pilling when it's just too big

hi there,
Chester has had some abdominal problems for awhile, so I brought in a sample (yes, I know, FINALLY) and nothing showed up. They gave me some pills (cut in quarters) that are supposed to help take away irritation and such in his bowel. I'm supposed to give him these pills twice a day for 6 days, starting yesterday.

Yesterday he was ok taking them, it was difficult but he did it (he's usually pretty good with pills). This morning was another story all together. He spat the first one up twice and by the time I got it in his mouth a third time, it crumbled on his tongue and he spent the next 5 minutes foaming at the mouth and spitting...until I could get a seringe of water in there to clean it out. Mom and I took 3 times with a new pill a few minutes later, and the final clencher was to put the pill in his mouth (which was partly disolved) and a splash of water.
My conclusion is that these pills are not only pointy (in a pie shape), and obviously fowl tasting, but also just plain too big for my little guy to swallow easily. Any tricks of the trade that you can offer?
Jess

Ask your vet for a pill gun. You can get the pill in the back of the mouth which will help the problem about him spitting it out and trying repeatedly. Keep a treat handy and hand it to him after you pill him.

I feel for you - I have to give a large pill to a cat that hates them. It is a struggle inspite of my pill gun and treats.

Sylorna, I'm also having difficulty giving meds to my kitty. I have to break it into three portions and it usually breaks into little bits...she just spits whatever I put in her mouth. GRRRR! I have tried putting it in her food but that doesn't work too well either.
This morning I obtained empty pill capsules from the pharmacy and will let you know if that works better.
If the pill you are trying to give your kitty is too big, you can break it into tiny pieces and place it in the capsule. That way, he won't get the taste of the pill in his mouth.
Good Luck!!

I have to give my cat quarters of a very bitter pill, and I must say that the empty pill capsules are a huge blessing. You can get them a little bit wet and they slide down nice and easy. If you can't find them or afford them easily, you can wrap the pill in a bit of bread or stick it inside some other treat. Don't feed it to them, just use it like you would a normal pill. The treat will mask the taste of the pill and keep them from foaming. Following the pill with a syringe of water is a good idea. If you don't, then giving them food afterwards is good as well. Otherwise, pills can get stuck in their esophagus, which doesn't help and may be harmful. Good luck!

Be careful about syringing fluid into a cat's mouth, done to quickly water can go into the lungs and cause major health issues.

Check out this thread

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...light=pill+cat

I have just given Minmin her afternoon pill inside the empty capsule and let me tell you it worked like a charm!! I just wet it a little bit and she accepted it without fighting back. Try this and I'm sure you'll be really happy with the results...I know I certainly am.

Originally Posted by Catgal

I have just given Minmin her afternoon pill inside the empty capsule and let me tell you it worked like a charm!! I just wet it a little bit and she accepted it without fighting back. Try this and I'm sure you'll be really happy with the results...I know I certainly am.

Click to expand...

I had never thought of the capsules before! I think I'll try it with the wet catfood tonight, since he seems to eat it without thinking. If that doesn't work I'll stop by the pharmacy tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestions.

update:
The wet catfood around the pill worked...at least once more. Thank you all for your help and support.
Jess

I wish I had some good advice for you. My cat Elliot has Giardia and the vet gave me three syringes full of worming medicine for him to take. The first day he took it good because he didnt know what was coming, and I gave him a treat afterwards.... Yesterday however, I only got about HALF of it in hi mouth because he was twisting and flinching. I know its got to be very icky stuff, and not only that, but it clings to his mouth the poor baby. I had to do it TWICE because he didnt take it all at once. And today not only was it almost impossible to get him to sit still but he spit a bit of it out, and almost threw up. I stood next to him and patted his back and petted him and he didnt puke it up, but then I still had to give the OTHER HALF because he didnt let me get it all in he didnt even want the wet food I put out for him. Poor kitties. We people get such nice tasting medicine (i mean, bubblegum flavored for kids?) but wheres the chicken flavored for cats The hardest thing about giving them pills and stuff is the way they lookat you afterwards elliot has been avoiding me all day the poor little baby. I didnt even have the heart to give him a bath, though he needs it because of his butt dandruff (I have a vet prescribed shampoo ) You're lucky your cat only needs a pill You cant really mix a syringe of nasty tasting medicine with a pouch of wet food and expect your cat to eat it you know?