Giving the Cat Medicine

Thanks for stopping by! Get The Way of Cats, delivered, by asking for my RSS feed. Get my free cat advice newsletter by signing up here and get the FREE eBook, Ten Cat Tricks (Every Human Should Know.)

The most dreaded cat chore of them all is when the cat is not that sick. We are glad they are only sick enough to be sent home with medicine. We are sad that there will be medicine.

And so are they.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Here’s some tips to make it easier on everyone.

Prepare properly. Put the pill or bottle in a shirt pocket. It’s worth it to put on a shirt with a pocket. That’s because we are going to Dose in Place, if possible.

It’s bad enough to dose them. It really is a whole extra mission to get the cat to where we are going to dose them. If we can, come upon them while they are on a soft, yielding surface. This will let their claws dig in harmlessly. They don’t want to hurt us, but they don’t want to get medicine either.

Yes, we are sneaking up on them. Yes, it’s probably the best way. Do we want them to see it coming? Neither do they.

This also reduces their apprehension by giving it less time to bloom.

Use the Momma Cat Grab.

This is the best way to hold a cat one-handed, but it is not the best way to move them. So only use the hand on the back of the neck, holding the loose skin there, when we want to keep the cat in place. Yet another reason to Dose in Place.

Get the liquid. One of the veterinarian innovations that has really made an unheralded difference is the ease of getting liquid cat medicine now. Because liquid is much less trouble, and they can add tasty flavors to it! Always ask the vet.

Tilt their head to the side with liquid, angled back for pills. Helpers make the process easier. But if we do not have that, we can use our Momma Cat Grab to incline the cat’s head to the proper orientation.

Don’t force it! It’s worth it to be calm and give them a chance to give in to the inevitable. Tell them over and over that you hate to do it too, but it’s for Their Own Good.

Lead with the medicine. It’s safer all around to use the eyedropper slipped between their lips, or using the pill against their teeth. With liquid, the tilt of their head and the liquid going between their teeth will make them swallow it.

With pills, we need to gently squeeze their lips against their teeth until they start to open their mouth. Drop the pill into their mouth as soon as it opens, then let them close their mouth while still encouraging their head to tilt back. When we see them swallow, they have probably taken their pill.

Maybe not.

When food tricks work. It’s great that the liquid is so easy. Because don’t even think about mixing liquid medicine with their food. They will give us a terribly hurt look, which says, Ruining dinnertime is worse than getting dosed, and they won’ t eat it anyway.

But small enough pills can be finessed into them. We can get sliced deli cheese or meats, or string cheese, which is more pliable, and tear it the long way. We want a strip we can fold a few thicknesses wide, and place the pill inside before folding. Now feed the tasty strip to the cat.

If our food folding/squishing skills are good, the pill will be embedded in the tasty strip and go down without the cat noticing. These are also foods that are good for them, full of protein and fat, so neither of us has to feel guilty.

Cats who gulp down their canned food will also be able to eat their dinner and the pill, but if the cat is onto us, reserve a favorite squishy treat and dole out a spoonful with the pill in it.

If we give them a regular serving, there is more time, and less excitement. Making it more likely they will leave the pill sitting in the middle of the empty dish.

Long term considerations. Medicine like thyroid pills and diabetic shots are going to become part of the cat’s routines. So even if we get them to take it without a food treat, offer something to take their mind off the betrayal.

With Mr. Bond’s recent liquid antibiotic treatment, he was resigned that he was going to be hunted down right before dinnertime. But then, it was right before dinnertime. So there was automatic compensation for being a sorta-cooperative boy.

A medically approved treat, a favorite toy, or just some petting if they need to be quiet and rest, are other ways we can show that whatever we just did, we only did it out of love.

Many pet parents report that cats do get used to chronic medical routines, and will associate feeling better with the medicine.

If all else fails. A spooky recent adoption or a cat with a chip on their shoulder about medical care can be challenging, even with another set of hands to help. If it’s a course of antibiotics, see if the vet could inject one of the slow-release types. Sometimes we would prefer to take the cat in a couple of times over the course of their treatment, rather than wrestle with them twice a day for weeks. It might be easier on the cat, too, since they already don’t expect much joy from a vet visit.

Explain the situation and ask for this option. Work with the vet, or get a good explanation why not. They should be able to handle all kinds of patients, after all. Cats who are tricky to treat are just part of the territory.

Be obnoxiously cheerful about it. Along with skill and practice, medical treatments are about our calm attitudes, too. If we are apprehensive and expect the cat to freak out, then we are encouraging the cat to become apprehensive and freak out.

The calm cheeriness of good nurses really works.

If we build a bond of trust with our cat, find the least objectionable way of getting medicine into the cat, and follow up with something special to signal that we realize it’s tough on both of us, we all can dread the medicine ritual… less.

Got here from a Link or Search?
There’s more ways to care for our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on CAT CARE.