When you have a sick cat that needs to be medicated it can be a challenge to get your pet to take its medication each day without the claws and teeth coming out. What steps should you take when you need to pill a cat?
Try a Dummy Run
If your cat is feisty and likely to kick, scratch and claw you as you attempt to place a pill in its mouth, you should start off with a dummy run. Enlist the support of a family member or friend to help you at first and see what does and does not work for your cat.
Does the sight of the pill bottle make the cat scurry under the bed? Do his claws come out as soon as you approach with the pill? If so, take note of the triggers that disturb your cat by hiding the pill as you casually approach him and trim his claws so that he does not scratch you.
Be Prepared!
Before you offer your cat its pill, be prepared so that you can get it done quickly and with a minimal amount of fuss. Take the pill out of the bottle and use the other hand to gently hold the cat down (if the cat is likely to struggle to wriggle free) and then use your free hand to open the cat’s mouth, taking care not to be bitten.
Once you have opened your cat’s mouth, pop the pill in, aiming for the back of the mouth, so that the cat does not spit it right back out again. Close the mouth firmly shut and then stroke the neck to make sure the pill has been swallowed. If your cat spits it out, you will have to start over, which will only prolong your cat’s distress.
Offer a Reward
After you have held your cat down and popped a pill into his mouth against his will, the least you can do is offer him a reward! Fluffy doesn’t understand that you are simply trying to manage his health condition by medicating him each day, so show him you care by giving him a cat treat or by offering him plenty of attention right after he has received his pill.
Medicating a cat can be traumatic for the cat and leave cat owners with scratches and bites if they do not exercise care. Before you attempt to pill the cat, make sure you do a dummy run to see what will work best for your cat and then be prepared as you offer the medication. After you have pilled the cat, offer a reward.