Giving Your Cat A Pill
Giving a cat a pill can be a nightmare. No cat wants
something shoved down his throat, and he will fight you tooth
and nail to prevent it. Although most cats are small in size,
you'd be quite amazed with how much power they actually have.
There are ways that you can get your cat to take his pills,
which we will cover below.
The easiest way to give a cat pill is to crush the power
into a powdery form by putting it between two spoons. Once the
pill is powder, mix it in with some wet cat food. Cats that are
used to eating dry cat food will see the wet food and think of
it as a treat. They will normally eat it up, unaware that they
just took their medicine.
If the medicine happens to be in capsule form, all you have
to do is pry the capsule apart then sprinkle the medicine on
some wet food and serve it to your pet. If the food also
contains the pill or if your pet is sick, chances are he won't
eat it. In this event, you should look into a pet piller. You
can get these handy devices from your veterinarian. They are
plastic rods that hold the pill until you press a plunger. When
you get one, you should always get a long one with a softer
tip.
When you get your gun, your vet should show you how to use
it. The most difficult aspect of using the gun is getting your
cat to open his mouth. The gun will more or less shoot the pill
in the cat's mouth, and down his throat. You'll need to hold
him tight, to make sure that he doesn't wiggle his way loose.
Once you have his mouth open, you'll need to squeeze the
trigger and pull the gun away quickly. After the pill has been
inserted, make sure you give your cat a treat.
If you aren't comfortable using the gun, you can always try
giving your cat his pills by hand. To do it this way, you'll
need to hold your cat still, and open his mouth with your hand.
Once you have his mouth open, you should aim for the back of
his throat and throw the pill in. Once it is in his mouth, you
should close his mouth with your hand and hold it shut for a
few moments. This way, your cat will swallow the pill if he
hasn't already.
If you can't get any of the above techniques to work, you
can always go to a local pharmacy and get them to a make
flavored gel or liquid using your cats medication. You should
use this as a last resort though, as it can tend to get
expensive.
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