How do I get my cat to take a pill?

I agree with what the others said about stress and the unfamiliar food potentially causing things like this. Cats are so sensitive!

When Edwina had her disgusting vomiting and mucous episode in December (apparently caused by eating a plant--probably not Ghibli's problem but still...) the vet suggested feeding baby food first. That seems to be a common recommendation for stomach issues. I bought Beechnut Classics, which were just meat and broth. Both cats ended up liking those with PureBites! After that, I fed her low-calorie canned foods and didn't start her back on raw stuff for a couple days. The vet also gave her Cerenia.

I hope the vet appointment goes well! Fingers crossed!

luna tuna said:

I'd NEVER get her in there! It's quite a struggle sometimes to get her into her carrier, which is soft-sided and pretty large compared to her. Honestly, even wrapping her in a towel is nearly impossible. I'm not even worried about getting scratched, I just need her to take the meds!

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That must be the most laid back cat ever!  I can't imagine getting one of mine to hold still while I made a burrito out of them!

Update! 

Long story short.... my vet thinks it was anxiety and the food too. We went ahead and got an Xray and blood tests to test for pancreatitis and an obstruction and nothing was found thank goodness! He is slowly starting to eat again after getting an appetite stimulant and an anti-nausea. To be safe, the vet also took a stool sample to test for parasites. He is still tired and very cuddly, but I feel like a lot of the lethargy has to do with not eating and throwing up. He's slowly eating more and more and now he is keeping it down Thanks for the support guys!

Fantastic that nothing major showed up Hopefully Ghibli will be back to his old self soon

GhibliTheCat said:

 
Update! 

Long story short.... my vet thinks it was anxiety and the food too. We went ahead and got an Xray and blood tests to test for pancreatitis and an obstruction and nothing was found thank goodness! He is slowly starting to eat again after getting an appetite stimulant and an anti-nausea. To be safe, the vet also took a stool sample to test for parasites. He is still tired and very cuddly, but I feel like a lot of the lethargy has to do with not eating and throwing up. He's slowly eating more and more and now he is keeping it down Thanks for the support guys!

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What wonderful news!  And what a scare.  So glad he's feeling better.  

Columbine said:

Fantastic that nothing major showed up

Hopefully Ghibli will be back to his old self soon

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I know! He is still pretty lethargic and sleepy. They are also testing him for heart problems just to rule it out; praying that isn't the problem since he is only 8months old. I'm hoping the lethargy is from all the meds they gave him and nothing else! I will keep you guys updated. 

Good to hear!

Update: Heart disease/abmormality test came back normal!

He is acting super sleepy and lethargic still, but I have a feeling it is because he has been through the ringer the past few days (going to the kennel, then to the vet two days in a row while being poked and prodded), etc. It could also possibly be the anti nausea medicine or appetite stimulant...? What do you guys think? The vet seems to think the reason he is sleeping so much is because he finally doesn't have a tummy ache.

I'm glad all the tests came back negative! Did Ghibli get a painkiller, too? If so, that could be why he's so sleepy! When Edwina had to go in for tests and all after eating a plant, she got Cerenia, Convenia, and Buprenex. She was ultra-sleepy! We stopped her Buprenex after a day because she clearly felt so much better. I'm sure the combination of not feeling well (with vomiting, ugh) and going to the vet for all the tests took a lot out of her, too, and Ghibli went through far more!

GhibliTheCat said:

 
Update: Heart disease/abmormality test came back normal!

He is acting super sleepy and lethargic still, but I have a feeling it is because he has been through the ringer the past few days (going to the kennel, then to the vet two days in a row while being poked and prodded), etc. It could also possibly be the anti nausea medicine or appetite stimulant...? What do you guys think? The vet seems to think the reason he is sleeping so much is because he finally doesn't have a tummy ache.

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It definitely could be the anti-nausea med. I would think the vet would say that too.  

