How to give pill to cat. Ask cat to open mouth; give pill; stroke cat. In your dreams! My cat has the strength of a small pony and simply ran through the kitchen door- panel.
Try using a clip in their scruff. I have a couple cat clients that respond very well to this technique…they go from heavyweight wrestlers to docile lumps.
Very well done and thank you, Doc! I have only one small suggestion--for use with Pill Pockets. Consider using tweezers to place the pill into the pocket, so that none of your fingers ever comes into contact with the med.
I am so grateful I found this video. My cat has to take two pills a day to manage a heart condition (alas, he is not long for this world, but the medication should lengthen his life.) I was freaking out because I was trying lots of different things but nothing was working. Mixing it into food? Forget it, that doesn't work. Pill pockets? That only worked with my cat for a couple of days. Last night I used this technique and it worked like a charm, and was less stressful for the cat. You're a lifesaver, Dr. Wallach! Thank you.
This is the first week after my cat has been diagnosed with heart disease. She takes two of her pills fairly easily, but there is one pill that she absolutely hates. I hope this technique works on her today. No matter what, I just want to make her comfortable in the final parts of her life
I know this video is old but i want to say thank you. It was a lifesaver. First time i tried to give my cats a dewormer it was an absolute fiasco. Doing it the way you showed was so easy. I gave them lots of treats and love after. Again thank you very much.
I have a wonderful vet here in Archdale, NC but unfortunately my mother picked my kitty up for me today and I wasn't able to watch the vet "pilling" my kitty so I was completely clueless on how to do so. "Oh my god, she is gonna bite me," "How in the hell am I gonna get her to swallow this?," "Is there a way to pill her so that she doesn't spit the pill back out?," "Am I gonna hurt her by scruffing her bc it looks painful?," these are just a few, of many, questions that were running through my mind. THANK GOD FOR RU-vid! This vet seems very friendly and genuine, you can tell she really loves her resident kitties by the way she touches them as not to hurt them and by the things she says like "pet them all throughout the day" and so on. This video really helped me and thankfully my vet sent home a pill plunger w my Bella so I'm all set. Thank you so much Dr. Stacey Wallach.. ( lol, and Bella says thank you for suggesting treats after she is a good girl and takes her pill.)
Thank you! We just took in the neighborhood's 15 year old mascot and street kitty who got very very sick. The vet has prescribed two liquid meds and one pill to treat a nasty infection and this video make the whole process go much much smoother. Thank you!
Thank you so so much, i can actually do it now!! My vet gave me metal tweezers and that was very scary, i didnt want to hurt their throat! That hand postion is what saved me, now its so easy!
I know its been a while since you posted this but my husband, myself and my cat Kira owe you a big thank you. I have used advice of others, but it wasn’t until nuggets like your cat will back up get behind her and holding just in front of the ears that we mastered our technique. I hope these years have been good to you. I know your tutorial will live on as the best. Thank you!❤❤
It worked great. I squated in a corner with him, tilted his head back and when he opened his mouth I dropped the pill in. Had to pet his neck for a while to see the swallow. For us, in the corner on the floor was the right way to handle him. Thank you!
We used the syringe using your tips and it really helped. This morning I bought the Pill Pockets and again, used the Doctor's advice about not pinching the pocket with the hand used to place the pill in it. YES! No hassle for us and less stress for him. ThankyouThankyou!
Thank you SO much for this very good instructional video. ( yours is the best out of ALL that I watched) I just gave me kitty a pill following your direction. I was dreading doing it alone. I must say she didn't open her mouth though...I had to pry it open but I didn't put my fingers in her mouth with the pill...I dropped the pill straight in and kept holding her head high to the ceiling and she finally swallowed after a long time. This I squirted a small amount of water in her mouth with a syringe...I has some Hill's A.D. food waiting in a bowl right in front of her. So...now I just have to do this five more days..once a day, and pray this antibiotic works. The last antibiotic caused havoc on her stomach and system. Having a sick kitty really sucks! For them...and for you. Best of luck to all the kitty parents..😢
My cat doesn't like being picked up, but will lay with you and such it just has to be on his terms. Even still, I tried the backed against a wall method and it surprisingly worked. Thanks so much.
