How to Pill a Cat, the Easy Way.

Intro: How to Pill a Cat, the Easy Way.

Well, my mother bought this beautiful Selkirk rex, but it turned out, her entire litter was infected with a parasite. *sigh* We got the medicine, but sadly enough, tuna is not her flavor... Gravy on the other hand she gobbles up without even tasting. We also have 5 other cats, so I had to think of something to get her to eat her pill, and only her. I came up with this!

STEP 1: What You Will Need

1. A needle-less syringe, I picked mine up at the drugstore for less than a buck.
2. Can, jar or mix yourself pack of your kitties favorite flavor gravy (don't worry, your not giving them tons, so as a short term diet effector, it's not terrible)
3. Your pill.
4. small shallow bowl
5. Spoon
Or instead of 4 & 5 a mortar and pestle (make sure it's a marble or smooth ceramic, you don't want to lose the pill, or have it stuck forever in your pestle)

STEP 2: Gravy Preperation!

Make gravy according to directions, if your using ready made jar gravy, warm it up and jump to next step.

STEP 3: Pulverize the Pill

I used a mortar and pestle, so it came out real fine, but basically take that pill and crush it into a fine powder. It has to be fine or it will never fit through the small opening of the syringe. I have taken a close up pic of what your pill should look like, any chunkier than this and your never gonna get it through.

STEP 4: Mix the Concotion

Depending on the size of your pill you only want about a tablespoon of gravy (we had a large pill, and had to use the whole tablespoon)
Slowly stir the powder into the gravy (not the other way, the pill will clump if you do).

STEP 5: Suck Up the Juice!

Pull the gravy into the syringe, it will be thick, but will go in easy as long as you made the powder fine.

Hold the cat like a baby and squirt just a small amount on it's nose so it gets the taste, once it know whats going on, it will lap at the syringe, continue depressing it until it's empty.

Congrats! You just pilled your cat, and it will love you for it!

Comments

[SusanJ63]

I have read somewhere to wait 12 hours to make sure they are good and hungry, and then hide it in a treat. give them one with no pill, then one with a pill, then again one with no pill. like i said before, gooey american cheese has worked for me. some cats like fish and other treats, but if they ever find it in that treat, they seem to have good memories, and may never eat the treat again. If possible, make sure the portion is small enough for them to swallow it in one bite, but the pill is very hidden.

[SusanJ63]

I have found that using american cheese works. it is gooey, and they
don't seem to find the pill in it. velveta works good, or probably the
slices too. cats are smart, so only time will tell if it will keep
working.

[ElisaG11]

I have read so many tips, but my cat is very skittish and sees me coming. He takes off, so the problem is getting hold of him to 'burrito' or anything else. At my wits end here.

[1roswell]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! My part Persian finicky cat actually took medicine for the first time in 18 years! That was a Godsend suggestion! It worked the first time. Thank you, again!

[CeeK]

I might have to ring the vet and see if crushing the pill will help my cat.

He's heavy and strong, and caught on to the pill-inside-the-treat game very quickly, eating the treat part but spitting the pill back out so he could get more treat!

I have to prise his jaw open to get him the medication he needs to take to stop the sides of his mouth getting infected, and he can't tell that I'm just trying to help :(

[katerlyn]

I had to keep looking for ideas, my cat with pleural effusion vomited a lot of liquids when i tried this way. 8-(. capsules are helping but still not our answer...I did some videos to help others, but after 30 days i am still floundering.

[KDS4444]

I have a cat whom nothing gets past. I have tried to hide pills and fractions of pills in everything-- he sniffs all of his food very carefully before he even considers biting it, and if he detects the slightest irregularity, he will reject the whole food item. He is a picky eater anyway. Will not eat Greenie's Pill Pockets even with NO pill in them! He is also as wiry as a python, and (justifiably) suspicious of anything unusual. Will NOT be placed on his back "like a baby." I am going to try mixing a tapeworm pill into some gravy and putting it in a rubber "ear medication" syringe and see if I can squirt it into his mouth enough for him to just swallow some of it. Things are getting desperate here.

