Strugging to get pills down my cat -- and now she hates me

Hey there, new to the forum but I am desperate for help/advice/sympathy.

My cat, Kat, had her six-month checkup three days ago. Doctor said she had an abscessed tooth which needed to be removed.

With this, there would be some followup medication. One small pill twice a day for two days and a larger pill (Clavamox) twice a day for a week.

It's been a battle, to say the least.

This is the first time in the four years I've had her -- she moved in as a stray and is probably about 8.5 years old. She also checks in at just under 17 pounds, so she can be a handful -- I have been what she would perceive as being mean to her.

We've never had a cross moment, never a bite or scratch out of anger.

She's been perfect companion.

And while we have not got to that yet, it seems to be getting close as she seems to be doing everything she can to avoid me -- normally she's connected to my hip -- and is constantly sleeping probably just to avoid something that is scaring her to death. (Why is daddy stalking me and trying to force things down my throat).

I've tried a bunch of different ways to get the pills down her.

The way the vet showed me. With different treats, she never has gotten treats because of a stomach condition so really has no real interest in them, and with a pill shooters.

It's only worked on a couple of occasions -- there are times I thought I got the pill down, only to find it on the floor some time later -- and we've still got four days to go.

Any way, does someone have a magic formula to get your cat to take its medicine. I think the stress is getting to me more than it is to her.

I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time.  My cats Atticus and Thirteen are the easiest cats in the world to pill so your post makes me appreciate them even more.

If you're trying to just pop the pill down the throat it works MUCH better if you wet the pill first.  That way it isn't dry and doesn't "catch" on the cat's throat.

My advice is to find a compounding pharmacy (very common) and have them turn it into a liquid medicine (very cheap).  Or call the vet back and get a liquid prescription.

My female cat Shadow will not take pills.  It was downright funny when I told the vet that I can't get pills down her, the vet showed me the proper way by prying open her mouth while her muzzle faced the ceiling, dropping the pill in and then massaging her throat for over a minute.  She then told me it was definitely swallowed and that's how to do it.  She let Shadow go, and Shadow spat the pill out with such force it bounced off the wall.  The vet looked at the pill and immediately got me liquid medicine.

With a liquid medicine, I can take my left hand and push my fingers against her teeth right behind the fangs and when it opens I push the syringe in the side of her mouth and squeeze.  Yes that means for a few seconds my thumb and middle finger are right between her molars, but I haven't been bitten yet.  Depending on dosage size (amount in syringe), sometimes I have to do half followed by the other half.  A little dribbles out but most of it goes down because it triggers a swallowing reaction.

And yes, it takes about 48 hours before I just can't find the cat without a search team and a treasure map.  It also takes about 48 hours after the medicine runs out before she's visible again.

It's always worth a try to see if you can disguise the medicine in a meat human baby food. Gerber stage 2 in the little jars is just meat, cornstarch and water, and Beechnut baby food doesn't even have the cornstarch. All of the cats I've had to give medicine to love it so much that they will lick the bowl clean, so I know for sure every last drop of medicine is eaten. It's easiest to mix in if you can get the medication in a liquid form, but I've also done it with small or chopped up pills.

It's heartbreaking when you can't explain to your cat that you are actually helping them, not hurting them, but cats have a remarkable capacity to forgive. They will hide from you for as long as they suspect they are in danger of having to do something they don't like, but once they are confident you are past that silly phase of sticking pills down their throat, they are very happy to be able to spend time with you again.

I disguise pills for my cats in their food, it works best to give the kitty a small amount of wet food (with a cat with stomach issues, the food they are used to would be better, but for mine I choose either a more expensive kind that they only get on special occasions, or a small amount of tuna). Make sure your kitty is hungry, and start with a pill well hidden in a small amount, that way if they eat all the food and leave the pill, you can just add more food and disguise the pill in it again without them getting full. These are with small pills, little worming tablets, and also an antibiotic one of them needed as a kitten for a few days.

Ask the vet if you can chop the bigger pill into two, which would make it easier to disguise in food. Or see if you can get the medicine in a different form, liquid would be a lot easier if you cannot disguise it as a pill well enough for your cat to be tricked.

I'm sorry, I know it's hard I had to do the same with my sweet cat for a long time before we found something that he would accept the pills with: a bit of tuna, with the pill rolled up in there. It still did not work for every type of pill and I'd still have to force feed him with some varieties, but it made things a lot easier at least. I felt so bad for him - he was so weak and finally got to come home but there I was holding him down and shoving pills in his mouth three times a day. He never bit or scratched, but was just completely miserable. 

I've had to give pills for going on three years now, to a cat that absolutely hates them and hides when he sees me coming. I got a package of Pill Pockets for cats and tore a tiny piece off, just enough to 'cement' the pill to a piece of bacon which I wrap around it. He gobbles it right up. Call your vet first, but most pills can be cut into smaller pieces to better hide them. A pill cutter can be found at any pharmacy or your local Walmart. When he tires of bacon, or gets suspicious and refuses it, I find a hard treat he likes and cement the pill to the back of that. He still spits them out once in a while, sometimes I have to act like I'm trying to take it from him or hold more treat under his mouth to make him swallow faster to take more. Liquid medication I put in a tiny amount of tuna juice to disguise the smell. You can keep it in the fridge for the next day. One can can go several days. Good luck, I think the secret is to disguise the pill good enough they don't know what they are getting!