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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

How to get cat to take tablets

52 replies

Hisisteritsmeeeee · 23/12/2020 06:46

I have a nervous cat, and she has been prescribed tablets for the next ten days. I don’t want to have to wrangle her for the next ten days, but am prepared to if nothing works....although I predict finding her on day 2 will be a challenge if that’s the route I have to take never mind the scars I’ll come out with....

So far, I have tried hiding it in her favourite wet food - she ate around it at first so I left it there and this morning I found it spat back out in pieces

Then - I crumbled it and stuck it in some Mayo (she loves Mayo) but she ate around it again

I now have a disintegrated Mayo tablet to get into her, I’m thinking adding it to gravy or something (sounds delicious no) but going forwards does anyone have any tips?

OP posts:

midlifecrash · 23/12/2020 09:07

rolling it up in Webbox works with mine

QueenPawPaws · 23/12/2020 09:08

@StCharlotte I tried it with hairball paste. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot

Original poster

Hisisteritsmeeeee · 23/12/2020 09:16

@Fluffycloudland77 mine is no where to be seen when she’s not talking to me, I can’t even find her in her favoured hidey hole, she makes it very clear she doesn’t want to be around me...by not being around me or findable (she’s normally wherever I am so it’s pretty effective)

@QueenPawPaws so this is what I planned on doing tomorrow as she loves her furball paste (and the vet said I can crush the tablets going forwards) hopefully mine won’t be the same...although she hates her paws being touched so who knows how this will go

OP posts:

Toddlerteaplease · 23/12/2020 09:43

Get a pill syringe thing. My late cat was on 8 pills a day. I shoved them in the popper thing and they went down in one go. She was as good as gold. (Disclaimer- she was a very docile Persian)

NeurologicallySpeaking · 23/12/2020 09:47

@JacobReesMogadishu

Put in mouth as far back as possible. Clamp cat’s mouth shut. Stroke the throat until they swallow.

This is the method. So useful to learn- my vet showed me about a decade ago and I have had to do it many times over the years. The way I was shown you hold the cat firmly facing away from you, slip a finger in the side of their mouth to open it and drop the tablet at the back of the throat. Hold mouth shut gently until the cat swallows.

NeurologicallySpeaking · 23/12/2020 09:49

Ask your vet to teach you. You won't need a suspicious looking blanket. My cat was an absolute slashy bitey savage but this was easy to do still.

harper30 · 23/12/2020 09:58

I had this same dilemma, and thought I was really stuffed as our cat is on a strict, dry food only hypoallergenic diet so I looked at the vet like he had two heads when he said I needed to get two tablets a day into her! With no bribery or treats to hide it in??
She honestly surprised me, if I break them up small enough and scatter them amongst her dry food, she eats them 95% of the time. That might just be my food obsessed cat who is willing to suffer tablets for food, but somehow it works.

Previous to that when she was allowed other foods I used to buy sliced corned beef and smoosh a tablet inside a ball of that to give her. Again, that worked more than 90% of the time.
Good luck!
I hate that cram it down their throat/wrestle them until they swallow it method, I know it works but it's so miserable for both of you especially if it's a long prescription.

NeurologicallySpeaking · 23/12/2020 10:53

@harper30

I had this same dilemma, and thought I was really stuffed as our cat is on a strict, dry food only hypoallergenic diet so I looked at the vet like he had two heads when he said I needed to get two tablets a day into her! With no bribery or treats to hide it in?? She honestly surprised me, if I break them up small enough and scatter them amongst her dry food, she eats them 95% of the time. That might just be my food obsessed cat who is willing to suffer tablets for food, but somehow it works.

That's why it's worth learning to do it properly. My cat was on tablets for most of his life on and off but I could tablet him in a couple of seconds, no wrestling. Current dopey kittens just swallow their worming tablet as they eat anything!

Emmenelle · 23/12/2020 13:47

I kneel down and stroke my cats whilst clamping then between my knees, then tip their heads back, put a finger in to open their mouths and put the pill in as far back as possible then hold their heads up until they swallow

NotanotherboxofFrogs · 23/12/2020 14:49

Cat teeshirt method - lift car for a cuddle, poptee shirt over the head, the body of the teeshirt contains the cat body and importantly the back legs, the front paws are constrained by closing the arms of the teeshirt behind the cats back like a straightjacket, now you have just got head exposed, have a syringe (no needle) with water, a blob of butter, dunk pill in butter, open mouth and to back of throat, clamp mouth and blow on the nose when the fight stops hold for a few seconds more to stop spitting out and give a syringe of water to make sure not stuck in the throat, offer treats and release the cat straitjacket

Furries · 23/12/2020 22:10

As @NeurologicallySpeaking says. I’d sit my boy on the worktop (don’t worry, I washed it after!) so that his body was level with my top half and he was facing away from me. I don’t have anyone to help me either, and found this was much better than the “burrito” option for me.

