How do I get my cat to take a pill?

I found Fancy Feast grilled works pretty well for mixing in meds. There's also tuna juice, which is probably cheaper than cat food. I know neither are ideal if you're paying a lot of attention to ingredients, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Kinda like when my sick kitty wouldn't eat anything but he would eat Temptations treats. Guess what he got fed then? Yep, Temptations treats.

Thanks guys!! Canned food is a godsend. I didn't think about it, but what stinks up the room probably masked the smell of the meds!

One of my seniors would spit out pills.  I used to wrap his pill in a small piece of cheese. This was the only thing that worked for me.  

I wetted dry food a little, then sprinkled on meds. Mingo ate it with no problem.

So NOTHING having to do with food worked because  chews the food and therefore wouldn't chew the gross pill capsule. I ended up following a technique where you tilt their heat up and open their mouth with your middle finger, then throw the pill down their throat and they swallow it Sounds mean, but it works and he isn't too pissed off at me. 

LTS3 said:

It's ok to use the dog Pill Pocket for a cat :nod: Dr. Pierson of Catinfo.org even recommends it. You don't need the entire dog Pill Pocket, just enough to completely cover the pill.

Click to expand...

I hope this logic applies to pill wraps too (I forget who makes them now) but Sara loves them. She wanted even more of it.

I have a feral who I cannot trick into eating the pill pockets, but she goes crazy for cream cheese. She trys to get my bagel. I can pill her by putting it inside cream cheese. If I tried a pill gun I think I would lose my face. My babies love the pill pockets, but my oldest I have to use the pill gun.

Might be a little redundant now, but these articles have some great tips and tricks [article="22402"][/article][article="32724"][/article]

I've Never had any luck getting any kitty to take a pill. They don't like the pill pockets, they avoid their food if you "cleverly" hide the pill in it. I wish there was a way to just leave the pill on kitty's nightstand and tell him to take it with plenty of water at such a such time! But there is no getting them to willingly take anything they don't like. It has to be forced on them for their own good. So what I have to do with Nat is give him liquid phenobarbital from a syringe. I sneak up behind him or just nab him somehow when I can catch him off guard. I then scruff him because he won't hold still if I don't, and then give squirt the med in his mouth. It's twice a day so I do this at meal time. It sounds mean, but I'd rather him endure 1/2 ml bad tasting stuff than have seizures.

Ginny said:

I've Never had any luck getting any kitty to take a pill. They don't like the pill pockets, they avoid their food if you "cleverly" hide the pill in it. I wish there was a way to just leave the pill on kitty's nightstand and tell him to take it with plenty of water at such a such time! But there is no getting them to willingly take anything they don't like. It has to be forced on them for their own good. So what I have to do with Nat is give him liquid phenobarbital from a syringe. I sneak up behind him or just nab him somehow when I can catch him off guard. I then scruff him because he won't hold still if I don't, and then give squirt the med in his mouth. It's twice a day so I do this at meal time. It sounds mean, but I'd rather him endure 1/2 ml bad tasting stuff than have seizures.

Click to expand...

I'm epileptic, so can understand wanting to make sure he gets his medicine every time! Missing one dose can feel horrible (it really, REALLY feels horrible).

I have to coax Sara more and more these days. And if she doesn't want it right then, then she doesn't want it. End of story. I wait a half hour, and give her a regular treat (no pill), and if she eats it, I'll try again with a Pill Pocket sandwich (pill pocket is between two regular treats). This is fro her methimazole and Pepcid that she gets; missing one dose of these isn't nearly as bad as missing phenobarbital however.

Btw is this "Rotisserie" who needs a pill?

Ginny said:

Btw is this "Rotisserie" who needs a pill?

Click to expand...

Yes it is totally Rotisserie that needed the pills! He was having an unfortunate spout of diarrhea.... it was terrible! The vet put him on some mild antibiotics and also PRObiotics and it cleared right up! Thank goodness..... I don't know how many more skid marks i could clean from things he would sit on......

GhibliTheCat said:

 

Yes it is totally Rotisserie that needed the pills! He was having an unfortunate spout of diarrhea.... it was terrible! The vet put him on some mild antibiotics and also PRObiotics and it cleared right up! Thank goodness..... I don't know how many more skid marks i could clean from things he would sit on......

Click to expand...

Awwww.....I'm glad Rotisserie is feeling better!  Probiotics are amazing all by themselves, if you take the right one that is.  

Donutte said:

I'm epileptic, so can understand wanting to make sure he gets his medicine every time! Missing one dose can feel horrible (it really, REALLY feels horrible).

I have to coax Sara more and more these days. And if she doesn't want it right then, then she doesn't want it. End of story. I wait a half hour, and give her a regular treat (no pill), and if she eats it, I'll try again with a Pill Pocket sandwich (pill pocket is between two regular treats). This is fro her methimazole and Pepcid that she gets; missing one dose of these isn't nearly as bad as missing phenobarbital however.

Click to expand...

