Giving cats tablets!

[fluffybunny]

My vet told me that you can put capsules in the fridge for a while first as they can't smell or taste them as much when it's cold, so easier to administer to a suspicious furry    I usually used use primula with Shrimp for Sooty (RIP).

[Tracyjj]

Well, looks like we've mastered this now with Andy - offer him a large selection of fish & other treats & eventually he'll eat one of them so we then coat the capsule in another mouthful & so far he has it no rpoblem - only 2 more days of medication left now!
Kitchen floor stinks of fish all the time though!!!
Thanks for al your help.

[Corporal Smokey]

You can try moulding other things around the tablet such as beef paste/certain types of babyfood. Be VERY careful though, if it contains onion or onion powder in even small quantities it can cause anaemia.

Most babyfood sadly does contain onion but if you can find it, "Mum's Own" chicken or beef is a winner!

Oh and they wise up if you try anything more than once...

[Tracyjj]

Great tip about freezing the wafer thin ham as he LOVES that but they only get it when we have a packet open for sandwiches.
I'm just hoping that he'll have tonight's dose as easy as the last couple!  What's really funny is watching how our other rascal (Lou) is now so suspicious of anything he's given other than his usual food in his usual bowl after watching me trying to trick Andy!  As long as he doesn't need medication we'll be ok.

[Gillian Harvey]

What about wafer thin ham? wrap it around the pill and offer! - that works with mine. It has a short shelf life, BUT, you can take individual/half pieces and squish them into ice cube trays and freeze them. Then just take out as needed, they don't take long to defrost.

[Maddiesmum]

It's a nightmare trying to outwit them isn't it!

[Tracyjj]

Well, what a contrary rascal he is!!  Wouldn't even look at Primula last night & waked away from sardines.  Gave him a taste of salmon which he ate in one bite so slipped the capsule in the next lot & he ate it without noticing!  Did the same thing with the liquid Metacam later on too.
This morning he wouldn't touch the salmon or sardine so as a last resort I hid the capsule in a tiny bit of his normal food & he ate it like a good boy!  I'm going to have to keep thinking of different ways to trick him while we finish the course.
Fingers crossed at the moment but they do seem to be working - he went in his litter this morning, had a fairly normal sized wee & didn't go straight back in again like he has been doing.
 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Unfortunately for some reason he laps delicately at the Primula instead of wolfing it down like everything else so I think I'd prob end up with a soggy capsule on the floor! 

You could try dairylea triangles in that case (not the stuff in a pot, has to be triangles, full fat are better then light, the big fat ones rather than the thin ones, must be straight from the fridge) they're a bit firmer than Primula  and it's very difficult to lick the 'blob' without the whole thing getting stuck to the tongue, if they lick lightly nothing happens ie no dairylea comes off so they have to lick a bit harder then hey presto   

Just in case you are now getting worried about my in depth knowledge of processed cheese, I had to give my last cat thousands of tablets over the last few years of her life so became a bit of an expert!

[Tracyjj]

Unfortunately for some reason he laps delicately at the Primula instead of wolfing it down like everything else so I think I'd prob end up with a soggy capsule on the floor!  The funny thing is that Lou always watches him first & takes his lead so he does exactly the same with the Primula now too & he's not even having the tablets!
I'm getting a selection of strong tasting/smelling fish in time for tonight's attempt (mackerel, sardines & anything else which looks smelly) so I'm hoping that'll work.
Fingers crossed!!
Thanks for your comments.
 

[Tiggy's Mum]

It might not be necessary to empty the contents of the capsule into the blob of Primula.  I just make a pretty big blob and poke the tablet/capsule in the middle.  If he'll eat it like that then there will be no tainting of the taste with nasty medicine so he'll be more inclined to eat the next blob too!  My boys love Primula/dairylea so much that it's normally swallowed in on hit - Drontal are fairly big and they don't end up crunching into it with their teeth, they go straight down. 

[Tracyjj]

Thanks - didn't want to risk putting it in his food or anything as I wasn't sure if it was slow-release with it being in a capsule.  Spoken to the vets & they said it should be ok to try.
I bought some Primula with prawn once we'd been to the vets & both of them LOVED it so I tried to coat one of the capsules in it the first time - Andy just looked at me like I was an idiot & he wouldn't go near it - he's so suspicious!
I'll see if he'll have some Primula again later & if he eats it I'll then give him another blob with the contents of the capsule in & see if he'll have it.
I'll try anything if it'll stop him getting so upset & make him be my friend again!
Thanks.

[Kittybabe (Ruth)]

I'm useless at this too. 

Try some of the following. Crushing the contents of the capsules into a bit of his food and watching him eat it, or put it in a bit of Dairylea or Primula.

Some people have the knack down well of just popping a pill or capsule down the hatch but I'm not brave enough!

Also, for this I got my cat the antibiotic injection. We all thought that as best, no stress on her and I would not cause her more problems. Speak to your vet about that to see if its the best solution for your cat.

[Tracyjj]

I know that this is a STUPID question but does anyone have tips on the least stressful way to give a tablet to a difficult cat?
One of my boys has cystitis & I have capsules to give him twice a day & also liquid Metacam.  He's the softest, most loving little rascal (HATES me at the moment though!) but turns into a wild cat when trying to give him the tablets.  I've had to do this for many cats previously & he really is the worst.
As the vet said stress can be a contributing factor to the cystitis I feel that I'm doing more harm than good so just wondered if anyone had some advice.  I've got some Feliway on order (diffuser & a spray) & wondered if that might make a difference.
I don't really want to have to take him back to the vets unless necessary as that just means more stress so I want to be able to get at least 3 days worth of medication into him so I can tell how he's doing.
Any help would be much appreciated as it's really worrying me.  Thanks a lot.