How to Give Your Cat a Pill

Laurie Anne Walden, DVM

Giving medication to cats is not always as simple as giving it to dogs. Unfortunately, this means that cats might not receive all of their medication, and some might not get any medication at all. If you have trouble giving your cat pills, tell your veterinarian. Together you can find a way for your cat to get the treatment she needs.
 
Try It in Food
If the medication can be given with food (check with your veterinarian), try hiding the first dose in something tasty to see if your cat is willing to take it this way. Use a small amount of food that your cat loves or a soft cat treat. Offer the bite of food containing the medication when your cat is hungry; don’t just leave a pill in the middle of a bowl of food.
 
Using food to administer medication can cause food aversion and reduced food intake in some cats, says the American Association of Feline Practitioners. If your cat doesn’t readily eat the first dose in food, don’t keep trying this method. Never force food into your cat’s mouth. Some medications are bitter and most cats won’t eat pills on their own, so be prepared to try something else.
 
Give It by Hand
For many cats, manual administration is the quickest and surest way to give pills. This technique is easier to show than to describe. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has an excellent video series demonstrating how to give a pill to a cat with your fingers or with a pill gun. (A pill gun is a tube with a soft tip and a plunger that lets you place pills onto your cat’s tongue without putting your fingers in the mouth.) The videos are at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf8tGKj10zzg6Unhw4QZrqcvJZ1amkax
 
Here are some tips:

• Make the experience positive (or at least not negative) for your cat. Don’t drag him out from a hiding place or scoop him up when he’s trying to eat or use the litter box. You want him to have only positive associations with his food and litter box.
• Have someone else gently hold the cat from behind. If you’re alone, place your cat with his back in a corner. You might need to wrap a towel around your cat to keep his paws away from his face.
• Place one hand over the top of your cat’s head with your thumb and middle finger on each corner of his mouth. Lift his head so his nose is pointing up.
• With one finger of your other hand, gently pull down your cat’s lower jaw to open his mouth.
• Drop the pill onto his tongue and use a finger to quickly push it to the back of the mouth, or use a pill gun to place the pill on the back of the tongue.
• Let your cat’s head drop back down but keep holding his mouth shut until you see him lick his lips or move his throat in a swallowing motion. Blowing on his nose might encourage him to swallow.
• After he swallows, tell him he’s the best cat in the world.
• Give him a bite of food (if the medication can be given with food) or a little water by mouth through a syringe afterward. This step is very important to ensure that the pill goes all the way down. Some medications irritate the esophagus if they get stuck partway.
  

 
Try a Different Form of Medication
It can be very difficult to give a tablet to a cat who doesn’t want it. Some medications come in liquid form. Here is the Cornell video series showing how to give liquid medication to a cat: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzf8tGKj10zxJYert-yKU0B3cUpkH5Y0Z
 
Compounding pharmacies can make some medications into flavored liquids, chewable soft treats, and other forms that cats might accept more easily. A few medications can be made into ointments that are applied to the skin (usually inside the ear), although this delivery method doesn’t work for all medications. Talk to your veterinarian if you’d like to pursue these other options.
 
More Resources
You can find more ideas in these articles:
 
Giving your cat medication. American Association of Feline Practitioners. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://catfriendly.com/cat-care-at-home/giving-cat-medication/
 
Giving your cat oral medications. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/hospitals/pharmacy/consumer-clinical-care-guidelines-animals/giving-your-cat-oral-medications
 
Medicating your cat. University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed August 21, 2020. https://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/ryan/ryan-behavior-medicine/medicating-your-cat-(pdf).pdf
 

Photo by Paul Hanaoka

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