Hiya I’m hoping that someone may be able to help me. I’ve got to give my cat 3 lots of tables a day. He’s got antibiotics and steroids, he’s fine taking the steroids but I can’t for the life of me get him to take the antibiotics. I’ve done EVERYTHING I can think of… wrapping them in ham, squshing cheese around them, hiding them in his cat treats, holding him by the scruff of his neck and opening his mouth to put them at the back of his throat. At first all of these worked (apart from the last one which was a disaster). He’s now too wise to it all and wouldn’t even take a bit of ham off me this morning, even without the tablet in it. Has anyone got any more ideas. Sue
Could you not break it up into smaller bits and then putting it in lump of food? That’s the only thing I can think of. I don’t have cats anymore I just have a fat lump of a dog, who when we give her a worming tablet just put it in a bit of cheese and it’s gone! Best of luck on that one sorry can’t be more helpful. Strudders
Oh, I haven’t had cats for a few years, but I remember this lark! I’m afraid I found sitting on the cat (not literally, but getting astride her, so your knees prevent escape) and physically squeezing the jaws open and poking the pill to the back of the throat was the only way. Poke it as far back as you can, so it’s very difficult for the cat to spit out. Then rub the outside of the throat, as it encourages the swallow reflex (if you’re lucky!) Coating it in butter, or concealing it in other yummy food never did work for me, as the cat was discerning enough to eat the “wrapping”, but reject or spit out the pill. I’ve even tried crumbling them into fine dust, and sprinkling over food, but the cat still managed to eat round it! I think you’re going to have to try again with brute force. The quicker and more assertive you are, the less traumatic it is for the cat (and for you). If you’re nervous, and hesitate, it goes wrong, and the cat escapes, or you only get the pill halfway, enabling the cat to spit it straight out again. Oh happy days! Good luck! Tina
Hi sue Ihave 2 cats and have had to give antibiotics to one of them recently my vets advice was to keep the antibiotics in the fridge then they don’t taste as bad to the cats. Are they the kind that you can pull apart and empty the powder out and mash into their food if so do that and they shouldn’t notice mine didn’t anyway. Good luck. Jenny x
Hi, Wrap the cat firmly in a towel so that she can’t struggle free as easily, hold her so her back is against your tummy and she is semi-standing on your lap. Tip her head back and open her jaw by squeezing firmly at the back corners of her mouth and then push the tablet right down the back of the throat. Hold her mouth shut and gently blow up her nostrils. She will swallow. The trick is to this all very quickly. Good luck! Belinda
You can buy pill shover down the throaters (that’s the technical name 
) from the vet’s? Failing that: Sit on sofa. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your elbow as though you were going to give a bottle to a baby. Talk softly to it. With right hand, position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. (be patient) As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. Drop pill into mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs. Pick the pill up off the floor and go get the cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. Sit on floor in kitchen, wrap arm around cat as before, drop pill in mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away. Scoot across floor to pick up pill, and go find the cat. Bring it back into the kitchen. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten. Drop pill into mouth. Pry claws from back legs out of your arm. Go get the cat, pick up half-dissolved pill from floor and drop it into garbage can. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of closet. Call spouse from backyard. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously. Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Doulton figures from hearth and set to one side for gluing later. Get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom. Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take another pill from foil wrap. Tie cat’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat’s mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour one cup of water down throat to wash pill down. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table. Get last pill from bottle. Go into bathroom and get a fluffy towel. Stay in the bathroom with the cat, and close the door. Sit on bathroom floor, wrap towel around kitty, leaving only his head exposed. Cradle kitty in the crook of your arm, and pick up pill off of counter. Retrieve cat from top of shower door (you didn’t know that cats can jump 5 feet straight up in the air, did you?), and wrap towel around it a little tighter, making sure its paws can’t come out this time. With fingers at either side of its jaw, pry it open and pop pill into mouth. Quickly close mouth (his, not yours). Sit on floor with cat in your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking gently to it for at least a half hour, while the pill dissolves. Unwrap towel, open bathroom door. Wash off scratches in warm soapy water, comb your hair, and go find something to occupy your time for 7-1/2 hours. Arrange for RSPCA to get cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.
Hi Again! Thanks for all of your replies. I’ve just given it a go, wrapping him in a blanket etc. I had to split the tablet in 2 as it’s quite big…I then managed to get his mouth open (after several attampts!), droped 1 bit of the tablet in, held his mouth closed and stroked his chin so he swallowed it. I then tried again with the other half, managed to get his mouth open, but before I could hold it closed and rub his chin, he’d bitten it in half and spat it out, he then ran off! He’s now running away if I go anywhere near him so I’ve give up. Surely 1/2 the tablet will be better than none eh? So the end retult is quite similar to anu’s reply :? I’ll see what happens tonight when I do the other one. Sue
How to give a tablet to a dog: Throw it up in the air and shout catch! Dogs are simpler souls…
[coHi Sue, This may help,crush up the tablet to a powder,get an empty syringe plunger,you can get one from a chemist,mix the powdered tablet with a little fluid, maybe water or cat milk and hold cat tight and put syringe into her mouth as far in as poss then push :o hopefully ,all gone 
I’ts worth a try good luck.take care helen.x :roll: ps NO NEEDLES involved :lol: lor=#8000FF][/color]
Hi all,I’m fedup with this site I just posted a reply to sue who is having trouble giving her cat tablets.Now I know I can be a bit dizzy sometimes :roll: BUT what happened is beyond me it has altered the real persons name who posted the query SUE,sorry I am going mad :?
Can the vet give the cat an an antibiotic injection instead? We went through a phase of taking our fierce little Sophie across town to the vet twice a day for a couple if weeks to get her antibiotic tablets in because we just could not make her take them. Eventually one of the vet nurses casuallly suggested an injection instead. Don’t know why she hadn’t suggested it sooner - Sophie had already given one of the other vet nurses blood poisoning in a finger by this time… - but that’s what we did, and our problems were over. The injection lasted for at least a week, I think. Our current cat is on steroid injections now - we tried him on the tablets, but he was having none of it. We’re probably just wimps, though. Alison x
Thanks everyone for your replies. I had to pick some special food from the vet today for Oscar. I spoke to a lovely student vet about the problem with the tables and he showed me how to pin him down properly to give the tablet without too much stress to either of us. I also got a ‘pill popper’ device from them which should hopefully mean that I don’t loose a finger in the process. Thanks again Sue x
Hi Sue,This is the second time I have replied to you,messages getting lost,I’m going mad.Anyway cat tablets! try crushing the tablets up to powder,then mix with liquid either water or cat milk,then draw up into a syringe plunger( you can get these from a chemist) open pussycats mouth and push plunger,hopefully this will do the job,if this do’snt work,SORRY,take care.helen.x
Thanks Helen, I’ll try with water tomorrow. He’s on a strict diet where he can only have special food (from today when I got it from the vet), so I can’t hide it in anything else. I managed a bit better tonight with the plunger thing, though he did spit a fragment out. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sue x