Getting tablets down a cat!

[honeyJD]

Trying to get my cat to take her 3 monthly worm tablet. First time she had it on a plate of dreamies and just hoovered it up unknowingly. This time, not so lucky, she ate all dreamies and left two halves of tablet...
I then hid them both in a chunk of cat food, this morning one of the halves seems to have gone, the other half has turned to powder, i've left it in the food bowl in the vain hope she'll eat it during the day but doubt it.
I've now had to order another couple of tablets to try again!
Any tips?

[strawberrypenguin]

Grab cat between your legs while your sat on the floor. Gently open cats mouth by bringing your fingers over the top of their head and inserting thumb in one side of jaw and index finger in the other. Using other hand poke tablet far back into cats mouth, they should swallow it (although may spit it out) not sure if that's a great explanation tbh (and it can be easier if you've got 2 people, one to hold cat and one to administer tablet. Good luck!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

I hold my cats firmly, open their jaw at the side with my finger, pop the tablet in and hold on till they've swallowed. They tolerate it.

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

we just wrap the cat in a towel...get a big thick one

cape style round the neck, cross over in front, (enclosing front legs to body) flip cat over, bring up tail end of towel and bring up under chin of cat and cross firmly over at the back (enclosing back legs)

you will now have something resembling this, with a VERY cross face

ideally someone will hold the cat and the person with the pill just has to open the cats mouth and hurl in the pill, but it can be done singlehandedly with a partially cooperative cat

[TondelayaDellaVentamiglia]

Either that or if timing of tablets is not important then catch them whilst asleep, use strawberrypenguin's method, of opening their mouths, but you have to be bloody quick so that the pill is down their throats before they have even woken up

[msrisotto]

God, avoid the palaver completely and buy the spot on treatment! You just drop some liquid on the back of their neck, they shiver and trot off giving you sly looks but that's the peak of the drama.

[Vinorosso74]

I agree with Tondelaya get the cat while they're sleepy as they put up less of a battle. Rub the throat and they'll swallow the tablet. Hopefully!

[Pinkshire85]

Agree with wrapping cat ins towel, all legs in! I have also smeared butter or spready cheese around the tablet before shoving it in. Good luck!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

Spot on treatments those are a bloody nightmare with my two. They see me getting it out of the cupboard no matter how stealthily I do it, then we spend the next couple of hours with them trying to get to their food bowls without being treated and me trying to sneak up on them, the drops ending up on the fur instead of the skin because they twig what's going on as soon as you part the fur with your fingers, and attempt to lacerate me as soon as they feel the first cold drop, then if I am successful them licking it off each other. Tablets are a comparative breeze. I get the vet to do worming tablets for them now when they have their 6 monthly flea injection though, that's easiest of all.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

now I mean, not though. I never want to do a spot-on again in my life.

[DramaAlpaca]

I do the wrapping up in a towel thing too.

I put the wrapped cat on a work surface so it's easier to get a firm grip with my left arm, open their jaws with my left hand, shove the tablet as far back as it'll go with my right hand and then rub its throat so it has to swallow.

Result: one very pissed off cat, but no damage done to me.

I'm good at tableting cats, but bad at getting them into cat carriers. Last time DramaCat had to go to the vet it took three of us to get him in the box.

[Penguinepenguins]

I have one that hovers them up... But then also caught him in a saucepan if Thai green curry once

And one who refuses point blank and has take tablets quite regularly on and off. Vet suggested, putting it in butter - worked great until she started to lick the butter off the tablet, vet then suggested pate and that also worked for a bit. Ive also got a bit of chicken and put it in that. She just eats it straight off my hand. Cat 0 - Cats slave 1

Works for us ;) and saves the arms, towels etc when trying to wrestle a very strong cat! I have British shorthairs who are naturally massive and incredibly strong - plus I'm then seen as a good human rather than that cow who just destroyed my dignity lol

[Penguinepenguins]

DramaAlpaca - Mine all sleep in their cat carriers... Left it out once after a vet trip and they all wanted to sleep in it so now it's hidden near the sofa

Of course when I need to take them to the vet they see the door (as I leave that off) and they run a mile!!! Or I find they all try to get in it at the same time, took two to the vets once as it was easier than tackling them...

[YeOldeTrout]

I'm afraid it's a grab, pin down & shove down job for us, too. Vet says most owners can't face it or don't bother. Luckily my children enjoy helping sadistic outlet??? One of D-cats scratches anybody for any reason so that's especially fun (not), 3-4 person job.

[coffeeisnectar]

We had to do all four of our cats recently. I have no idea what the neighbours thought with the shouts of 'hold him bloody still!' and 'fucks sake, the bloods getting on the carpet, hold the little fucker still!'

So much fun.

Boy cat 1 had an abscess last year which needed antibiotics twice a day for a week. 1 and half tablets each time. There were tears (mine), deep wounds (on dp) and a really pissed off, angry cat who took to the shed roof and refused to come down.

Someone suggested using a teaspoon to grind them into powder and mixing with tuna after two days of this. Worked a treat.

[wholecanofbeans]

Open their mouths and shove it down. My cat always knows if I'm trying to conceal something.

[haggisaggis]

Yep - tuna. It's the only way. had to give ginger cat antibiotics for about 3 weeks recently. Only way to do it was withdraw his dried food and go back to wet food twice a day so he was hungry for his meals, then grind the tablet and put in a tiny bit of tuna before he had his wet food.
the Maine Coon though will hoover anything up so no problem at all.

[SpidersFromMars]

Wilko's do chewy treats with a soft middle which works for ours.

[DramaAlpaca]

Penguinepenguins at cats sleeping in their carriers & taking two to the vets at once. Mine run a mile when they see theirs because it means only one thing - VET!

[HermioneJeanGranger]

Our tomcat takes them really easily, actually, but he's very tactile and affectionate anyway which probably helps.

I picked him up, held him on my lap, and just forced open his mouth with one hand, and gave him the pill with the other.

His sister, on the other hand, wasn't so happy. Our local vet even shared a picture of her taking a tablet after surgery - it took THREE nurses to hold her down to get a pill in her. She was not impressed!

[Penguinepenguins]

They are indeed odd Alpaca

Big Girl cat loves our actual vet, on arrival she simply walks out of the cage has a stroke, gets a biscuit (he started keeping cat biscuits) he snuggles her picks her up puts her on the scales where she sits until ready for her jabs - this poor thing has had so many nasty things done to her by the vet! We have to take her once a month for jabs.

And after WW3 of getting her in with the door on - sighs

[Penguinepenguins]

And OMG Hermione 3 nurses!! Takes two of us with Big boy cat, he does not approve of vet visits at all.

[honeyJD]

I came home from work and tablet was still there in the chunk of food...All other food untouched around it so she must have been starving...
Dished up fresh food, perched the tablet chunk on top and by some miracle she ate it! I'd already ordered two more tablets by this point though, typical!

[cozietoesie]

So you have more to get down her then?

[cozietoesie]

Ah, I see what you mean.

[lavenderdoilly]

Greenies Pill Pockets off Amazon. Work brilliantly until they don't. Our old suspicious lady was on a tablet a day and I managed to con her for ages.