Liquid Medication Tips?

Hi everyone, my two cats got spayed two days ago and are required to take .75ml liquid antibiotics twice a day. I've been having trouble getting one of my cats to take everything, but I know she needs to get her entire dosage. The cat, Peaches, came to me after living a year on the streets and immediately goes into her feral stage when I have to hold her down for medicine. I have tried the towel/blanket method, but she wiggles so much that it is ineffective. I can get the syringe near her mouth, but the second I start to dispense it she waves her head and splatters it. I can't be too rough with her because she would probably tear a stitch in an effort to get away. 

Does anyone have other ideas on how to get her to take the medicine?

Would it be okay to hold her by the scruff of her neck to immobilize her head or would this hurt her (I wouldn't be picking her up)? She's about two years old and only weighs 6 pounds so I do not think it would hurt her.

My vet clinic did not give me any instructions on how to do this so I would like any suggestions to make these next few days as stress free as possible.

I came here hoping to see a bunch of helpful tips myself!  

Have you tried hiding it in a bit of their food? I'd try a small bit of food with the medicine squirted inside. Didn't work with Malý - it does for her brother when he needs meds.

Malý is my 11lb little girl. She  has epilepsy and has to take meds twice a day. Her and I have worked out a deal where she doesn't fight it [too much] and then gets a paw-full of nummies afterwards. But that took a while to achieve. 

I set her on the kitchen counter, with her looking off to the side. I do still have to hold her head a bit - she wants to stick her nose up in the air to try and avoid the oral syringe. So I gently push her head so it's more horizontal, otherwise I'm afraid she'd literally inhale it. There's a trick to getting it in fast and towards the side of the mouth - unfortunately that only comes with practice . . . which I'm glad you won't have! 

I have learned that my attitude towards the process makes a difference. If I'm kinda freaked out/nervous, it seems to make it worse for Malý. 

And no, kitty-burritos didn't go over very well at my house either. 

I don't think holding her by the scruff to help keep her still for a few seconds would hurt her. Like you said, you're not lifting her, just holding her. Talk soft + sweet and give treats afterwards. Yeah, they're gonna be mad at you for a bit. Spoil 'em rotten and they'll eventually forgive you. 

Best of luck!

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Have you tried putting it in some tuna, baby food or canned food with gravy that she finds irresistible? A lot of cats will take liquid medicine in some cream or cat milk. If you can get somebody to hold her while she's wrapped in a towel, it's often easier to give three small doses rather than one large one, to prevent her from spitting everything out.

jcat said:

Have you tried putting it in some tuna, baby food or canned food with gravy that she finds irresistible? A lot of cats will take liquid medicine in some cream or cat milk. If you can get somebody to hold her while she's wrapped in a towel, it's often easier to give three small doses rather than one large one, to prevent her from spitting everything out.

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Just what I was about to suggest.. tuna water.. 

open a can of tuna, put it in a jar and add some water to it. Keep it in the refrigerator and keep adding some water.. I would dump it out or give the tuna to the kitty within a few days..