Super helpful. My cat seems so much less stressed - no more wrestling and more success getting the more of the bitter liquid to actually go down. Less trauma all around.
Thank you for this educational video! I was struggling until I saw it, and then did exactly as you said. Worked perfectly and there was no fuss from my cat.
This video did it for us! Watched several other videos before coming across this one and no luck, but the tip to keep the head up and mouth closed a couple of seconds of dropping the pill into the back of the mouth, did it. Thank you so much🎉
Thank you. This was a great demonstration. I have been giving my cat pills for about two weeks now two times a day. I started with the pill Doser pen using your instructions and it worked great. Now I don’t even need the doser. I’m just dropping it down the hatch. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. My cat is very jumpy and this is caused her very little stress. Thank you again.❤
Thank you. This has really helped me. GIving my cats their tablets was always a nightmare but doing this method has saved so much stress and time for us. Last night I even managed to give Oscar his pill in one go!
Didn't know that pill pockets existed. And it is about time someone made pill popping for pets easier, especially cats. Great stuff as long as they like the pill pockets
My cat is a stray...just getting used to being indoors most of the time. And he's so used to fighting for his life that he's a real demon when it comes to taking a pill. I just couldn't get him to take it (and I live alone so there's nobody to help me). After watching him clean himself I wondered why I couldn't just work with his natural nature to lick things off. So, I mashed his pill (metronidazole) into a little dab of yogurt and tapped that onto his paws. It took three little taps of this mixture on his paws, but he licked it all clean. He didn't like it one bit, but it was WAAAAY easier than prying his mouth open and popping a pill into his throat.
Thank you for the awesome video. I normally give my cat her medicine crushed up mixed in a little Nom Noms but today she decided she wasn't going to take it. After trying everything possible to get her to take her pill I came across your video and followed your directions and it worked like a charm.
Our semi-feral female Tortie Manx was so sweet about taking her pills, believe it or not. After she'd been hospitalized for several days with severe liver problems, and requiring tube-feeding for weeks afterwards at home, we would just put the pill dispenser-thingy in her mouth, push the plunger gently and she'd swallow it right down! No struggling, no restraints, no "pill pocket" gimmicks or multiple human assistance needed. She was just that good-natured about it, that she put all our other cats to shame! And I'm not sure why, because she is to this day the second most shy cat in our household. She's easily startled, and very nervous about being picked up and held; although she absolutely loves to be brushed-and that will pretty much put her in a relaxed, good mood for almost anything.
That cat is abnormally chill about this whole thing. My cat bucks me at all costs. Thank god hiding the pills in cheese worked today- I could have cried I was so relieved that I don’t have to wrestle 3 pills a day into him for a week. Plus it would be nice to see how to do it without someone to help you!
I saw several videos and articles where they said do not tip the head back if giving liquid, it will go into the lungs. Put the liquid into the pouch on either side of the mouth.
Yeah, the difference is this cat really mellow. Giving liquid lactulose and a syringe which is sticky with a very strong cat whipping his head side to side even with two people is what a lot of us are dealing with. We don’t even know if they’re getting the medication, the frustration, sadness and anxiety for all of us is overwhelming.
Thank you so very much for the tips and advice! I have a cat that requires 2 pills a day for the rest of her life. Hyperthyroidism. I intend to put your advice on giving her love the whole day into practice.
Poor Aaron but I am grateful for both of these kitties for helping me understand how to administer the phenobarbital to my cat Lou Lou. 11 seizures in 3 hours... metastatic CA discovered on X-ray. My baby is my life.
+queasyRider3 - Yeah, that's what I was thinking! (placebos). Didn't know they made them for cats, though. Oh, and was that "Erin" or "Aaron"? I thought they'd referred to the cat in the masculine ("He swallowed, he's done ... good boy!")
