Giving your pet cat a pill can be an absolute nightmare. No cat owner wants to undertake this daunting and challenging task. Felines are extremely reluctant to have their mouth pried open and then have a tiny object lightly dropped into it. Most felines will exhibit aggressive behavior when you are trying to insert something into their mouth. This can result in yourself getting accidentally scratched or bitten and your cat sputtering out the pill from their mouth. However, there are methods on how to give a cat a pill without having them struggle against you where you both won’t become aggravated with the process.

The simplest method to give your feline buddy a tablet or pill is to crush it. This can be done by crushing it between two spoons or in a bowl that can contain the resulting amount of pill powder. With the pill powder, you can sprinkle it “into” your cat’s soft food. Since cats love soft food, they will be more apt to eat the food without giving it a second thought. Give them a lesser amount of soft food than you normally would, as this will ensure that your cat eats all of their food as opposed to ¾ of the amount due to the fact that you want your cat to ingest all of the medicine. Since cats like soft food it is easier to put it in the middle of the soft food portion so that your cat doesn’t smell the any medicinal odor. Since cats have an excellent sense of smell, if they smell that their food isn’t right, they won’t eat it, hence won’t take in the medicine. If soft food is not an option in your household you can always crush your cat’s dry food and blend it with water to give it a moist consistency and then place the pill powder once again, in the middle of the food portion. If you cat is really hungry, they will eat it. If your cat is being finicky, there are more options on how to give your cat their required medicine.

Another method to administer medicine to your cat, is with a pill gun. A pill gun can be acquired at reputable pet store or at your veterinarian’s clinic. Basically, it is a device that allows you to place a pill down the back of a cat’s throat where they are less likely to spit it out and more likely to swallow it. In order to give your cat their medicine with a pill gun, you would first need to load the gun with the required pill. Once this is done, you will need to open you cat’s mouth wide enough to put the gun in. This is best done by using one finger to open the upper lip of the kitty’s mouth and the other finger open the lower lip part of the mouth. Once the mouth is wide enough, use the other hand to insert the gun in and eject the pill toward the back of your cat’s throat. Quickly close your cat’s mouth and then gently rub your cat’s throat. Rubbing your cat’s throat for one to two minutes helps to make your feline swallow the pill. You can also cover your cat’s nostrils with a finger to prompt swallowing as well. Some cats are smart and won’t swallow the pill (probably because they recognize something foreign and uncomfortable in their throat), hence that’s why stroking your kitty’s throat is important for swallowing to successfully deliver the medicine.
On the other hand, if the pill gun proves to be too cumbersome for you, you can just give your cat their pill by hand. Apply the same technique as you would the pill gun. Instead of using the pill gun to administer the medication, just gently toss the pill to the back of your kitty’s throat with 2 fingers (fingers holding the pill). Once your cat licks its nose then it’s safe to assume that the pill has been swallowed.

All in all, giving your cat medicine in a pill form is the least enjoyable duty of any pet parent but one that is necessary to maintain the health and longevity of your lovable felines. Knowing how to give a cat a pill is necessary to keep your kitty healthy.