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giving cats tablets?

31 replies

sharklet · 22/03/2006 22:05

Its usually DH's job but he;s away and our cat is rather resistant to everyhting I try. Any tried and tested effective methods?

OP posts:
waterfalls · 22/03/2006 22:07

Can you crush them up and put them in his food?

NomDePlume · 22/03/2006 22:07

crush it up and put in a treat type food - pate/cream/chesse ?

Or split it in half and force it into the cat(pin him between your legs and force his jaws open, pop the pill in and hold them closed, lightly rub/massage under the chin to encourage the cat to swallow).

Those are our chosen methods !

mrsright · 22/03/2006 22:14

I favour the 'force it into the cat 'method as a cat can always spot a tablet in pate/cream cheese, but the secret to sucess is to approach the cat whilst it is fast asleep so that you have got a head start on the grappling.

NotQuiteCockney · 22/03/2006 22:18

Tips:

  • wrap the cat in a towel, so only the head shows. (optional)
  • grab the cat by the scruff of the neck, as this is how their mums carry them, so it makes them (a bit) obediant.
  • hold the cat between your legs, facing away from you. You are on your knees on the floor.
  • Angle the cat's head up, so the mouth opens.
  • Pop pill in, as far back as possible.
  • force mouth closed again right away.
  • rub fingers on cat's nose, so cat must lick it clean. To lick, they must swallow first.
picnikel · 22/03/2006 22:20

Reminds me of an email my sister sent me:

"How to wash a cat"

Thoroughly clean toilet. Flush and put in some detergent.

Lift both lids
Fetch the cat making gentle soothing noises
In one swift movement plunge cat into toilet and shut the lids.
Stand on seat for a few minutes, cat will autoagitate and make lots of
suds.
Flush toilet a few times to rinse cat
Then get someone else to open the house door and bathroom door.
Cat will race out of house and air dry

Signed The Dog

lucy5 · 22/03/2006 22:21

I hide mine for the dogs in a bit of frankfurter.

alliebaba · 22/03/2006 22:21
Grin
alliebaba · 22/03/2006 22:22

bet you rinse them down with cillit bang lucy

NotQuiteCockney · 22/03/2006 22:23

Ah, but dogs wolf things down, so hiding food in things works for them. Cats don't eat that way.

sharklet · 22/03/2006 22:23

Thanks guys - he sniffed out the food method in an instant when I tried it before - it did nothing but alert him that something was up!!

I'll try the towel method I think.

OP posts:
lucy5 · 22/03/2006 22:23

Hehehehe Grin

NotQuiteCockney · 22/03/2006 22:24

Towel works well combined with the rest of the method.

If you have more than one cat to drug, do the stupidest one last! Our male is just so so so dim, he never realises it's coming ...

miggy · 22/03/2006 22:31

pill givers from vets are good, like a syringey thing, stick tablet in one end, put in cats mouth and eject, really saves your fingers and gets it too far back for cat to spit out.
Of course its not so easy "put in cats mouth" hAh, but if you take a firm (really firm-you wont hurt the cat) hold of the scruff behind the head and pull back gently, the head will tip back and the mouth open.
Good luck

Eve2005 · 22/03/2006 22:33

not any food will work, you have to pick something that he's far too greedy to resist and wrap it well so it can't be licked off!

that or tackle the b*ard, only problem is some cats will hold it in their mouths no matter how long you hold them or stroke their necks, mine does and then promptly spits it at me, takes about an hour of wrestling before he's dissolved the most of it in his mouth and i give up.

not helpful to you but i used to have a cat who would eat the tablet right out of my hand every time, god i miss him!

sharklet · 22/03/2006 22:41

He takes it like a dream for DH (the little sneak) I think he's singled me out as the soft touch. Trouble is its for fline acne on his chin and head so its reall yhard to be firm withut feelig like I'm going to hurt him.

15 days of this I'm going to have to do. Arrgghhhhh!

OP posts:
maisiemog · 22/03/2006 22:48

I used to have to administer steroids to my cat (that died) every day, and he was an unusually determined cat.
I used the towel method, only for cleaning his ears - hated it, but it is a good way of disabling them temporarily.
If you choose that option, the best way is to wrap the towel round the cat's front legs, cross the towel over at the cat's shoulders and then twist the two ends of the towel together until it tightens the loop round the cat's legs and squishes them against it's chest. Then it can't get you. Grin
To give my cat its tablets I used to put my finger and thumb either side of his face, at the joint of his jaw and press on the gap in that area, I think it may have been just behind. This made his jaw open, I then quickly put the tablet far back on his tongue practically down his throat, then clamped his jaw shut and blew up his nostrils and stroked his throat. It seemd to work most of the time, although I did find the odd tablet on the carpet, that he had 'cheeked'. Grin

RTKangaMummy · 22/03/2006 23:04

we have a cat pill popper

stroke under their chins in downwards movement and they swallow

sharklet · 22/03/2006 23:11

little buggers aren't they. if only you could reason with them.

OP posts:
SaintGeorge · 22/03/2006 23:15

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 tablet in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop tablet into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

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

Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy tablet away.

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

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

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

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

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

Check label to make sure tablet 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.

Retrieve cat from neighbour's shed. Get another tablet.

Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick tablet down throat with elastic band.

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

Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat.

Take last tablet from foil-wrap.
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. Push tablet into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash tablet down.

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

Arrange for RSPCA to collect cat and ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How to give the dog a tablet - Wrap it in bacon.

gibberish · 22/03/2006 23:17

We would put tablet in our cat's mouth, hold it shut and stroke it's throat downwards. Worked great.

gibberish · 22/03/2006 23:18

Oops, just like RTKangamummy said... it does work. Honestly.

NotQuiteCockney · 23/03/2006 06:45

I found nose blowing or stroking worked better than the throat thing. If the cat licks its nose, it has swallowed. So as long as it hasn't managed to cheek the pill (which it can't if you're holding the jaw shut), it's gone down.

maisiemog · 23/03/2006 19:09

LOL! St George.
Grin
I love the dog. Could you just tell the dog that the tablet was wrapped in bacon? Would that work?

charliecat · 23/03/2006 19:13

I always dip the pill in marge grab the cat wedge my finger in the side of his mouth, pop the pill in and stoke his throat, clamp his mouth shut.

Eve2005 · 24/03/2006 13:26

PMSL st george, fantastic, but frightenly accurate in most cases! Grin

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