How can I disguise a tablet for a clever cat?

[RedDoughnut]

I've bought pill pockets, I have tried crushing them and hiding them in his food.
I have tried a 'pet introducer' but he's a very big strong boy and took exception to this even with me and DH working together. With my other cats I can just give them tablets in the back of their mouth if ever they needed it.

He needs daily tablets for the rest of his life so I need to come up with something.

What haven't I tried?

Some of the meds can be supplied as something you apply to the ear. Is that a possibility? We use either pill pockets or cat giver putty stuff, so I can be much help there. Crush it into tuna? Or lik-e-lix or whatever it's called?

Get the most treaty food possible (ham, cheese, smoked salmon, whatever your cat goes crazy for)

Give 2 bits no tablet, 1 bit with 1/4 of tablet, 2 bits no tablet etc etc. worked with my fussy horror!

It depends if the tablet is crushable. With ours it was a two person job but the trick is to get the cat used to being held in the way that he will be when administering said pill. With ours it was being cradled in DHs arms and stroking chin, then graduating to arms being covered in towel in prep for next stage - swaddling, thus keeping all paws under wraps !!. All this takes patience and to begin with cat might struggle. It is important at this stage to let him go or he will become more stressed and not trust you. Get him used to the whole thing before you move onto the next stage. With cat on its back get him used to your hand round his mouth. Give treats if necessary. Then squeeze on both sides of mouth at back and mouth should open. Put pill in mouth at side and hold mouth closed whilst simultaneously tapping throat to make him swallow. Cats are very nifty at swiping pill into cheek pocket. Again, a treat as a reward. Keep calm the whole time. Try to keep hold of him now for a few seconds (as long as paws are still out of action. Paw deployment is a different issue)
Good luck! This worked with a cat that was semi feral so....

We used to have to crush the tablets and mix them into food, but if its available as a liquid I find cats tolerate it much better - either to squirt into their mouths* or mix into food.

*do this while giving a treat before & after

We used to mold raw mince around it.

Despite his huge size he's not really motivated by food.
Although crushing them into a liquid and squirting them into his mouth is or better than a dry tablet.
I think I might need chainmail gloves though.

I wrapped my cat in a towel before trying to administer, used a ‘pill syringe’ to put it in the side of her mouth, and held her mouth shut whilst ‘blowing on her nose’ (a tip I was given to make them swallow) and massaging her throat. Needless to say it rarely worked … she would pretend to swallow and spit it out later, or would drool and it emerged from her mouth a soggy mess 🤣

I then found having a syringe of water ready, which I squirted into her mouth after the pill (or just wetting her lips with it), would make her swallow, and this sometimes included swallowing the pill. Easiest way to do it, which you can’t do with all pills (need to check with vet) is to dissolve the pill in as small a volume of water as possible and syringe it in (it’s a lot harder for them to hold onto liquid and spit it out). Good Luck !!!

A friend would use crispy roast chicken skin to wrap them in.

Squish it into a cube of cheese.

I ended up crushing it, mixing it with a fishy cat pate and rubbing it into the fur on his paw. He licked it off while looking utterly disgusted.

I’ll need on-site nursing assistance if he ever needs a daily tablet.

Give 2 bits no tablet, 1 bit with 1/4 of tablet, 2 bits no tablet etc etc. worked with my fussy horror!

I've just a few minutes ago tried this with my 35 kilo dog and... nope! He's far too big and strong to actually force him to take it. I ended up crushing the tablet and mixing it with a tin of sardines, adding some yoghurt and peanut butter at the end to incorporate the last few bits if tablet. You'd think that combo would taste worse than the medicine!

Cheese is the answer in our house.

I don't think my cat is a proper cat, because he just eats pills, I don't even have to mix them with his food - if it's the only think in his bowl he'll eat it.

He also purrs at the vets.

Weirdo.

Try wrapping in Parma ham. It is impossible to undo without opposable thumbs

we have a reluctant cat on daily meds. She absolutely will not tolerate being hand fed, or introducer fed any tablet. Even liquid meds she will fight and I probably end up with more in my mouth than she does! Believe me we tried it all. The only thing that works for us is to crush the tablet completely, mix it in with her liquid meds and mix that in well with food that has a strong smell (fish usually).

Mr Kitty was in acute renal failure so obviously the tablets very impt.

DD and I teamed up-one held cat, one put tablet in cat's mouth, held shut, stroked throat to encourage swallowing. The minute we loosed our grasp the tablet was shot across the room like a projectile.

Finally ended up crushing and using the liquid from tinned tuna which cat loved (and vet approved) We would then top up tuna tin with water to essentially make more "tuna water" but ours was for a short time so maybe not a life time strategy.

I think @YetAnotherSpartacus idea a good one-mixing with stinky cat pate and making them lick off paw but obviously with renal failure not an option for us. I think we used to give cat hair ball meds like that years ago.

Good luck @RedDoughnut

I'd give this guy a call if all else fails......

I have the same trouble with my cat, there's no one here to help and I can't hold him and give him any medication by mouth.

Crushing up in food doesn't work either, even tuna, he won't touch it.

He's old but an absolute demon if you pick him up, fighting, kicking and scratching. He badly hurt me last year so I am quite frightened of him now. And he knows it.

Tricky one! Our cat had to have antibiotics for a couple of weeks recently and we bought the putty stuff from the vets. Well, she fell for that once or twice but then got wise.
We then resorted to crushing them to a powder and mixing it in with Lickylix that she loves and we managed to get most of it in her. Good luck!

Powder it into tuna?

I accept my cat wasn’t very bright (she was gorgeous inside and out) but we just put them in a little butter and she ate them

My cat is on heart tablets; I put half a tablet in the centre of a small piece of spreadable cheese and she eats it no problems. Does he not have a favourite food he’s not usually allowed?

@RedDoughnut

If he's got a favourite food I haven't discovered it yet and he's 10.
We have crushed it into lick e lix, tuna, all types of cat food, including pate style. He just knows.
Haven't tried soft cheese as mentioned by a PP probably because we don't buy it but I'm happy to get some.

https://thecatgallery.co.uk/products/easypill-cat-putty

cat putty worked for our cat

check with vet before crushing tablet into food. We thought we were winning by crushing up the tablet our cat had to take every day, until he didn’t get better and we found out from the vet we had to give it whole