I’d always get the tablet out a couple of hours before needed and put it in an easy to reach place (on top of the fridge), so that there was no suspicious activity for him to clock just before trying to get him! I’d pop it on top of the fridge then, when ready, just scoop him up and grab the tablet.

Weedsnseeds1 · 23/12/2020 22:24

Old cat was a dream as she was food obsessed. I just casually threw the tablet and she pounced. By the time she noticed it wasn't food it was too late.
Current cat is a stoic, he'll eventually swallow, but gives me the "I'm so disappointed, I thought you loved me?" treatment.
Further back cats were all determined to fight to the death.

WutheringShites86 · 23/12/2020 22:30

Seems my cats are the exception then. I literally just put them down and they eat them like it's dreamies, no subterfuge needed! My greedy boy usually even tries to eat his sister's

torthecatlady · 23/12/2020 22:34

Hopefully you have better luck with the rest of the tablets!

Dcat 2 had some tablets earlier this year (first time in his 5 years) and he was NOT cooperative

He's a gannet (particularly for tuna), so twice a day I'd break the tablets up and hide them in tuna. I guess the smell / flavour of the fish was strong enough to mask the tablets and the fact that he barely came up for air to notice.

Ibizafun · 23/12/2020 22:41

I wouldn’t crush it as you’ll lose some. I’ve had to give my kitten tablets recently. Swaddles him in a towel sitting on my lap facing outwards.. held his head up so his mouth pointing upwards, opened his mouth and popped pull as far into his throat as I could, then massaged under his chin. Got easier as time went on.

FlippinNoah · 23/12/2020 22:50

I second the 'crush and mix with tuna' method. One of mine recently had a 14 day course of antibiotics, tuna was the only thing they would take it with. Tuna in spring water is best.

Had to give my other cat plain tuna at the same time or there would have been fisticuffs between them!

FlippinNoah · 23/12/2020 22:52

Oh sorry, just saw you have said you can't crush them!

giantangryrooster · 23/12/2020 22:54

Get Yum treats for cats. It's soft so you can cut it in pieces and hide the pill (if a big pill cut into smaller ones too).

Original poster

Hisisteritsmeeeee · 24/12/2020 07:38

Some brilliant ideas here, my girl will not tolerate being picked up (she does not appreciate the interruption to her day unless she’s chosen to come to me for a fuss) I can crush the tablets and she does love tuna, so today I’m torn between crushing it and mixing it in with her furball paste (she loves this stuff) or adding it to tuna - I’m very aware once I’ve crushed the tablet and added it to
something there’s no going back.

OP posts:

torthecatlady · 24/12/2020 08:28

@FlippinNoah yes to spring water! They'd love it in sunflower oil but it's too bad for them! I actually add extra water to the tuna so it becomes more of a soup (only because I worry that they don't think enough).

And like with you, dcat1 was immensely jealous so he was also getting his twice-daily tuna (sans tablet).

evilharpy · 24/12/2020 08:46

@JacobReesMogadishu

Put in mouth as far back as possible. Clamp cat’s mouth shut. Stroke the throat until they swallow.

This is how we do it. My lad has three pills a day, all first thing in the morning before he's fed, and despite being a greedy pig will refuse any pills we've tried to disguise. He is however dead easy to get pills into using the above method (admittedly he's a wimp though).

torthecatlady · 24/12/2020 09:04

Don't drink enough* i was half awake in my defence

Whenwillow · 24/12/2020 09:08

Have a look on YouTube @Hisisteritsmeeeee there are some very helpful tutorials, which helped me enormously. I feel your pain though. I think my cat would move out if I had to do 10 days worth.

Original poster

Hisisteritsmeeeee · 24/12/2020 09:10

@Whenwillow she hates being outside, however, I fully expect her to be packing her bags today if I don’t handle this well

OP posts:

Mylittleturkeysandwich · 24/12/2020 09:32

My mum got these giant dreamies from pets at home. They were big enough that you could break them in half and hide a tablet in it then put it back together again.

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