How to administer worming tablets.

[toomanyeasterbunnies]

Hi I am a new cat owner and our cat is due her second dose of worming tablets. However, despite grinding the tablet and disguising it in her favourite food she is not touching it. She has not eaten since last night and is still refusing the food containing the tablet. Any suggestions on what I can do?

[MyLittleFluffball]

Depending on how big the tablet is, you could:

• Wrap it in some liverwurst so that no part of the tablet is visible/ near the surface - if the tablet is large, cut it into smaller pieces, each surrounded by liverwurst, so that your cat doesn't notice it so much
  
• Stick it/ pieces of it into a small cube of hard cheese per piece of tablet, and make sure the cheese is all around it so that your cat can't see/ sniff it
  
• Stick it/ pieces of it into a knob of butter
  
• Stick it/ pieces of it into a bit of cream cheese - Philadelphia cream cheese if you've got it or anything similar - again make sure the tablet is completely covered by the cream cheese/ in the centre of the cream cheese ball
  

All of these tactics have worked for my cat who is absolutely notorious for refusing tablets and has attacked various vets who have attempted to give her a tablet, even when they use that tablet-administering device that you stick down a cat's throat. The cream cheese technique has been most effective.

Make sure that you keep your hands clean and don't get powder from the tablet on to the outer surface of whatever you wrap the tablet in. Good luck! It's a great feeling to deceive your cat into eating a tablet. :)

[MrsUnassumingTroll]

My vet will get a nurse to administer the tablets for you, if you buy the tablets from them. Did this recently when pregnant.

I bought the tablet-administering wand from them that you put the tablet into and place it into the cat's mouth, only cost a pound or so and the nurse used one herself. Hoping that will work for me next time.

They also advised if giving the tablet at home to put on rubber gloves, hold cat between your knees in the bathroom and shove it into their mouth, then hold mouth shut until they swallow. The theory with the bathroom/gloves is that it's a "medical" environment like the vets.

But seriously, just have the vet do it!

[snailoon]

Hold cat firmly, force jaw open and with your first finger stick the pill actually DOWN the cat's throat, then hold the mouth closed. If you do this decisively and VERY quickly, the cat will not notice / get upset / start scratching. You can practice with a small fragment of food a few times, but give the cat a little break between tries. Don't get all worried and overly prepared, as the cat may pick up on your feelings. I use my first finger with the pill kind of stuck to the tip of it. The important things are to be very decisive and to actually put the pill DOWN the throat, not just in the mouth. Forget the gloves, they will complicate the issue, and after all don't you let your cat lick you? and aren't your hands washable?

[jaffababy]

A variation on snailoon 's is to wrap the cat in a towel first and then tuck it under your arm. I end up doing that if I've not been decisive enough first time or she's spat it out somehow.

[nooka]

We did the full towel wrap with our cat, but I think it needs two people.

• Person one picks up cat.
  
• Person one puts somewhat peeved cat in the middle of the towel (with head sticking out).
  
• Person two wraps up very fast.
  
• Person two places now angry (but temporarily immobile) cat in an arm lock/between legs
  
• Person one attempts to prize open cat's mouth (best when cat opens mouth to swear)
  
• Person two drops pill as far down cats mouth as possible
  
• Person one holds cats mouth closed
  
• Person two attempts to not let cat escape
  
• Some time later (hopefully) cat escapes and then you hope they don't spit out the pill and you have to start again!

[Fluffycloudland77]

I wait until morning so he is starving and push it in a lump of food. Only that food goes on the plate and if he doesnt eat it then tough.

I never crush them. Mine has Milbemax.

[Sparklingbrook]

I second Fluffycloud. I wait til morning and put a tiny dollop of food out and push the tablet whole into the food. She has never noticed yet. I usually buy a posher tin of food for this to make her extra interested in eating it.

[winemakesmeclever]

I take mine to the vet. It's worth the expense to save my sanity / blood pressure /skin on my arms.

