Getting pills down cat gullets

Under the pet humor thread, we were talking about the difficulties of getting cats to take their pills. My husband had tried all the different techniques that the vet recommended to medicate our 16-year-old puss who has kidney and bladder ailments. These techniques included: hiding the pills in lumps of wet food and using a pill dispenser which supposedly sort of shot the pills down her throat. But she left the pills uneaten, somehow managing to eat all the food around them, and after several days she fought the dispenser as well. So, he went back to the vet. Now we have some kitty treats called "Greenies Pill Pockets." They are like treats with openings through them. The pills are slid into the openings. Well, so far she just LOVES them--and eats the pills along with them, evidently oblivious to that fact. I just thought I'd let you folks know, in case you have the same problem. I'd never heard of them! I suspect they're made for dogs, too.

Hello Payne!
I don't know if you mentioned this aid, either -- but I also take a bath towel and swaddle the cat first so that he or she cannot use his or her arms and legs to ward off my hands. Then I put the cat between my legs with the cat oriented facing a bit towards the right, reach my left arm around and behind the cat (as if to hug); put my left hand behind his head, feel for the jaw hinge and apply gentle pressure. The cats jaw should snap open. You have to have the pill ready in your 'pilling' hand. I then quickly place the pill all the way in the back of the cat's throat on the back of the tongue. I will sometimes precede ALL of this by giving the cat a tiny bit of butter right below his nose to get him juiced up from licking it off. Release the jaw, drop my left hand to the tops of the shoulders and gently massaging the throat with my right hand til I hear the cat go "gulp". Some cats prefer to be sitting upright (in which case I put the cat between my legs); some I can pill while they are swaddled and being held somewhat on their backs like babies (in which case I craddle the cat in my left arm). All of these directions are for a right handed person; lefties can switch the hands to suit their handedness. Cats will tense up (if not run and hide) upon hearing you open the pill bottle, too, so I always open the bottle, get the pill out, set it to one side, then go do something else to lull the cat's fear for a minute or two -- and I'd keep the towel handy rather than making a show of getting one out. Cats seem to have a sixth sense about a LOT of stuff; I had one cat I simply could not approach for any purpose while wearing a coat. It also helps to pill the cat right after he or she has awakened or when the cat is already relaxed. A tense, alert, wide awake cat --even one really ill -- is a fearsome thing of raw strength, razor sharp teeth and tearing, painful claws. You can practice opening a cat's jaw well before you ever need to pill a cat to get a feel for where the hinge is and how little pressure it really takes. I learned this from a veterinarian. The quicker you can get the cat's jaw open (and with the least amount of fear and fuss) the better the likelihood you can also get the pill at the 'tipping' point for an almost automatic "gulp" once you have it in there. I love cats so much and I never feel so inadequate as when my Sweetie is ill.

I used to have a maine coon named Momo. He was a stray and had FIV so he was on steroids constantly. I couldn't have him neutered or declawed bc the vet was afraid his immune system wasn't strong enough to make it through the surgery. If anyone has a maine coon you can attest to the strength of their paws and how ginormous those claws are. So I had to wrap him completely in a towel and strattle him (he weighed 23 lbs) and pull on the back of his neck to shove them down his throat. I always felt so bad but those pills were the only reason I kept him alive for over a year. The vet told me he only had 6 weeks to live when I found him. But yeah, it was a fiasco.

We use pill pockets all the time where I work and they are wonderful! Yes, there is a larger version for dogs as well. Personally, I just hold my cat in a position which immobilized it, open the mouth, and slide the pill in and down the throat with my thumb. I use a sort of downward sweeping motion with my thumb facing the cat. If you do it right they have no choice but to swallow and it's down before they know what hit 'em. Fortunately, my cats also know better than to even think about biting me, but for animals that are a bit more testy, you can slide the gums under their teeth when opening the jaw so a bite would lead to them biting themselves instead of you. If they get nervous and think about clawing, I'll give them a quick nail trim first. It's never really a necessity though. Now baths on the other hand...

Pane, I just saw pill pockets at my vet's office and thought "What will they think of next?" Neat idea for people who have trouble giving pets their meds.

I got a laugh out of my vet when he asked if I thought I could give one of my cats some oral anti-biotics. I told him I have a rule in my house. Since I pay all the bills I get to do what ever I need to with animals. I'm a kind, caring, loving, indulgent pat mon, but by cracky if they need to take meds they will let me give it to them! With the cats I use a technigue like TheIcecreamKid's without the towel. I just pin the cat's legs with my legs and arm, pinch the corner of the jaw to get them to open their mouth and shove the pill down. I'm really quick so it's usually over before the cat knows what's happening.

Oh my G....

Pill pockets...!! Why didn't I even think of that!! I've used them for my dog before.

Thank you for the reminder!! I will be picking up a pack today so I will have them for when I have to give my kitty her second de-wormer pill.