Cats Magazine Article

How to Get Your Cat to Take a Pill

Ask any cat owner and he will tell you that getting any cat to take a pill can be an almost impossible task. Just like anyone else, a cat does not want something shoved forcefully down his throat. The cat simply does not realize that the pill is for his own good, and will do everything within his power to prevent you from administering his medicine.

Most individuals have no idea exactly how powerful the common household cat really is. That is because most people have never tried to give a cat a pill. Although cats are quite small in size when compared to a human, they are quite strong and come fully equipped with claws. Although the task of getting your cat to take a pill can be quite daunting, it is not an impossible task when approached the right way.

One of the easiest ways to make your cat take his medicine is to simply crush it up finely and mix it with his favorite wet kitty food. This works especially well since most cats are used to eating the dry cat food, your kitty will think of the wet medicine infused food as a real treat and be happy to eat it.

Medicine which comes in the capsule will be really easy to mix with the cat’s food. You simply need to pull the capsule apart and sprinkle it into the wet kitty food and let kitty self medicate!

Sometimes kitty may be too sick to eat, so the above mentioned method just simply will not work. If they will not eat, then you can’t trick them with spiked food. If this is the case with your cat, then you will have no choice other than to go with the manual medication.

If you find yourself with a sick cat and must manually forced the cat to take a pill, then you'll need to get what is called a pet piller. This device is actually a plastic rod with a soft tip which will hold a pill while you guide it down the cat's throat. You press a button and the pill will be released into the cat. Be certain that you get one of the model switch has the softest tip. If you decide to get this route, make sure that you have your veterinarian demonstrate how to use this device properly to avoid injuring your pet.

If you decide using a manual device to deliver your pet's medication is something you would rather not to, then you have two other alternatives. You can always pry your cat’s mouth open and use your finger to push the pill down the cat's throat, or you can have your pharmacist create a flavored gel which contains your cat's medication. You should be aware that if you decide to have the pharmacist to make a flavored gel specifically for your cat that it will probably be expensive.