Before giving your cat a pill, make sure it is necessary.Once you’ve decided that your cat does indeed need the medication, make an appointment to let them get their shots or pills. Gently pet your cat and speak to it in a soothing voice; this will create an enjoyable experience for them before administering the pill.If you have kids, ask them to help out! Get one child to hold the cat while another gives the pill. Ask your vet about other necessary specifics when it comes to medicating your cat. A pill popper can be of great help if you cannot get your cat to swallow the pill. Treat your cat with a pill as a reward for good behavior.Certain tricks like sitting and shaking hands will get your cat a pill as a treat. Never use force or violence in order to get your cat to take its medication. If you wish, bribe your feline friend by offering it their favorite treat. Hand-feeding a cat also works well. Consider having your cat eat canned food for a couple of days before giving it its medication because canned food renders meds easier to swallow. If you own multiple cats, give all the felines their pills at once; otherwise, they’ll fight over who gets what pill and end up fighting and hurting one another. Encourage children to give your cat its medication with their own hands. This will create a bond between your kids and animals while also teaching them responsibility. Just make sure to always supervise this!After you have understood how to gently give a pill to your cat, also read about how to bathe a cat and can cats eat carrots.How To Give Your Cat A Pill By Your HandPick up your cat and place it on the counter. After you have picked up your cat, place one hand under your cat’s head (it’s like giving a baby a bottle) and use the other hand as support for its hindquarters. Use your thumb and index fingers to pick up your cat’s jaw, then close it by lightly pinching both sides of its cheeks. This will keep the mouth open long enough for you to get the medication into their throat. Place it as far back on the tongue as possible, but try to avoid touching its teeth.Hold your cat’s mouth closed for 10 seconds or so until they swallow their medicine. You can also ask your vet if there are any treats that work well to hide tablets inside of them; this is a good way to get them to eat something without knowing what they’re eating! Healthy treats like fish oil could be an option for cats. If you are confident in giving medication through food, then mix the pill and give it to them.What is the best cat food to hide a pill in?The best food to hide cat pills in might be fish flavored treats. Some cats will go crazy for them! Soft, moist cat food is also a good choice; make sure it’s one your cat enjoys and that it doesn’t usually require much chewing. Place the pill in the middle of a piece of yummy cat food or liquid and then feed it to your pet. A small amount of butter on the kitty’s lips can help it swallow.Hide the pill in their wet food. Another option is to purchase something like Pill Pockets at an animal store or online. You may have to give them more than one in order for it to work, but they’re a great way to quickly and painlessly administer medication! You usually need to give your pet one to four pills as instructed in the medication and depending on the weight of your cat. Crushed pills can be mixed with tuna or liquid food.Tips For Making A Cat Take A PillYou can try using a pill gun. It’s easy to use; just load the capsule into the back end of the dispenser, open your cat’s mouth by pressing on its lower jaw and place the end of the gun as far back on its tongue as possible. Then shoot it down your cat’s throat! You can also ask your vet about how to make a cat swallow food without them even knowing what they’re eating. Here are some other tips you must know on how to get a cat to take a pill.Whatever you do, don’t stress! The most important thing to remember is to do your best. If you lose your patience or feel upset in any way when giving medication, your cat will pick up on that and it’ll cause even more problems.If you have any questions about how to give your cat a pill or want some more tips, feel free to check with your vet. All they’re trying to do is help!Your cat’s throat is made so that when they swallow, the trachea closes quickly to prevent things from going down too far. It is possible to choke your cat when giving them medication because you are forcing it down their throat and preventing them from closing off their airway by pushing against their chin.Just like with any living creature, it’s important to be careful and gentle while handling or helping your cat. The last thing we want is for anything unpleasant to happen since we love our feline friends!Use your thumb and index fingers to pick up your cat’s jaw, then close it by lightly pinching both sides of its cheeks. This will keep the mouth open long enough for you to get the medication into their throat.You can talk to your vet about using a pill gun or ask if there are any treats that work well to hide tablets inside of them. Healthy treats like fish oil could be an option for cats who aren’t super picky eaters.Cats are similar to humans in that they don’t like bitter or sour flavors. If you hide medication inside fish oil capsules, for example, they’ll likely eat around the medicine because it doesn’t taste good to them.Safety Tips When Giving A Cat A TabletHold down your cat securely but do it gently. Don’t be rough when restraining them, and try to keep the whole experience as stress-free as possible for everyone involved!If you need to give more than one pill, give them a gap of a few hours in between doses. This allows enough time for the previous dosage’s effects to wear off before administering another one.Be careful not to injure yourself while holding your cat down; this is why it’s good to have two people present when administering medication, especially if they are fighting back or struggling a lot. You can also get scratched or bitten very easily by cats who aren’t used to being handled like this!If your cat is angry or upset, try to give them a break and wait until they calm down before trying again. Gently push their head down towards the pill if they won’t open their mouth, or use the pill gun if necessary.If your cat is having an adverse reaction to medication that is making them sick, it’s important that you take them to your vet immediately!It’s important not to give them medication that is prescribed for other animals. For example, giving cat-appropriate flu medication to your dog may make them very sick!Always remember that owning a pet means responsibility, especially if you are taking care of someone else’s pet (such as your parents) or sharing your home with many cats! It’s best that everyone in the house is aware of the proper way to give medication.Try to have a plan of what you’ll do if your cat eats more than one pill or has an adverse reaction. In this case, it’s best to call the vet as soon as possible so they can talk you through it.The most important thing is that everyone stays calm and doesn’t try anything rash! Being prepared for any situation will make giving medication an easy task and reduce stress levels and potential injuries.Practice makes perfect. The more often you give them their prescribed medications, the easier it will become over time.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘How to get a cat to take a pill’ then why not take a look at ‘How to make a cat to like you’, or ‘Persian cat facts’.
Before giving your cat a pill, make sure it is necessary.
