To ask for help and advice. At wits end. Cat absolutely refuses to take medicine

[RunningFeisty]

My poor little cat has a tooth infection that has caused an abscess. Vet have given us antibiotics in tablet form but after a few days she got wise to us and managed to trick us into thinking she had swallowed it but would run off and spit it out

Today I contacted the vet again and they gave us an alternative medicine in a liquid format.

Except she won't take that either. She wretched and coughed and foamed at the mouth sicking it back up! I am at a total loss. She won't have it in any way. We have wrapped her in a towel, pried open her mouth. We've tried it mixed in food and treats. She won't even touch it if the tablet is in there or the liquid now it's that.

What do we do? I have spent a fortune already with vets and can't afford anything else!

Help!

Easypill. Meaty stuff that you wrap around the tablet. It's like catnip to our cat.

Have you tried the ridiculously expensive cat soup? Mine just wolfs it esp tuna flavour and you could probably add half dose to one sachet and see if she'll lick that up? It's more liquid than normal food and v small portions. Sainsbury's etc will have it. Try an undoctored half portion first and see if she gobbles it. Then add half dose and hope she takes it?

Dil training as vet. Showed me. Hold cat from behind. Prize open mouth. Pop pill in hold mouth shut. Dip finger in water and touch cats nose with it. The cat will automatically swallow

Poor you and poor her. It is a struggle! They are so canny.
I found crushing it and mixing it into dairylea worked. Also sometimes putting into back of mouth then rubbing throat whilst clamping mouth shut ( not enjoyed by either of us). Sometimes crushed in yoghurt.
Agree D.C. may need daily injection if you can’t get tabs down.
Good luck op.

Spit in its mouth!! My vet recommend this method for my extremely difficult cat, nothing else worked, treats, hudibg pills in smelly food, crushing tablets, mixing it with sardines (her favourite!), but as disgusting as it's sounds, spitting in her mouth made her swallow it right down, and she still loves me!

You have my sympathy; our cat is a thug and medicating him is difficult - all the vet nurses run and hide when they see him coming into the surgery! This suggestion from Teagoanngoanngoann sounds worth giving a go.

We end up having to try to wrap our guy in a towel and literally wrestle him, which I hate because I'm scared of hurting him. His teeth are very sharp and he is quick with his very sharp claws, so we daren't get our faces within striking range.

Good luck, and report back if anything works!

As others have said can’t he have an antibiotic injection? Mines always had that

Put the liquid in some sardines this morning. She didn't finish them but I don't see any of the medicine in the remains so I think she has licked it off with the bits she actually ate! Will try a smaller amount of sardine for next dose and see how she goes.

Thanks to everyone who has responded with helpful advice x

Second and third the lik e lix (or Sheba creamy snacks as they are called here in belgium). My cat who needs a tablet every night comes to yowl at me if I haven't produced his pill crushed up in it.

Try blowing on the cats nose once you've inserted the tablet in its mouth and whilst stroking his throat. I have no idea why this works, but it does!

Yes yes to easy pill. Has totally revolutionised our cat worming experience.
It's like a putty you squish round the tablet.

As a PP said, Lik-e-Lix are brilliant for hiding medicine, also for toothless cats (like mine!)

I can't look after her any more. She's refusing to touch the sardines now. She needs someone capable to take care of her and I'm not that person.

Please can anyone help me.

Go back to the vet & ask for an injection.

does she like toast and marmite? thick marmite will hide the taste

Why on earth didnt your vet give her an injection?
I have become an expert at giving meds as I have a feral cat.
I put he on the kitchen counter in a corner so she can't back away
Left hand opens her mouth pulling on top jaw. Right hand throw the tablet in as far as it will go and hold her mouth shut until you see her swallow.
My cat goes mental but can't do anything about it.

running don’t despair - you are dealing with one of the most difficult things to do with a cat ! Call the vet in the morning for an injection ? In the meantime remember cats really pick up on human stress and become in high alert. Try to just put the anti b crushed in some treat and leave her alone to eat it. Often when I used to give up that was exactly when mine would lose their defensiveness. Good luck.

I can't afford anything else

Try the lik e lix - it's not expensive. Crush the tablet up with a pestle and mortar (or the end of a rolling pin), put it in a cat bowl and squirt the lik e lix over it. Stir with spoon to make sure it's all blended, and leave for cat to eat. Mine even licks the spoon afterwards.

This is the only way I can get pills into one of my boys.

For tablets - But one of those stick like treats. Use a skewer down the middle to hollow it out, out tablet in the hollow. Squeeze the end shut ( mask the smell of tablet) feed to cat works 99.9% of time