Giving Medicine to Cats:
A Step-By-Step Guide
Giving your cat medicine does not have to be an unpleasant experience. To do it well, follow a process that involves restraining, giving medicine and then rewarding your feline friend.
How to Give Medicine to a Cat or Kitten
Dear Simba,
I have a 16-year-old spayed female cat. She has always been a moody cat and has never tolerated change very well. Keeping up with her moods has been an ordeal! About a year ago we got a new dog. Our other dog had cancer and had to be put down. Pussa did
not like this and became quite aggressive.
She would attack anything and anyone. We tried her on some medication. It did not
really help and I do not remember what we had put her on. A year passed and she has figured out that the dog is not going
away and has settled down.
Her new thing is howling all night! She gets so loud that she wakes everyone up. Our vet has spent hours trying to figure out what to do with her. He ran bunches of
tests and this 16-year-old cat is very healthy. He tried anipril
(which is normally for dogs). The problem with this is I cannot
get the medication down her! I do not know how she knows, but no
matter what methods of hiding it in food do not work. She will
not eat the food. I have tried everything. I do not put it in the
food when she is around I have tried the best of cat foods, her
favorite meats, dissolving it in milk. Shoving it down her throat
worked for a bit but then she decided she could be bulimic and
just walks off and makes herself throw up!
How can I get her medicine in her and make it stay there!! Also,
when we are trying to get medicine down her she then starts to
become aggressive! Signed, Owner of a Stubborn Old
Kitty
Dear Owner of a Stubborn Old Kitty,
How very frustrating this must be for you. Ask your vet if the
medicine comes in anything other than pill form. I am a big fan
of pastes, since these tend to be easier to give and much more
difficult to regurgitate on the cat's part.
Assuming that there is no paste or topical form, I recommend that
you break the little pill up into smaller pieces and give it to
her in small doses as part of a strong smelling food (i.e., oily
tuna). Your cat may be able to detect the whole application in
one meal, but her success rate in detecting the medicine will be
reduced if the food has a stronger smell to it. I like what you
have done by dissolving it in milk. If you have not tried so
already, try feeding her the dissolved milk solution in a beaker.
Again, this will be easier to administer and more difficult to
regurgitate. As for her aggression, I would consider giving her
the medicine in a small room and doing so only if there are two
people giving her the medicine. One to hold her, both hands on
her upper torso, right below her front legs and the other opening
her mouth and feeding her the medicine with a beaker. Here are
some additional tips for giving medicine to your cat.
Step#1: How to Restrain a Cat
- Be gentle and firm.
- Place your cat on a table or bench.
- Have the other adult hold each of the cat's elbows so
that they are locked straight while tucking the cat's body
against theirs. Or wrap the cat in a large towel so only the head
is visible.
- Have the adult lean on the cat to keep him against the
table.
- Try to wear a sweater or shirt so if the cat tries to scratch
with the back feet it cannot do too much damage.
Step#2: Giving a Cat Medicine
PillsTry a pill syringe.
These are available at most pet-supply stores. Be sure to ask
your vet to demonstrate them, so that you do not hurt kitty. If
you are unable to find one, here it goes:
- Hold the head in the palm of your hand and gently tilt the
cat's head back (cats reflexively relax their jaw and open
their mouth slightly).
- Hold the pill in the opposite hand between your thumb and
index finger
- With your middle or ring finger, gentle lever the jaw open
and place the pill onto the back of the tongue.
- Push the tablet over the back of the tongue with a
finger.
- Quickly close the mouth and rub the throat to stimulate
swallowing.
- Blowing on your cat's nose tends to give it a bit of a
fright and may induce it to swallow.
Liquid Medicine
- Restrain your cat as above.
- Hold the cat's head this time holding both top and bottom
jaw. Tilt the cat's nose slightly upwards.
- Using an eye dropper/syringe slowly place the medication into
your cat's mouth.
- The tip of the dropper can be inserted st behind the canine
(fang or eye) tooth where the jaw does not completely close.
- Unless the dose is small give the medication slowly allowing
your cat to swallow and to lick the medication from its mouth
before giving more.
- Rubbing the throat or blowing on your cat's nose may help
to stimulate swallowing.
- Never inject into the back of the mouth as this may cause
your cat to choke
Step#3: Reward Your Cat
- Always give your cat positive attention following successful
medication.
- Praise him, play with him, and if approved by your
veterinarian, offer a tasty food reward so the next time will go
even more smoothly.
Best of luck. Keep me posted. Your Pal, Simba
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