Update: I don't want to jinx it, but Ghibli is no longer extremely lethargic, hasn't vomited, and has slowly started eating! The vet gave us the chunky chicken stew from Hills... but he wouldn't eat it. I tried giving him Tiki Succulent Chicken and Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and he wouldn't touch that. He wouldn't even eat tuna from a can! Low and behold, the only thing he will eat at this point it is Sheba which has always been his favorite. All I care about is that he is eating and not throwing up. I hope this lasts when the medicine wears off! Everything is going well so far   Thanks for all the help everyone!

Such great news! I really hope this continues

GhibliTheCat said:

 
Update: I don't want to jinx it, but Ghibli is no longer extremely lethargic, hasn't vomited, and has slowly started eating! The vet gave us the chunky chicken stew from Hills... but he wouldn't eat it. I tried giving him Tiki Succulent Chicken and Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and he wouldn't touch that. He wouldn't even eat tuna from a can! Low and behold, the only thing he will eat at this point it is Sheba which has always been his favorite. All I care about is that he is eating and not throwing up. I hope this lasts when the medicine wears off! Everything is going well so far 

 Thanks for all the help everyone!

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I guess Ghibli feels the same way about Sheba as I do about fried potatoes and macaroni and cheese!

I'm glad he's eating and not throwing up. That's great news.

Just wrap you cat with a towel, like a burrito. The won't move at all.

KarenH said:

Just wrap you cat with a towel, like a burrito. The won't move at all.

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I can say without a doubt, this does not work on all cats.

Donutte said:

I can say without a doubt, this does not work on all cats.

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Agreed. That's what my vet told me to do, but there's pretty much no way for me to get her wrapped up. Even when I manage, she squirms until she escapes.

KarenH said:

 
Just wrap you cat with a towel, like a burrito. The won't move at all.

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Maybe it does work on a very laid back kitty.  I recall trying to wrap up Garfield like this many years ago for a dose of medicine.  He was the sweetest kitty ever, and he never hissed or even growled.  But he resisted tooth and toenail when I tried to wrap him up.  

Cats do not want or like to be wrapped up.

If you have a cat that refuses to take a pill or any medicine for that matter, wrap him in a towel very fast. In my case I have to catch my cat and be very quick to get the towel around him.

Of course they don't like it. The idea is you can contain them and give them the pill. Once you insert or drop pill in back of throat, blow on their nose and they will swallow it.

Let the cat go immediately. This does not hurt your cat.

In fact, the more I do this, the more relaxed my cat has become, as he knows what is going to happen.

Pilling cats is no fun at all, but for their health we have to do it.

KarenH said:

Cats do not want or like to be wrapped up.
If you have a cat that refuses to take a pill or any medicine for that matter, wrap him in a towel very fast. In my case I have to catch my cat and be very quick to get the towel around him.
Of course they don't like it. The idea is you can contain them and give them the pill. Once you insert or drop pill in back of throat, blow on their nose and they will swallow it.
Let the cat go immediately. This does not hurt your cat.
In fact, the more I do this, the more relaxed my cat has become, as he knows what is going to happen.

Pilling cats is no fun at all, but for their health we have to do it.

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I'm saying there are some cats that wrapping up will have no effect on. I've had cats that kick their way out faster than you can pill them. There are other methods of pilling but wrapping in a towel is not the answer for all of them. There is no one "this will work for them all" method.

Plus, dry-dropping a pill like that needs to be followed up with water or something to eat. Otherwise it dissolves in their esophagus and is quite painful.

And believe me, I understand the importance of pilling cats. I do it every day, twice a day.

I have a horrible "piller" and he just LOVES Pill Pockets.  I would have thought he would find the pill but I squish the hole shut with the pill inside and he thinks he is getting a treat==He just loves them.  They are expensive-I got a big bag of them from the vet.  I was so sure Twizzy wouldnt be successful with them but they worked like a charm.  He is so excited about the treat he just gobbles it right down and I feed him right after his pill so he doesnt get it stuck on the way down.  He is such a smarty cat I thought he would discover that pill but he didnt! 

Darla