Cats often refuse to take medications they are given or hide it away, making the experience quite frustrating for owners and veterinarians alike. But it is vitally important that we follow instructions provided by our veterinarian.
Many foods can conceal pills for pets, including liverwurst, cheese, peanut butter, canned food, sour cream and yogurt. Just be sure to choose small servings so your pet will eat it!
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Food
As cats tend to be picky eaters, mixing pills into small portions of canned food may be the ideal way of concealing liquid medication for them. A full bowl may not always result in them eating all their necessary dosage.
Mix the liquid medication into treats, being careful not to add too much food – some human foods are toxic for cats and could prove hazardous if eaten in large amounts. Instead, choose something your cat loves like kibble, tuna water or chicken broth as an enticement and disguise the medication within these items; small pieces of cheese or canned fish work great too! Alternatively you could also use a spoon directly and put the medication directly in their mouth but some pets may get wise to this technique and stop taking their medication altogether.
Capsules and tablets may be harder to conceal, but you still can try hiding them with food or treats. Some foods that work well at hiding pills include canned cat food, strained meat (human) baby food, tuna or other canned fish, tuna yoghurt PocketsTM and cream cheese; butter can even coat the pill to make swallowing it easier!
Animals that refuse to take pills may require more effort when giving medication; perseverance may be needed, but make sure you can give your pet their dose without resorting to aggressive approaches such as force feeding.
Many medications come in liquid form that can be directly administered into an animal’s mouth. This method may be especially helpful if your animal cannot accept pill hiding techniques or is unresponsive to other methods of administration, so make sure to discuss this option with your veterinarian as an option for administering its medicine.
Treats
Many pet owners employ treats as a means to disguise pills, with various types of food working well as disguises for pills or liquid medications. Examples include liverwurst, canned tuna, chicken- or fish-flavored baby food, yogurt, sour cream and canned cheese being popular options; crumbled Temptation treats (though they may not suit all cats). When giving meat treats make sure the animal isn’t allergic and only give small portions at a time in order to prevent choking hazards; stop immediately if your cat begins chewing or spitting it out – as this will only add stress reducing how much medication gets in its entirety.
Compounding pharmacies offer special liquid forms of some medications which can be mixed with food as a tasty treat for cats, making hiding medication much simpler and safer than ever before. Before trying this approach it’s wise to check with your veterinarian first.
If your liquid medication comes with a dropper or syringe, warming it in some water prior to giving it can help make administration more pleasant for both cat and owner. Wet or dry treats should also be available to reinforce positive associations between taking their medicine and reaping its rewards.
Some animals may begin drooling when they first taste medication; this does not indicate any serious medical issue but simply means they’re reacting negatively to its taste. If this persists, do not give another dose.
When giving liquid medication to your pet, hold it with your dominant hand. Place a piece of their preferred treat on the end of a syringe or dropper, and allow them to start licking it before depressing the syringe or dropper gently into their mouth so as to deposit their medication near the back third of their tongue. Some pets will accept this without difficulty but if resistance arises try placing its tip inside cheek on either side of their mouth to help them swallow easier.
Pill Pockets
Some medications come in liquid form that can be squirted directly into an animal’s mouth, making them easier for your pet to swallow than pills or if he or she avoids swallowing them altogether. Consult your veterinarian if this would be appropriate for your animal.
When giving medication to your pet, the hardest part can be getting the pill down their throats. One approach is to make the pill taste tasty with something the pet loves like tuna or canned chicken; other possible treats could include prawns, liver pate or butter treats; just make sure it’s small enough so the pill can easily fit within. Cats in particular often become suspicious of certain food and treat items, so switching up how and what they receive might also help!
If it is impossible to conceal the pill in food or treats, your veterinarian may provide one of those pill guns that shoots pills directly into their mouth. While these may help, they are not suitable for long-term medication as the device can be difficult to operate correctly and stressful for both owner and pet.
An affordable alternative is to purchase a pill pocket, a plastic pouch designed to safely contain tablets or liquid medications. Available at most pet stores and online, pill pockets provide the ideal way to administer pills to cats. Or try placing the pill inside an empty gel capsule and dropping it into soft food like baby food or meat tube puree; or crush up and mix into some form of treat, making it harder for your cat to detect. You could try both methods and determine which works better with your feline companion!
Syringe
If your cat doesn’t readily swallow pills, try crushing and hiding them in wet food to try to get him or her to swallow the pill without chewing up and spitting out. While this solution works sometimes, other liquid medications might need to be administered directly into their mouth instead.
Some cats will refuse to ingest their medication and require it to be given directly into their mouth. When this occurs, be prepared with the necessary syringe or dropper and canned food to administer their dose correctly and meet their dosage requirements. In order to ensure a successful experience when giving medication to cats it may help if someone else joins you so as to restrain and prevent bites/scratches while administering their dosage.
Assemble a thick bath towel to wrap the cat in and some gloves to protect yourself from claws and kicks from your cat, as well as ensure he or she remains calm by not eating, grooming or using the litter box as this could interfere with administering their medication. Also have water available afterwards so your cat can drink to flush away any medication residue.
Prepare the appropriate dosage of liquid medication, along with its accompanying syringe or dropper. Make sure the exact dose prescribed by your veterinarian is printed on its label, and ensure its tip is clean and free of debris before holding your cat safely using your dominant hand and raising his/her front head to expose teeth (but not tongue) while lifting his/her front shoulder slightly and slowly raising front of head with both hands while lifting front of head to expose front of teeth (but not tongue), gently lick tip of syringe and then insert into corner of mouth into cheek pouch, according to Petful advices. Depress plunger for accurate dispensing of liquid medicine!
Reward your cat with wet food or treats after administering medication to create positive associations between taking their medicine and receiving reward– eventually they may start associating taking medicine with happy memories, making the process less daunting for him/her. Do this regularly and they might eventually associate receiving medications with positive experiences resulting in them accepting it more willingly!