How to Safely Give Your Cat a Pill

As any cat owner knows, giving your cat a pill can be an extremely difficult experience. Cats aren't exactly fans of having something shoved down their throats and they tend to express this sentiment via a series of bites and scratches. However, giving your cat a pill is possible with minimal battle scars.

Probably the most obvious as well as the easiest way to give your cat a pill is to crush it into a powder and mix the pill in with some wet cat food. This will usually work for cats that normally eat wet food as well as those who are used to dry food. Cats accustomed to wet food will eat it just like any other day and cats accustomed to dry food will likely see the wet food as a special treat. Ideally, the cat will eat the food, completely unaware they were just given a pill. The same strategy applies to cat pills that come in capsule form. Simply pry apart the capsule and disperse it into some wet cat food as with the powdered pill.

The problem with this method of giving your cat a pill is that if your cat is sick, he or she may not want to eat. If this is the case, you may want to consider acquiring a pet piller. A pet piller is device consisting of a plastic rod, which holds a pill until you press the plunger and release it. These devices can be purchased in pet stores and online but it may be best to get one from a veterinarian so that they can show you exactly how to use it.

Getting your cat to open its mouth is usually the most difficult part of giving cats a pill using a pet piller. Once you manage to get the piller into your cat's mouth, be sure to hold the animal firm so that it doesn't wriggle loose and get away. Then, simply press the plunger and the piller will basically shoot the pill down the cat's throat. Once you get the pill down, you should give your cat a treat so that he or she develops a pleasant association with taking a pill instead of a negative one.

While the pet piller is considered a safe and humane method of giving your cat a pill, you may not be comfortable with the idea of using it. If so, there's always the option of giving your cat the pill by hand. You'll need to hold your cat as still as possible and open its mouth with one hand. With the other hand, try and toss the pill in. You should aim for the back of the cat's throat. One the pill is in your cat's mouth, hold the cat's mouth closed for awhile to be sure the pill is swallowed.

If all else fails, there is one last option. You can take a trip to a nearby pharmacy and request they make a flavored gel or liquid out of the cat's pill. The prices will vary but this process is usually quite expensive so save it as a last resort.