Need help giving Katie her pill...

Last week (May 19th) Katie started acting weird, she vomited and then tried to pee on the sofa where I like to sit and then beside my computer deck. I saw a bit of blood on Katie's blanket. I call the vet and told them what was going on with her; the vet said bring her in right away. It ends up Katie has a bit of blood in her urine and has a Bladder Infection. I have to give Katie her pills Mornings and Evenings for two weeks, it is a real chore. She is using her paws to pull my hand away, flicking her tongue around so the pill will not go down her throat, etc. it is so frustrating.
- When I drop the pill in her throat she spits it back up.
- When I crush the pill, put it in a bit of water and put it in a syringe she foams at the mouth.
- She won't eat it in her food.

Does anyone have any tips on how to give Katie her pill?

We've had this same problem so often with all of cats. A couple months ago we had to give Bijou and Mika worming pills - 2 1/2 for Bijou and 1 1/2 for Mika. We went to the pet store and got a package of the pill pocket treats (they are a soft treat and have a hole in the centre where you put the pill and then wrap the treat around the pill). They worked like a charm - no more hassle. I actually got the local pet store (we live in a small town) to order them in.

My pomeranian is highly diabetic with thyroid problems and has to take several meds am & pm as well as insulin injections. Most of them he takes with no problems, but the thyroid pills must be awful cause he wouldn't take it at all. The vet said to get sugar free peanut butter, put a dab on your finger stick the pill in it real good and let him lick it off. It works like a charm, and he thinks he's getting something yummy since he is no longer allowed to have ANY table foods or he can die from his diabetes... good luck!!!

We had an awful time pilling Autumn. Her chin was so bad off it would bleed all over just in the attempt to give her the pill to make her chin better. Anyway this won't work for a lot of cats but it works great for us. She just loves tuna flakes. So we just put the tuna flakes in our hand with the pill mixed in adn as she licks up the tuna flakes she gets the pill too. She swallows the pill before she even knew she took it up. I think the smell of the flakes overwhelmed anything else. Its the same thing as kitty kaviar except that Petsmart/co carry it.

I have been going through the same thing with one of my cats. If none of the above suggestions, which were great by the way, do not work, try crushing the pill and mixing it in gerber baby lamb meat. That is the ONLY way I have been able to get mine to take pills and liquid meds.

If none of the above suggestions work:

Scruff her and lift her a little, that will make her mouth open a bit, drop the pill towards the back of her throat, stick your finger between her incisors [so you can't get bitten on accident] and stick your finger back there and push the pill down her throat. It sounds like it's traumatic, it's really not. I had to have my cat on pred for a while, and we had to do it everyday twice a day. If you scruff her it'll also make her relax, so she won't try to push you away with her paws. Afterwards you can offer her some yummy snacks.

The other alternative is to get a piller, and then actually grab her head with your thumb and index finger on each side of her mouth, pull her mouth open and stick the piller in there at the back of her mouth and do it that way.

Also, if you have trouble medicating your cats it might help to get it used to the idea of swallowing what you put in it's mouth. So you could, 2-3 times a week give, your cat a piece of cooked chicken the same size as a pill and use the same method to give it to your cat.

This way when you need to pill your cat they will not be expecting something gross.

Originally Posted by Plebayo

If none of the above suggestions work:

Scruff her and lift her a little, that will make her mouth open a bit, drop the pill towards the back of her throat, stick your finger between her incisors [so you can't get bitten on accident] and stick your finger back there and push the pill down her throat. It sounds like it's traumatic, it's really not. I had to have my cat on pred for a while, and we had to do it everyday twice a day. If you scruff her it'll also make her relax, so she won't try to push you away with her paws. Afterwards you can offer her some yummy snacks.

The other alternative is to get a piller, and then actually grab her head with your thumb and index finger on each side of her mouth, pull her mouth open and stick the piller in there at the back of her mouth and do it that way.

Click to expand...

This is what I do with my older one Kandie ... I found that Zoey amazingly took the pill with just a bit of hairball stuff on it

First off, I have to say, Katie is a beautiful exotic-looking cat!

Kneel down on the floor with her between her legs, so she can't go anywhere. Tip her head up. Open up her mouth and put the pill as far down her tongue as you can, the farther, the better. Shut her mouth and hold it closed with her head up until she swallows. If she's like Polly, it'll take her a couple minutes. She seems to have no gag reflex!

Also some kitties like spray cheese.

I have pilled a million cats, some semi-feral and some really nasty and this is what I do:

1)use a PILL POPPER, that is the first word of advise

2) SCRUFF HER on the back of the neck

3) kneel over the cat sort of like you are sitting on her back (but don't sit, just hold her down that way

4) tilt her head back and push the pill popper into the back of her mouth
she may gag and if that is the case, don't worry, just don't go quite so far back next time and expect some foaming sometimes, most pills taste nasty and since you can't make them swallow with a glass of water, they will foam from the taste of the pill.

If you take this advice it should work. I have yet to find a cat I cannot pill and this is what i do. I don't always kneel over the cat in step 3, depends on the cats agressiveness. Sometime you can wrap a towl around the cat too. Pill poppers are wonderful, check local pet stores for them or maybe the vet can tell you were to get them. I wouldn't even bother trying to crush the pill or hide it in a treat, the MAJORITY of cats will know it is in there and a lot of cats don't even like to eat treats in the first place.

Thank you all for you tips, they are very helpful!

Update on Katie:

I brought Katie to the Vet on Friday, May 19th.
She has not had a bowel movement since then. I haven't seen her eat her food or drink her water, both bowls are full; I filled them over the weekend. I tried to give Katie soft canned food and she gagged when she smelled it. I think she has lost some weight, Katie only weighs 6lbs 7oz. I am going to call the Vet in the morning. I don't know if this pill is doing harm to her, when it suppose to make her better. The medication Katie is taking is CLAVAMOX® Tablets 62.5mg, I think that is the lowest dose.

Have any of you had your Fur Baby on this?

Ask your vet to give you the Clavamox liquid, it's much easier to get down them.
I think with 6 in the house, we should have bought stock in Clavamox, seems someone is always on it.

Clavamox is an antibiotic and is pretty well recieved with cats.

Her not eating should have your vet more concerned, it certainly has me concerned.
I think I might, in your place, insist they see her again, possibly x-ray or ultra-sound for other issues such as a blockage somewhere, or bladder stones.

Thank you for you info Arlyn