How To Give The Cat Medicine

We advise you to follow our advice to give your cat medicines: if none of them work, go to the vet and talk about it with him / her.

Giving medicines to the cat is not an easy task for the owner, but think that taking them is even less so for your pet. As soon as they notice the taste of a pill, they are able to remove it from their food, no matter how hidden it may be.

Also, hiding medicines in food usually doesn’t work like giving them directly orally. Giving your cat medicine is a daunting task that can only be done with patience, kindness and sometimes original methods. Everything is much easier if the animal is used to being treated in this way since a puppy.

Know the cat’s habits

For cats, changes in routine are not easy situations to manage, as they fear them. It is not every day that they are forced to swallow medicine, so this event can easily make them feel pressured or frightened. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the following recommendations in this situation:

• Always be calm: don’t panic.
• Don’t force the animal. This will make similar situations worse in the future.
• Do not yell, punish or beat the cat. Talk to him calmly to give him confidence and relaxation.
• Use positive reinforcement. It is more effective than punishment and will serve as a reference for subsequent occasions.

It sounds like basic advice, but it’s very easy to get frustrated. Always remember that you are dealing with an animal that does not understand what is happening at the moment.

The methods of giving medicines to the cat

All medicines have an illustrative leaflet and certain indications must be followed at the time of administration. Some must be accompanied by food, others require fasting; others must be mixed with food or dissolved, in the form of syrup or solid, they can be divided, crushed or sprinkled on the feed … in short, there are many ways to give medicines to the cat.

The vet will be able to give you all the necessary information and it is important to respect them, because some drugs can lose their effectiveness, for example, if they are administered with food. In fact, some techniques and formats will make administration easier than others when giving medication to the cat.

How to give the cat medicine?

There are 2 main ways to administer medicine: with food and without food. In the first case, this task can be much simpler. It may also be – with a little luck – that the cat does not notice the presence of the drugs in the bowl. In the second case it will be a little more difficult, but if you do it calmly and confidently, you will succeed. Let’s explore each methodology.

With food

If it is possible to mix medicines with food, we advise you to follow the following tips:

• Hide them in sauces or broths for cats : sauces and broths are thick liquids with a lot of flavor in which you can mix the pill or syrup without them being recognized by the animal. These foods are usually very palatable and their taste and smell can disguise the medicine.
• Mix them with wet cat food : Like sauces and broths, wet food has many smells and flavors that can fool the cat. For best results, try his favorite.
• Sprinkle or Dissolve Medicines in Food : In case the medication can be sprayed or dissolved, you can simply sprinkle it on your pet’s dry food.

Give the cat medicine without food

If your cat is used to being touched, you could try gently opening his mouth and placing the lozenge at the base of his tongue and then gently closing his mouth, massaging his neck to make him swallow it. This is how it is done with dogs. If the pill is very large, you can break it into pieces and repeat the process each time.

If it is a syrup or a pill that can be dissolved in water, you can use a syringe, to be inserted into the animal’s mouth. You will have to do this from the side, through one of the corners and gently push the plunger until the animal has swallowed the medicine little by little.

Did you know that there are special dispensers to give medicines to cats? These are in the shape of a syringe with 2 handles. The tablet or syrup is placed on one end and pushed to the other side with the fingers. You can buy them at a pet store or veterinary center.

What to do if neither one nor the other way works

If nothing works and you are in no way able to give your cat medication, you will need to go to the vet and let a professional handle the situation. Our experience helps in most cases, but sometimes help may be needed. Perhaps there is an alternative format for administering the drug.