tips to make pilling easier?

Matt was put on Omoxicillan for an upper respitory infection. the first few days went ok, I just put him in my lap, popped open his mouth, dropped in his pill and made sure he didn't open his mouth until he swallowed......

but it's getting more dificult by the day, and now he's fighting me, and he get's these pills out of his mouth faster than I can close it. If that's not bad enough, the last couple have broken in 4, instead of snapping in half like they're meant to, so I have to give him two pieces instead of one.

He's still got almost a week left

Are there treats he likes?

If so, put down some treats for him to eat. Tell him it's pill time, like it's a special thing. If he likes canned food or baby food, that makes them more involved in eating, so plop a teaspoon in a bowl. It's easiest to do this if you start in a corner until you get the hang of it.

When he's eating the whatever, kneel behind him, with your butt on your heels and your legs in a "V" on either side of him. This "traps" him without him feeling trapped. When you give medicine or eye drops or whatever, their natural instinct is to back up - but there's nowhere to back up.

Just make sure you have the pill ready-to-go in your dominant hand. Hold his head firmly with the hand that won't be doing the pilling. Tilt it up, and push his mouth open by pressing at the back of his mouth where his jaws meet. Then take the pill, and starting at the back of his mouth, push the pill quickly OVER THE HUMP OF HIS TONGUE - basically at the top of his throat. You may fumble around a bit the first few times, you may not be quick enough to avoid some flailing paws, but you'll get the hang of it. Using this method, I'm able to pill feral cats that allow me near them when they eat.

The vet will replace any broken pills to complete his course of meds. :nod:

The real "trick" to this is being calm yourself. Just take a few deep breaths, and try to center yourself before starting.

Yes, he may chomp your finger; you may get a scratch from flailing paws. I have 8 cats, all older, and have given a LOT of meds the past few years. I have a permanent callous on the outside of my right hand index finger. Just wash well, and use some neosporin or hibiclens or something on it if the skin actually gets broken (it probably won't). I use colloidal silver (500ppm) on mine, but that's what I keep on hand for all cuts, scratches, etc.

Pilling is a skill, and IMO, an important one to have (for the benefit of our kitties' health). It's worth the effort to learn how to do it quickly and correctly. As they say, practice makes perfect. Yeah... groan.... but it's true.

In the end, it's having a calm attitude about doing it that makes the difference. At this point, I can pill any of the inside kitties before they even know what happened, no kneeling necessary. Grab head, insert pill.

Oh - and of course have some treats ready to give him AFTER he's had the pill. Even better if it's some wet food, the moisture is good to help the pill go down. All the online advice is to chase the pill with water. This is important if the pills are larger or cut in half or quarters. But a little wet food does the job of soothing the throat and ensuring the pill goes all the way down just as well. And don't forget lots of praise. :rub:

You might think about getting a pill popper, if you don't have one already.  Last time I  had to give Swanie meds and the first time I was successful without having to take him back to the vet for her to do it, it took a lot of patience and persistence.  And I willingness to not give up.  A sense of humor helps too.

I buy feline pill pockets at the vet's or at the pet store to give Muffin his medication. He has to have pills twice and day and so trying to give it to him any other way is useless.

I have had to give my cat a pill every day for ten months, so I've had a lot of practice.

What I do is kneel down beside him, roll him over onto his back, grab his head in my left hand, he meows in protest, and I throw the pill in the back of his mouth.

Then I pick him up and blow on his nose which drys it out and makes him lick it, ensuring that he has swallowed.

Works every time, and when you get good at it, the whole process takes ten seconds.

He just kind of looks stunned, wondering what just happened. Yep, you just got pilled.

If the pills can be crushed, which I assume they cans you are cutting them in half, try using a pill crusher to make a powder. Then mix it into a little wet food.
I've used this technique for years with my Eopie, after a week of fighting over medication administration. It got so bad that she would run and hide from me as soon as I got home. Now I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know she's getting dosed!

  We roll our wild child in a towel like a sausage.   Then proceed like normal pill giving.

                 Not for everyone, but works for us.

Thanks everyone  

 was able to get Pill Pockets, and he's taking them as treats in the  morning now   I'm so glad I don't have to fight him over the pilling any more, it was causing issues between him and the new kitten with him being so grumpy after his pilling

mdmaroon said:

Then I pick him up and blow on his nose which drys it out and makes him lick it, ensuring that he has swallowed.

 

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I had to pill Houdini (RIP) for years...this part is crucial.  I did it a little differently - I would lick my finger and dab his nose - he'd immediately lick it thus swallowing the pill.  If that did not work, then I'd blow on it...

And speed is of the essence, in addition to making sure they don't hear you retrieve the pill from its bottle.  I would get the pill, then put it in my pocket and not pill him until he was unsuspecting.

I'm so glad the pill pockets work. It does make it easier!

My "trick" to get kitty to swallow is after getting the pill over the hump of the tongue, just keep holding the head up for a moment, but close the mouth and stroke the throat. They swallow right away.

aprilprey said:

I had to pill Houdini (RIP) for years...this part is crucial.  I did it a little differently - I would lick my finger and dab his nose - he'd immediately lick it thus swallowing the pill.  If that did not work, then I'd blow on it...

And speed is of the essence, in addition to making sure they don't hear you retrieve the pill from its bottle.  I would get the pill, then put it in my pocket and not pill him until he was unsuspecting.

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Sometimes I run water in the kitchen sink so he can't hear me getting the pill out of the bottle. The element of surprise does help.

I used pill pockets for a while, but then he decided not to take them anymore. That's when I started using the traditional pilling methods. He hated it at first, but soon he learned that the pill was going in no matter what.

The element of surprise helps! Flowerbelle is on heart medication, Lazlo is on pred and an antacid. I get the pills I need out for the next day the night before, and just line them up on the top of a container on the kitchen counter. No sound needed at all to grab the pill. :lol3:

Check out this sweet pilling action. I made a video just for you guys. This is about as troublesome as it gets now. Usually it goes much more smoothly, but that would be a boring video. The excitement, the near escapes, the whining, and triumph over adversity make this thrilling video an epic adventure worth every second of watching.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

LDG said:

I'm so glad the pill pockets work. It does make it easier!

My "trick" to get kitty to swallow is after getting the pill over the hump of the tongue, just keep holding the head up for a moment, but close the mouth and stroke the throat. They swallow right away.

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That's what I was doing, it worked really well until Matt decided the pill was not going to enter his mouth about 10 days into his antibiotic run. the Pill Pockets are working out really well though-he heard the back and cam running to sit at my feet for his 'special treat' ....it seems to wwork best if I break the half again and put it into two "pockets" and he certainly doesn't mind as   licks his lips in anticipation of something I don't give the kitten