Why do cats make it so damn hard on you when you're trying to give them their meds so that they can feel better? The cat has the attitude of, "Oh hell to the no, I ain't goin' for this!" It's a vast contrast to a dog, who will take the meds more willingly without a fuss. I swear, as soon as I go to give one of my cats their meds, they sense it, and run away, making it hard for me to grab them. If they don't run away, and I'm able to pick them up and get the pill into their mouth, they wind up spitting it out, or struggling so much that they claw me half to death.

It's the same thing when you go to take the cat to the vet's. As soon as they see the carrier come out, they run and hide.

Gotta love cats for their independent, "I'm not takin this shit" attitude, but they sure make it tough on you when you're trying to help them.

Do you have one of those pill-shooter-in-the-cat's-throat thingies? They help SO much.

applekisses said:

Hi apple! Yup, I have one of those, but the cat still manages to spit out his pill. Little stinker!

psychodelicide said:

Does he get all foamy at the mouth?

applekisses said:

Not so much foamy, but he just won't keep the pill in where it's supposed to be.

How to give your cat a pill

1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding front and rear paws lightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cat's head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foilwrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from hearth and set to one side for glueing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse's armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat's mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbour's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Ring the fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap,

13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour ½ pint of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Get spouse to drive to you to emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for vet to make a house-call.

That's cute!

Use a syringe into the cats mouth or another way is to put the medication mixed in with the food (crush the pill if that's what you are using).

there is a point in an animals neck where if something get put there they have no choice but swallow it. You have to hold your cats head and stick the pill down back behind the toung. Then you hold their mouth shut while rubbing their front neck.

MickG said:

That's cruel

luv4u said:

It's kind of true though (except for the "toung" part). You just have to force them to swallow it. Cats don't want to do anything that you try to get them to do, even if they really wanted to do it. You push, they push the other way. It's ridiculous! If they need medicine you just have to put it inside them.

this is why I hope and pray my boy is not diabetic...there 's no way I'll be able to medicate him.


Lucky was the reason someone wrote that email story

yeah cats are stubborn. They want to do their own thing.

luv4u said:

Animals often leave no option. I had to use that technique to get my dachshund to take his pills. Just praise them and give them treats like crazy, once the ordeal's over.

All cats are pissy about that shit...all ya do is pry their mouth open..shove the pill back there...hold their mouth shut and massage their throat and it will go down...granted they will be pissy and act like it killed them, but they will get over it 5 minutes later.

I remember I was staring at this cat and it attacked my face.

luv4u said:

cruel is a perception of rights. This way doesn't harm the animal. It gets the needed medication into the place it needs be. This is the way I was trained while an animal tech, and it is the pratice of most vets and animal techs.

We humans have larinxs that makes sticking things down the back of the throath troublesome, right girls, but animals don't.

butterfli25 said:

My cat was diabetic...she grew out of it--don't ask, I don't know...but
she did very well with the shots, right in the scruff of her neck..She adapted to the point that she woke me up for her shot in the morning, and even this morning acted like a little freak, so I pinched her neck and she calmed down...