Mary Allen
If the cat has to take a pill, good advice is expensive. Many cats are too smart to outsmart them. With our tricks, it still works.
Giving the cat a pill is not that easy. Cats quickly notice if you do something unfamiliar to them, e.g. B. wants to cheer a tablet.
Often the whole bowl has been licked empty, but the tablet is still in it. Or even worse: The cat does not touch the food at all if a tablet is hidden in it.
If your little darling has to take medication, you have to use a trick or two to ensure that the medicine gets to your stomach. Your vet will tell you if your cat’s medication can be given with food or if it needs to be eaten on an empty stomach.
Trojan meatballs help
If the tablet or capsule can be given with food, you can make a “Trojan Meatball” by sticking the drug in the center of a small ball of cat food or cheese. Choose the treat that your cat loves the most. But beware! These foods are toxic to cats!
Always give your cat a test ball to make sure she eats it. Then look closely to see if she’s chewing the ball or swallowing it whole.
Cats are more likely to chew their food than dogs, so cats often eat the meatball and spit out the pill or capsule. This results in the tablet or capsule partially dissolving and then becoming very difficult to handle. The best solution is, therefore: With one Haps everything is gone.
Don’t bite the pill
If the cat bites the pill or capsule, it will leave a bad taste in her mouth. Then it becomes much more difficult to administer the drug on the second attempt. So you have to decide what works best with your cat.
Giving the cat medication: Here’s how
The following tricks should help you give your cat medication when you can’t give the pill or capsule in a meatball.
Please be careful with all tricks! If you give your cat oral medication, you could get bitten. If this happens, clean the wound thoroughly and consult a doctor.
Medications for oral administration can be in pill, capsule, or liquid form.
It’s that easy to give your cat medication
Gift by hand
- Hold the cat’s head from above with your left hand if you’re right-handed. The cat’s cheekbones (known as the zygomatic arches) provide a convenient grip to hold the head in place without making the cat uncomfortable.
- Tilt your head back. Then the cat often drops its lower jaw.
- Hold the pill or capsule in your right hand between your thumb and forefinger. You can place one of the remaining fingers on your right hand on the lower front teeth to hold the lower jaw open.
- Hold your finger over the small incisors, NOT over the sharp canines. Drop the pill or capsule over the tongue as far as possible, then immediately close the mouth and blow on the cat’s nose to encourage swallowing.
Pilling
There are several types of pilling devices that allow you to place a pill or capsule over the base of the tongue so you don’t have to put your fingers in the cat’s mouth. There are different ways to hold the pilling device.
How to proceed:
- Hold the device between your thumb and middle finger, with your index finger positioned to “squeeze” the trigger.
- Or you can hold the device between your index and middle fingers with your thumb to “pull” the trigger. Tilt its head back and the cat will often reveal its lower jaw.
- If the cat won’t open its mouth, open the lower jaw with the middle finger of the hand holding the pilling device.
- Insert the pill at the end of the pilling device over the base of the tongue.
- Press the plunger onto the pilling device with your thumb or forefinger to deposit the pill far back in the cat’s mouth.
Give liquid
The liquid medication is administered into the pocket between the teeth and cheek. The medication is quickly injected into this pouch, the mouth is closed and the throat is stroked or the nose is blown sharply to encourage the cat to swallow.
Liquids are more likely to accidentally enter the windpipe than pills or capsules. Therefore, do not tilt the cat’s head back too far to avoid the fluid getting into the cat’s windpipe.
If you’re having trouble giving your cat a pill or capsule, talk to your veterinarian. Some drugs can be suspended in liquid, while others lose their potency when dissolved in liquid.
Important: This information is not a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow your veterinarian’s instructions. Also, be gentle with your pet.
By the time it needs medication, it’s already ailing. Therefore, give the love and care that your cat especially needs right now!