How to Give a Cat a Pill
Giving your pet cats medicine can sometimes be a pill. Fortunately, there are different methods that are open to you to try when feeding your cat some medicine. Here’s how.
Burrito Cat Method
Materials
Towel big enough to wrap a cat in
Syringe with clean drinking water
Butter (optional)
Cat food (optional)
Procedure
Have some cat food nearby to entice your cat. Don’t actively woo it, just let it stay there until the cat comes to you.
When the cat comes to you, take it in your arms, and carefully wrap a towel around it. You will end with a burrito-cat, with its head exposed. This is done to prevent the cat from striking out at you and to give it a sense of security.
Use your thumb and forefinger to press on the cat’s jaws to open its mouth.
If the vet allows it, you can dip the pill into some butter first to make it slide down the cat’s throat more smoothly.
Hold the head backwards and drop the pill carefully into the cat’s throat.
Get the syringe and aim it towards the pill. Inject water on the pill, to make sure that the pill goes down further.
Use one hand to keep the cat’s mouth closed and use your other hand to massage its throat. Massaging its throat will encourage the cat to swallow the pill.
A sign that the cat has swallowed the pill is when it starts licking its nose.
Give the cat a treat and praise it for swallowing the pill.
Crushed Pill Method
Before using this method, make sure this is an acceptable way of administering it. Some pills are not supposed to be crushed, but swallowed whole.
Materials
Spoon
Salad oil or butter
Small plate
Procedure
Use a spoon to crush the pill on a small plate.
Mix with a few drops of salad oil or melted butter.
Make sure your hands are clean.
Dab one finger into the mixture and smear it on your cat’s flank, its back end or its buttocks. The cat will lick it off its fur.
Continue doing this until the mixture has run out.
Hidden Pill Method
Materials
Special food or treat that are compatible to your cats
Spoons
Procedure
Use a special treat or food everytime that your cat doesn’t have very often. Ask your vet if the food you are about to use is acceptible and compatible to your cat.
Make your cat have a taste of the treat without the pill. Let it lick from the dish or from your finger.
Put the pill in with the food. Usually the cat will be too excited to notice that they ate a pill.
You can also try inserting the pill inside a treat, such as a sausage.
If your cat refuses to eat the pill whole, you can crush the pill instead. Again, make sure that your pill can be crushed when administered. Use a spoon to crush the pill and mix it with your cat food or cat treat.