My cat is half feral and has shredded my hands even when wrapped in a towel. She won't take a pill in a treat and she eats around any pill in her food. These pill poppers are a lifesaver. She 9 pounds and I think a reincarnated Tasmanian devil! But I love her.
Thanks so much, I finally grabbed her head like you said, while she was in a body bag as I call it...whewwww, never thought the antibiotic would go down. Thanks.
Thank you Dr. Wallach! We have a very sick kitty, unfortunately, but this has helped us with giving him his Prednisone pills. (P.S. MIZ-ZOU! Our daughter graduated from Mizzou this past May in with a degree in Agricultural Journalism and is working in Jefferson City for the Department of Agriculture in Marketing. She loved Mizzou, loves Missouri and so do we! (She grew up in Houston, TX, where we are living as empty nesters now).
Thanks for the helpful video! I tried crushing a worm pill into shredded chicken and our cat is offended and will not touch it even though chicken is his favorite! I think I’ll be brave enough to try the pill…
I have to give pills to my cat; I'd never done so before. I've watched four videos on how to do this. This is the last one I'd watched before trying to do it myself. I like this video, especially because the vet explains what she's doing very well. After watching the videos, I tried to do it myself, and was successful. I suppose every situation is different. In my case, it worked after two tries, without a towel or harness, even without water after. I watched him, and it stayed down.
thank you so much. I have a cat that loves treats, and one that does not. this is very help ful. I always struggled with getting the pill to the back. thank you
I have a 16 lb Tabby Cat, he gets a lot of excersize, he's not fat but powerful. He is mellow until I try to give him pill, won't take it in food or treat or pill pockets. Show me how "one" person can give a cat like that a pill without getting maimed?
Excellent video! I have a cat care business that specializes in in-home medical care. I send this link to clients that are struggling with their cats meds.
Me and my husband just gave our cat a pill and it surprisingly went pretty well. I wrapped myself around him so he couldn’t run and held his head in the air and my husband dropped the pill in his mouth and then I held his head up and rubbed his neck until he licked his lips and swallowed and it actually worked! I’m shocked 😱
I have been giving my cat a pill for months now. I have always crushed it up and put in his food. Sometimes he'd eat a little at a time and eventually some of the food got thrown out and never knew how much of the pill he was actually getting. Then had to worry about other cat getting at the food with the medicine in it. Right after I watched this video, I decided to try to give him pill uncrushed. Even though I didn't follow it exactly, I got the entire pill down him.
Thank you for this. I succeeded last night with the liquid syringe method, but failed with the stinky Ampicillin pill. Will try again today and let you know how it goes. Seeing your video has given me more confidence to try again.
Thank you. Very helpful information. I would speculate that if you occasionally use the piller or the pill pocket to administer Churu-type treats, they might be a little more open to the process.
Thank you, Dr. Wallach, for a very educational, informative, and articulate video on medicating cats. I had to give my cat meds through a syringe tonight and was not shown how to draw the meds or how to administer them to the cat. Because of the current restrictions, I had to wait in my car, so it's probably not practical to demonstrate this technique. I will definitely try your method of positioning and grasping the cat so that its mouth will open and I can squirt the meds in with the syringe. Is it ever okay to mix liquid meds in with canned food or don't you recommend that? My cat has to have aluminum hydroxy as a phosphate binder with food. Thanks again for a great tutorial.
if you get a liquid medication that doesn't have a flavor already or even if it does if you go to Publix certain stores will have bacon or sausage or chicken flavored additive that they can give to make it a little bit more palatable if it's a bitter medication and it causes that hypersalivation. it's still best to do it as quickly as possible I mean the flavor it does not fool the cat it just makes it a little bit more easy.
Very useful information. I ever gave my cat a pill that wasn't successful. She is not a calm cat like your demonstrating cats. She shook her head and kept trying to close her mouth while I put the pill into her mouth. She ended up chewing the pill and threw up and got lots of bubble coming out of her mouth due to the bitterness.