[sbadri]

I've done that with my sick dog , after he was better he would refuse to eat the certain flavor cause he would think it got medication in it ...

[pixie353]

Using the straw sounds like a great idea except I wonder if the pill could accidentally be shot down the windpipe instead!

[tackam]

Caveats: - Cats should not be given garlic or onion, and most gravy mixes will contain one or both of these ingredients. Try watering down plain meat baby food instead (read the ingredients! some of these also contain onion/garlic). - Some pills have a time-release formula and can cause overdose if given crushed. Plus, fat vs water solubility of active ingredients may mean that crushing and mixing is a bad idea. Check with your pharmacist. - Some pharmacies can compound drugs into a palatable liquid (some have meat-flavored compounds just for pets), which simplifies dosing if you're giving the medication for more than a couple of days.

[TschNJ]

During my most recent cat's illness, I spoiled my Sunny rotten by feeding her baby food meat.  There is nothing except meat in 'meat' baby food.  I fed her turkey and added a separate vegetable like sweet potato in a small portion and she liked it.  Also beef is only beef in the baby food line.  It's when you try to use a pre-mixed beef and vegetable baby food that it becomes a problem:  it DOES contain either garlic or onion powder.  I use separate meet- and vegetable-only and pour a little of the veggy food into the meat after it's been emptied onto a plate.  Sunny likes beef and carrot.  I cannot continue to feed her this way since there is no, or very little taurine which cats require for their eyes.

[karent]

I must be really "old-fashioned", but when I had cats and they needed pills, I would grab them by the scruff of their necks (like their mother did when she carried them around) with my left hand, open their mouth, if it wasn't open, and put the pill way back towards the throat, then close the mouth with the left hand, hold it closed and stroke the throat downwards to make them swallow. Never had problems except with one cat who had a bad mouth, but I can't remember how I handled her!lol Holding them by the scruff, they usually can't/don't move much.

[TschNJ]

What you describe is how I gave my (late) Marley a pill.  I made sure that my nails were trimmed short so I didn't scratch the inside of his mouth.  He was so easy to pill.  I could have given him a placebo and he'd feel better!

[bwpatton1]

I do believe that is how our vet told us to do it, lol

[NXTreme]

The thing that works every single time for me is actually quite nice for the puss. My cat loves cheese so I cut a little block of it, push the end of a straw through it to make a hole, put the pill in the hole, fill the ends of the hole up with some more pieces of cheese and then give it to him. He has never once guessed what was inside so its actually quite easy. No cat burritos, no bloody fingers, it just works!

[ThinkBeforeYouSpeak]

why are cats so nasty? they lick them selves, shed, and puke and poop everywhere

[NXTreme]

I take it you have never seen an outdoors cat. Most cats that stay inside do get annoying but most cats that spend most of their time outside are actually quite clean.

[Madrigorne]

If you clean their litterbox regularly, most cats will poop only in the litter box. If you feed them hairball control food - and feed them regularly (so they will not gorge) they will excrete the hairballs out in their poop - in the litter box - and as such will not puke. If you brush your cat regularly, they will not shed so much, will not have so many hairballs, and will be a much healthier cat over all. All cats lick themselves. That's just something you're going to have to get over.

[hishealer]

Cats are not clean, they are just covered in cat spit! >.<

[Dystonia]

well speaking only for myself i watch vet get cat to take small pill for fleas-it was on a slick table top and he just used thumb and other finder on jaw hinge and index finger under nose to top teeth at lip-sort of got ahold of teeth as well in middle  -pulled back--"nice view inside" -pop pill in  to back on top of tongue -and close mouth they will swallow -don't get it past tonge -they will gag it -it works 99% of time-for me  100% if done correctley