That's surprising that you say you feel bad when you miss a dose.  I wasn't even aware of that possibility.  Nat seems to feel good - I suppose - when he misses a dose (because I couldn't catch him before having to leave for work usually.)  He regards me warily at mealtimes because he knows what's coming.  Bless him.  I hate that I have to put him under such stress twice every day.  When he misses a dose, I can almost hear him sigh. Whew!  Got away with it this time!

His seizures have not followed any discernible pattern and seem to have little to do with medications I've given, so I never know if the phenobarb will help or not. The last seizure he had was last March, that's when they put him on liquid pheno at twice the dose.  But I could NOT pill him.  The pill syringe was too big for my hand, plus I had to scruff him with my other hand.  

Update: 

Ghibli has been doing fine, but now he is vomiting I'm taking him to the vet again today. I'm praying it is nothing. Even an infection or parasites I would be fine with me because then he could get better! He's never been a vomiter, but has now vomited three times since yesterday and can't seem to keep his food down very well--acting like he has a nauseous tummy, too . He gets seemingly nauseous, throws up, then seems to feel much better for a few hours until he throws up again. Luckily he seems to have a fine appetite after he throws up, but I'm only letting him eat little bites so it doesn't overwhelm his stomach. He has gone 5 hours without throwing up and seems to be a little more playful and improving. 

Question! While the vet is figuring out his condition, what should I be feeding him in small amounts? Raw? Boiled chicken? Thats the only thing I can think that doesn't have something that wouldn't agree with his tummy..

@Ginny  @LisaHE   and anyone else who would have suggestions!

If he doesn't have an obstruction that is making him throw up, the only food I can think of is Hill's A/D (Ailment) which has lots of calories and yet is easily digestible.  But you need a prescription for it.  I've heard people say canned pumpkin (plain, no spices) is easy on the tummy, but it's not complete.  I hope he continues to improve.  Let us know how things go!

Poor Ghibli hno: If you're seeing the vet today, don't give him any food now until after the appointment. At this stage we don't know what the cause is, and vomiting will tire and dehydrate him.

Hills a/d is great for sick cats, but it really does depend on the illness as to whether it's suitable. It's designed for cats who are very unwell and need calories and nutrition quickly. When my girl got a tummy upset we were given Royal Canin Gastrointestinal to help things settle and heal (Hills i/d is their equivalent). These diets are high energy and highly digestible, but also rebalanced electrolytes - ideal if there's been a lot of diarrhoea or vomiting.

When my guys have a straightforward upset tummy, my vet recommends a couple of days on things like boiled chicken or scrambled eggs to help things settle down. If you can't get to the vet today, I'd probably go with that until he can be seen.

Your vet is the best person to advise you on diet until Ghibli's recovered. :cross: that he's back to full health soon

Columbine said:

Poor Ghibli

If you're seeing the vet today, don't give him any food now until after the appointment. At this stage we don't know what the cause is, and vomiting will tire and dehydrate him.

Hills a/d is great for sick cats, but it really does depend on the illness as to whether it's suitable. It's designed for cats who are very unwell and need calories and nutrition quickly. When my girl got a tummy upset we were given Royal Canin Gastrointestinal to help things settle and heal (Hills i/d is their equivalent). These diets are high energy and highly digestible, but also rebalanced electrolytes - ideal if there's been a lot of diarrhoea or vomiting.

When my guys have a straightforward upset tummy, my vet recommends a couple of days on things like boiled chicken or scrambled eggs to help things settle down. If you can't get to the vet today, I'd probably go with that until he can be seen.

Your vet is the best person to advise you on diet until Ghibli's recovered.

that he's back to full health soon

Click to expand...

Thank you <3! He has an appointment in three hours so I won't feed him until then. He has recently been through some stress lately (he stayed at a cat daycare with his own room) for 3 days this weekend while I was in Seattle. He wasn't exposed to any other cats and they are a really good place. However, they gave him FF kitten which he has never had before. He get home and was fine for an hour but then started throwing up :/. He is acting good now but slightly lethargic. I'm just glad I was able to get an appointment today! OK. I will keep the Hills and Royal Canin in mind  

Ginny said:

 
If he doesn't have an obstruction that is making him throw up, the only food I can think of is Hill's A/D (Ailment) which has lots of calories and yet is easily digestible.  But you need a prescription for it.  I've heard people say canned pumpkin (plain, no spices) is easy on the tummy, but it's not complete.  I hope he continues to improve.  Let us know how things go!

Click to expand...

Got it! I will keep you guys updated on my little Rotis (wow I can't believe it has come to that) when I get back from the vet in about 4 hours. Thanks  

GhibliTheCat said:

 
Thank you <3! He has an appointment in three hours so I won't feed him until then. He has recently been through some stress lately (he stayed at a cat daycare with his own room) for 3 days this weekend while I was in Seattle. He wasn't exposed to any other cats and they are a really good place. However, they gave him FF kitten which he has never had before. He get home and was fine for an hour but then started throwing up :/. He is acting good now but slightly lethargic. I'm just glad I was able to get an appointment today! OK. I will keep the Hills and Royal Canin in mind  

Click to expand...

Actually the stress of change in location, not seeing you for several days, and eating a new food could be causing his tummy upset.  But it's better to make sure he doesn't have an obstruction.  Fingers crossed!