Kitty won't take pills
Kitty won't take pills
I was given some antibiotics in the form of pills. He will not eat his canned food. I even mixed it with his dry food, and nothing. I tried putting it in his mouth and making him swallow and he spits it out. Help. Thanks
Call the vet back and get the liquid form of the antibiotics. DO NOT force a pill down a cat's throat if you're not comfortable with giving pills. Also do NOT put it in his food! It is bitter tasting and your kitty will avoid his food if you put his pills in it. Also ask for a different veterinary brand of the food. Ask the vet for samples of both the dry and canned, in the event your kitty may actually prefer the dry form.
Did you mix it with canned Friskies or canned Iams as I suggested before?
Did you mix it with canned Friskies or canned Iams as I suggested before?
..........Traci
Re: Kitty won't take pills
The after hours vet is about an hour away. Do you know a technique for administering a pill to a cat. I don't want to force it, but if there is a way I would like to try. You have been a great deal of help. Thank you so much for all your help.
Stacy
Stacy
Re: Kitty won't take pills
***My disclaimer here is that I am not a vet, nor trained by a vet in any way... This is simply the way that works best for me and my cat, and has not been evaluated by a veterinary professional.
Here is the way that I give my dude his pills (he gets one every night).
1) First of all, stay calm and relax!
2) I sit him on the ground and straddle him in a kneeling position. I don't actually sit down on him, but my legs on either side and my body above gives him a lot fewer options for running away and frees up your hands (now that he's used to it all, I usually don't have to straddle him, I just sit next to him and he holds still, but that's what I did in the beginning).
3) I'm right handed... I grab his upper jaw with my left hand thumb and index fingers, with my pinky sort of curled around at the back of his head/base of his neck. That gives me a little bit of a pivot point to tilt his head back a bit.
4) I make sure that I've got the pill ready to go between the thumb and index finger of my right hand.
5) I tilt his head back just a little bit (enough to see in) with my left hand and use my middle or ring finger on my right hand to open up his lower jaw.
6) Then I drop the pill into his mouth and rub his head and neck until I'm sure he's got it down. (I would be careful not to throw it too far back in his mouth, so that he doesn't choke on it.)
*You need to make sure that you drop the pill onto the center of his tongue, and not to the side. If I get it to the side, he spits it out, but when I get it on the center of the tongue, towards the back of the mouth, he swallows it.
*You know that the cat has swallowed the pill when they stick out their tongue and lick their upper lip/nose. They haven't swallowed the pill when they sit there thrusting their tongue about, trying to get that thing out of their mouth... Then it's time to try again.
*I always give Spike treats right after he's gotten his pill. Now he knows that the routine is that every night when I'm going to bed he gets his pill, then he gets his treats. He even comes into the dining room and sits down, waiting to take his pill. I'm not sure if it's because of the treats, because of his good temperament, or because he's figured out that the pills make him feel better. But a cooperative cat certainly makes things go a lot better!
Here is the way that I give my dude his pills (he gets one every night).
1) First of all, stay calm and relax!
2) I sit him on the ground and straddle him in a kneeling position. I don't actually sit down on him, but my legs on either side and my body above gives him a lot fewer options for running away and frees up your hands (now that he's used to it all, I usually don't have to straddle him, I just sit next to him and he holds still, but that's what I did in the beginning).
3) I'm right handed... I grab his upper jaw with my left hand thumb and index fingers, with my pinky sort of curled around at the back of his head/base of his neck. That gives me a little bit of a pivot point to tilt his head back a bit.
4) I make sure that I've got the pill ready to go between the thumb and index finger of my right hand.
5) I tilt his head back just a little bit (enough to see in) with my left hand and use my middle or ring finger on my right hand to open up his lower jaw.
6) Then I drop the pill into his mouth and rub his head and neck until I'm sure he's got it down. (I would be careful not to throw it too far back in his mouth, so that he doesn't choke on it.)
*You need to make sure that you drop the pill onto the center of his tongue, and not to the side. If I get it to the side, he spits it out, but when I get it on the center of the tongue, towards the back of the mouth, he swallows it.