[Eglu]

Cats are notoriously difficult to worm. You can now get spot on wormer. It works like flea treatment. It is the easiest way.

[BertieBotts]

Stroke their throat when holding their mouth closed as well with all the "gentle force" techniques - it makes them instinctively swallow.

Plus the gentlest way to open their mouth is to press at the corners of their jaw, one on each side. It's best to use two people, a towel and a soothing voice (though I'm sure this does nothing it's nice to try!)

[Sparklingbrook]

There is one spot on called Advocate. I think it does fleas and worms?

[MangoMonster]

Most vet nurses will do it for free and show you how to, if you buy the wormer from them, or alternatively you could use a worming spot on.

[Eglu]

The worm one I'm talking about is called profender.

[DownbytheRiverside]

I use the spot-on one, it's effective if you are consistent about timings.
I also use spot-on flea deterrent. For the cat obviously.

[soaccidentprone]

I've got 3 cats - the oldest is 18 and has 3 tablets a day.

The best technique I have found is to firmly hold the cats head in your left hand and then gently pull the cats head back. The mouth will open a bit by itself. I hold tablet between the thumb and first finger of my right hand and use my middle finger to pull the jaw a bit further open, then at the same time place the tablet as far down the back of the throat as it will go. If your cat doesn't swallow first time, then hold its mouth shut with your left hand and stroke under the chin with your right hand.

I've done this with all my cats, even the 2 year old who had to have a tablet every day for 2 weeks last year.

The trick is to be confident, quick and decisive. It also helps that my cats are fed immediately afterwards, so they know what happens next.

Good luck!

[soandsosmummy]

try spot on wormer - personally I find the tablet experience somewhat traumatic My cat however is very good at holding it under his tounge, swallowing and then spitting it out when you think its finally gone

[SazZandASparkler]

We use the spot on treatment for worms/fleas. Very easy.

[PeppaPigandGeorge]

What MyLittleFluffball said. Except substitute Primula squirty cheese, or possible a product called "catalax" which is a malty-flavoured anti-fur ball product we had from the vets. Basically, encase the tablet in anything they will lick off your finger.

[wannaBe]

what soaccidentprone said.

My cat is on treatment for her overactive thyroid and has to take medication daily. Dh refuses to do it so it falls to me.. I use that technique exactly and get ds to prepare her dinner while she is taking her medication.

[nbee84]

It's got to be done this way!!!

[toomanyeasterbunnies]

Thank you for all your suggestions. Most of which made me and DH lol. Think I will try disguising the tablet in a lump of cheese then if that fails the spot on stuff. Not sure if I'm brave enough to force it down her throat!

[tabulahrasa]

you basically open their mouth and throw it down their throat - it's getting them to stay still while you're doing it that's the tricky part...lol

or there's this way

Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right fore finger and thumb on either of side of cat?s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheek while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.


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


Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.


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


Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Pull spouse from garden.


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


Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrapper. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.


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


Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply bandage to spouses forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.


Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door on to neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.


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


Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence whilst swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill 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. Force cat?s mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down.


Get spouse to drive you to hospital; sit quietly while doctor stitches finger and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.


Arrange for SPCA to collect cat.

[MyLittleFluffball]

Haha I love that joke nbee84 and tabulahrasa. Let us know how you get on OP. My suggestions came from my cat's specialist vet at a university clinic - my cat has terminal cancer sadly and needs to eat 2 steroid tablets a day so that she will feel well. For the past 3 weeks we have managed to trick her into eating these tablets every day using these techniques - the cheeses are particularly effective. I hope it works for your cat.

[NorkyPies]

Yes, just as soaccidentprone says. Do it quick, and the cat doesn't even notice. All I would add is to relax the cat first, get it to lie on your lap or in crook of your arm upside down. Move gently but quickly and decisively while the cat is in this trusting position.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Ignore my last post little sod refused to eat his wormer last night.

I will be ringing the vet on Monday to ask about drop on wormers, there is no way I am going to try and put it down his throat, his claws are about a third longer than my persians were and he's a strong little bugger.