Hyperthyroidism?

A bit of background....
My dear old Tulip has been eating loads but just getting thinner over the past week or two. she is as light as a feather anyway and really small to start with. I put it down to her age as she seemed to be feisty enough. However on Wednesday she decided to stop eating so I knew there was something amiss. She also stopped sleeping on the bed and clawing my face in the morning and she's stopped mewling.Thursday was vet day! I was I must admit very apprehensive. She is 18 now but usually very vocal and speeds around like a 2 year old, (some of you may remember she still climbs curtains, at her age to ) I go on holiday for 3 weeks on Tuesday and I really did not want to come home to a dead cat! The vet was great. she looked tulip over and said she probably had constipation as well and took blood for testing her blood cells, kidneys,liver and hyperthyroid. We came aways with some rather goopy stuff for Tulips constipation and rang friday for the test results. Yes she has hyperthyroidism. The vet gave me options but said tablets were probably the best due to Tulips age. Surgery is out of the question and the radiography(?) is pretty pointless I thought as it it hugely expensive. If tulip was perhaps 3 or 4 it might be an option. anyway tulip is on 3 sets of tablets. Ones for her hyperthyroid (forever) one for potasium and some antibiotics.
Okay so here comes the question ...Tulip is little and thin and very squirmy. She has to have these tablets twice a day. Admittedly two lots will stop in a fortnight but the little pink ones are forever. She bites and claws and I am terrified I am going to break her silly neck by accident! Crushing them in food is not an option as the vet said they taste vile. Ive wrapped her in a towel but I am at a loss as to how to get these damn tablets down her.
Suggestions would be expremely welcome. We are only on day two and it is becoming clear I am not good at this - she knows its coming. Its not like when Mischa had to have her insulin injections - i was in charge then and it was just quick in and out. This is different - Tulip is different. Help!

How about a pill gun? It looks somewhat like a syringe which you fill with water. You stick the pill in a slot at the top, and "shoot" the pill into the back of the cat's mouth. They're available at many pet stores. We have something here called "Easytabs", made by Bayer and sold only in vets' offices. They're soft meat-flavored treats. You stick the pill in the middle, knead a bit, and just feed the whole thing. I myself take thyroid pills, and we had a dog who had to take them for years. They're so small that the pill gun or a "wraparound" treat should work. Or even a bit of liverwurst or cheese.

Tapazole is very bitter, so it can be a pain to get your kitty to swallow it. You might see if you can find some empty capsules (compounding pharmacies and health food stores would be good bets) to put the pill(s) inside. If you get the capsule wet, you might be able to drop it in nice an easy. The trick is to make sure your cat can't start chomping on it. Also, I've found that dropping them in the back of the throat while the cat is still sleepy can help. Follow the pill-session with some yummy food, and you might be able to get her on a routine.

Another alternative, though somewhat more expensive, would be to find a compounding pharmacy that could make either a transdermal gel (that you put on the skin) or a yummy flavored treat with the medicine mixed in.

There is a Yahoo Group called Feline HyperT that is full of members with all kinds of advice.

Thanks for the advise. Will certainly be looking up that HyperT site very soon.