*You know that the cat has swallowed the pill when they stick out their tongue and lick their upper lip/nose. They haven't swallowed the pill when they sit there thrusting their tongue about, trying to get that thing out of their mouth... Then it's time to try again.
*I always give Spike treats right after he's gotten his pill. Now he knows that the routine is that every night when I'm going to bed he gets his pill, then he gets his treats. He even comes into the dining room and sits down, waiting to take his pill. I'm not sure if it's because of the treats, because of his good temperament, or because he's figured out that the pills make him feel better. But a cooperative cat certainly makes things go a lot better!
Re: Kitty won't take pills
That's why I said to ask for the liquid form.
I hesitate to tell you because you've already had so many problems. If you're not comfortable giving a pill, you're going to only make matters worse. Call the vet, ask them if you can skip tonite's dosage, then make the trip FIRST thing tomorrow to get the liquid form (because your kitty needs his FIRST dose the FIRST thing in the morning). You need to at least call the vet back TONITE and ask them if you can skip tonite's dosage. They might suggest you dissolve the pill in a syringe or eyedropper of water, and give it in the mouth via syringe, but if you don't have a sterile syringe (without the needle of course), then this is useless.
Call the vet, please.
I hesitate to tell you because you've already had so many problems. If you're not comfortable giving a pill, you're going to only make matters worse. Call the vet, ask them if you can skip tonite's dosage, then make the trip FIRST thing tomorrow to get the liquid form (because your kitty needs his FIRST dose the FIRST thing in the morning). You need to at least call the vet back TONITE and ask them if you can skip tonite's dosage. They might suggest you dissolve the pill in a syringe or eyedropper of water, and give it in the mouth via syringe, but if you don't have a sterile syringe (without the needle of course), then this is useless.
Call the vet, please.
..........Traci
Re: Kitty won't take pills
I'm having a lot of luck with Pill Pockets. Sometimes they don't work, but lately they are wonderful. It is a treat with a hole it in; you put the pill in and close it up. They are available at pet stores and I buy them at the vet too.
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Ireland529
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:54 pm
Re: Kitty won't take pills
My cat has to take a pill every day. She is on anti antxiety meds. Anyway, I'd been trying to figure out the besy way to get her the pill since Fedruary. I finally found the best way. My cat is used to be scruffed, so if your cat is not, I wouldn't suggest this method. I pulverize the pill. I then get a little bit of olive oil on a spoon. I pick her up, then get her by the scruff of the neck. She doesn't move and I can tilt her head back. This make it easier to open her mouth and she can't bite as easy. I get a oil on my finger and then dredge it in the crushed pill. I get most of it in one scoop. Then I stick my finger in her mouth and kind of wipe it on her tounge. I do this til the pill is gone, usually 2 or 3 times. I then give her a treat. She's gotten so used to it, that when the time come when I usually do this, she starts crying for a treat and afterwords she doesn't run away, but stands by her food bowl, where I give her her treat. I can do this by myself, without holding her down or having anyone help me. I've tried all the other ways and this is by far the easiest I've tried.
Re: Kitty won't take pills
Ireland, why is your cat on "anti-anxiety" drugs?
Please stop using olive oil, this should never be used in this manner, nor for long-term. The vet can compound this into liquid medication, but the important thing is the condition for which he prescribed this medication, what is it for???
Please stop using olive oil, this should never be used in this manner, nor for long-term. The vet can compound this into liquid medication, but the important thing is the condition for which he prescribed this medication, what is it for???
..........Traci
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mamabear
- Formerly mamaof4soon
- Posts: 589
- Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:39 pm
- Location: The Garden State
Re: Kitty won't take pills
Yep I'm curious too, why is kitty on this medicine?
How old is kitty?
How old is kitty?
Almost 7 years in remission from Graves disease and no meds!
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Ireland529
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 9:54 pm
Re: Kitty won't take pills
She's 3. After moving back to my parents house after living by ourselves for a few years, she began urinating in inappropriate places. It was either get rid of her, which was not an option, or find a way to stop this behavior. I took her to the vet and he prescribed her this medication. The amount of oil she gets is negligable, just enough to wet my finger so the pill sticks. It doesn't stick as well if I just wet my finger with water. I've been doing this for a few weeks and have seen no ill effects on my cat.