Getting DCat to swallow a pill!

[SpicedGingerTea]

George finally been prescribed antibiotics for a suspected middle ear infection. I've tried:

• crushed in chicken
• crushed in cream
• crushed in custard
• crushed in corned beef
• crushed in cooked warm salmon (worked, but only once, refused 2nd time).
• sat him on lap, held mouth open, put at back of throat, stroked throat blah de blah de blah,..... about 30 times, each time pill located on sofa/floor, cushion, my trousers etc etc

(He's lost 500g since his ear problems started so can afford the calories!).

Any other ideas? Pill Poppers or Pill pockets?

I favour the burrito approach with a towel as well, but they are little sods with their fake swallowing aren't they?
Lucky enough to have one that's highly compliant at the moment so I just shove the pill in and he will swallow, then fix me with a wounded and slightly disappointed stare, but the pill has gone down.
I have heard pill pockets recommended on here before, but haven't tried them personally.

Greenies Feline Pill pockets if you have Amazon Prime and can get them delivered on time.
Inside a piece of chicken or cheese?
Carefully break into smaller pieces and diet and put inside similar squishy cat treats?
Vet can give you a pill doser that looks a bit like a syringe with a pincer bit at the end to hold the pill. Worked for my cat when he refused to eat but still needed his heart pills (he had a gastrointestinal bug at the time).

PS don't crush if you are going to mix it into food as the cat will not eat something that tastes bad. Better to break into smaller pieces and wedge inside something squishy.

Giving cats pills is one of the only things I feel really good at!
Here is my technique (has worked on many many cats).

Find cat at relaxed or distracted moment.
Go to him (don't pick up or wrap in towel or give any indication of coming unpleasantness)
Have pill perched on end of pointer finger of right hand in readiness
Put left arm around puss, hold head still with gentle but firm left hand
Force jaws open with thumb and middle finger of right hand
Very quickly and unhesitantly push pill right into the throat with pointer finger (make sure it goes into the throat, not the mouth)

The trick is to move quickly and without hesitating or fussing- one smooth motion when cat is not already upset.

I think that most people give the cat time to realise that something is happening, but if you just embrace cat, hold head, open jaws and simultaneously force the pill right down their throat, it never fails. This has worked on some very feisty cats!

Open cat's mouth. Put pill in it, quite far down

Cat's have teeth, right? And the ability to close their jaws in ways such that teeth bite through flesh?

Spartacus You keep the mouth forced open with the thumb and middle finger of the right hand in the corner of the jaw, while you hold the head still with the left hand. It takes one second, and I have never been bitten.

Try the method in the attached . Apologies for the crap file, only version I have

I use the pill pusher. Have used fingers in the past, but I worry I'll scratch her throat with my nails.

Tried the pill pockets. Thought I'd give her a couple sans pills so she knew they were a treat. Should have known better, really. She totally ignored them. Far too intelligent for her own good! So back to the pill pusher I went.

ou keep the mouth forced open with the thumb and middle finger of the right hand in the corner of the jaw, while you hold the head still with the left hand. It takes one second, and I have never been bitten

I reckon we need video evidence... :)

I have fond memories of the vet confidently attempting to give FatCat his worming tablet. Once the soggy pink mass that had once been a tablet could not be picked up off the floor, she used a spot on version :)

There is a lot of luck involved as to whether all the tips and tricks work.

SoupDogg, however, is a piece of cake to give a pill to. Just make a fuss and pretend it's a treat and he eats it every time. No need to wrap it in anything.

Soupp friends of mine had cats who were like your DDog - you would literally just had them the pills as though they were treats and they would take them, just like that, no trickery involved. Absolutely amazing!

The single piece of advice that cracked it for me was - as soon as you put the pill in their mouth, touch their nose. They then lick their nose reflexively, which action causes them to swallow. Works really well.

Squishy treat sticks worked for our old girl. Break the tablet into chunks and mould a piece of the treat stick around it

I used to get a single dreamy, carefully split it in half and glue the tablet to the inside with butter. Glue the rest of the dreamy back together with butter and mix with a couple more dreamies. Give to kitty. Bit of an arse ache but much more preferable from trying to detach my cat from the ceiling.

Honestly, now I just pay extra for the injection.

Absolutely crying laughing at that Allergic I had a cat that was just like that.

Thanks everyone, living do you mean there is an injection I could have had instead of this packet of pills?!! I would have paid!!

So I seemed to have found a method, which involves crumbling the pill into a small piece of corned beef and giving it a really good squish, then adding some finely chopped chicken, and then sort of breaking it up into a few pieces. It works, though I have to perservere with it.

In reaching this stage his sister Daisy has had a dose of antibiotic as well, mashed into some sausage.

I hope it's not uncommon to request more pills from the vet because that's what I'll have to do, have wasted at least 4 of the things!

Daisy had the sausage accidently of course, I didn't just give her one to see if she fancied it!

My car bit through my finger nail with his razor sharp incisors and gave me a quite serious infection. I now have spot on for worming and am praying that he'll never need pills for anything.

Yep tricky it's about £10 more (I think) and lasts for 2 weeks. They only mentioned it after we struggled to get my last cat to take 2 tablets a day for a week only to go back and be told she needed another course. I think I must have had a look of despair. The first couple of pills were remarkably easy, then it all went downhill very quickly. Considering she'd already (supposedly) had a full course before the injection I would have thought they'd let you have it now if you're ready to admit defeat.

New boy cat also had it in march and it worked really well. He's not as good natured as my last cat (and she got very fed up), so pills with him would have been a nightmare. He cooperated for the metacam and ear drops though.

Me, the vet nurses and all of the vets have tried everything to get pills down Bluebell to no avail. She is having none of it. She now has to have all medication in liquid via syringe, on the back of the neck or via injection.
Her latest course of steroids was injection.

I've managed a trick with our eldest who will not take tablets. She loves the treat sticks so in the morning I force the tablet into the top of a treat and she eats it, no issues!