it. I just put her other food up for an hour or so until she eats the yogurt. (No dinner til she finishes dessert!)
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22. livesonarock - 5:48PM on 08/01/07

hold the kitty in your lap with your left arm, pry her mouth open with your left hand, hold it open with your left index finger and thumb, put the pill way in the of her throat with your right index and thumb , hold her mouth closed and blow twice in her face. She will swallow and you will be finished. Works like a charm
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23. rebecca - 6:30PM on 08/01/07

what if you can't grab your cat to perform all these tricks on them? My female cat knows what's coming, and therefore hides under the middle of the bed. It's super traumatic and almost not worth it to medicate her.
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24. ronda - 8:55PM on 08/01/07

Here's the best method of ALL & it answer's rebecca's question too!! With the pill in one hand, you nonchalantly come from behind your cat and before he knows what's going on, grab his head with your palm in front of his ears and your thumb on one side of his upper jaw and fingers on the other side and then jerk his head back. This will cause his mouth to open wide which allows you to put the pill on the back of his tongue by his throat, let go and he immediately swallows it. This sounds rough, but if you do it right, it WORKS EVERYTIME!! I learned this trick from my vet. Good luck.........
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25. BIGB D - 9:34AM on 08/02/07

I wrap them in a towel real tight and sit down in the corner of the couch. I wrap one arm around them to brace them and open their mouth and one to pop the medicine in the mouth and if they try to wiggle away the cant' go anywhere because they back into the corner of the couch; it's over before they know it.
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26. Rock - 11:52PM on 08/15/07

Because I have Parkinson's giving medication to my pets is not easy but the transdermal thyroid medication rubbed in the ear worked well. When we added chemo to my senior cats daily routine my son moved home to help me and I held my kitty while he administered liquid medication from a dropper. Had I not had his help I guess we would have that be transdermal as well. You do what you have to especially when your closest friends are cats.
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27. Mel - 6:50AM on 04/14/08

Giving my fur baby pills or drops--our vet usually prescribes liquid--isn't too much of a problem. I crush pills in some canned food and he gobbles them up. My problem is getting eye drops in each eye without getting clawed to pieces!
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28. petalwing_ms - 5:05PM on 05/10/08

To Mel-try a old pillow case. Just stick them in and then wrap them up like they're in a towel. With just the head sticking out, they can't fight as much.
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