A spoonful of sugar doesn't work well with cats.

October 6, 2009 8:01 AM

Confuse-A-Cat-Filter: How to best trick a cat into swallowing a pill. Help, plz.

So, we have this cat. Who has to swallow this pill. To pre-empt the "could you give her something that's not a pill?" inevitable derail: the pill is what needs to be given. Just how it is.

Now, how do we get the pill into the cat? We've tried burying it in wet food. We've tried crushing part of it and putting THAT into her food. No dice. Certainly trying to pop it into her mouth isn't working, especially since holding her down is like holding down an electric eel.

Someone must have at some point in time gotten a cat to swallow a pill. I would like their secrets.

posted by grapefruitmoon to pets & animals (48 comments total)

I've heard that pill pockets work.
posted by Pineapplicious at 8:06 AM on October 6 [5 favorites]

Greenies pill pockets? Greenies are cat crack.
posted by holgate at 8:07 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

Get one towel. Two prawns, and the pill.

Give the cat a prawn.

Pick up the towel, and when the cat has finished the prawn hold the cat close against your chest so that it can't pull its front paws out.

Either you, or an accomplice, hold open the cat's mouth and put the pill in as far as you can get it.

Close the cat's mouth and gently make sure it can't open it. Rub the cat's throat gently until it swallows.

Remove the towel.

Give the cat the other prawn.

Don't bother trying to trick a cat. In my experience, they are never fooled. The easiest thing is to get the whole business of forcing them to take the pill as simple, painless and quick as possible.
posted by MuffinMan at 8:08 AM on October 6 [2 favorites]

Whole pill insertion is the only way to go.

Hold the cat down. Maybe use a pillowcase if the cat is really unmanageable. Coat the pill in butter. Place hand firmly over the top of the cat's head, behind the ears, and use thumb and forefinger to press at the corners of the cat's mouth until it opens.

Fling the pill down the cat's throat - if you get it in there right, they can't hack it back up. You can also get a little pill syringe from the vet that allows you to place the pill back far enough if your pill-flinging skills aren't up to snuff.

You can't trick the little bastards, they will eat a handful of liver in three gulps and magically leave any pill untouched. Good luck.
posted by Aquaman at 8:08 AM on October 6 [4 favorites]

Butter.
posted by fire&wings at 8:09 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

Try wrapping the pill in some cheese - I've known a few cats this has worked on.
posted by pocketfluff at 8:10 AM on October 6

Either coat the pill with something slippery (butter) or dip your finger/thumb/pill into water just before shoving it in. It's harder for any pet to get it back up if it's falling on down.
posted by TauLepton at 8:11 AM on October 6

My cat figured out the pill pockets in no more than a day. My vet friend recommends a technique like Aquaman says with a towel or pillowcase to contain the cats’ claws.
posted by ijoshua at 8:11 AM on October 6

In my experience (a lifetime of sickly cats...), there is usually no way to "trick" the cat into eating a pill. Even if you trick them one time by crushing it and mixing with wet food, they'll figure it out and won't eat it again when it's time for the next dose. The only method that's worked consistently for me is:
- Get a firm hold on the cat - if it won't crush the cat, I'd straddle it from behind.
- Tilt the cat's head back and pry their mouth open, pop the pill as far down its throat as you can (if you have access to medical supplies, we've used the plunger part of a syringe - no needle - to get a little extra distance and accuracy at this point). If you can get a little water down its throat in this same step, it'll help (imagine swallowing a pill dry).
- Hold the cat's mouth shut and make sure the pill is swallowed - some people recommend stroking the cat's throat at this point. (This step is key, because there have been many times where it seemed like I'd been holding a cat for long enough that they must have swallowed the pill, but as soon as I released it it went right under a table or something and spit it out. So make sure you watch that it's swallowed.)
posted by LolaGeek at 8:13 AM on October 6

I had to give my cat 2 pills a day, last year, for a month. Basically, I put on some heavy jeans, held the cat face down between my legs, put one hand behind his head, fingers on the jaw so he'd open up, pop the pill in, then force the mouth shut until he swallowed. Some days, he'd swallow on the first attempt, other days, it took three or four times. I got bit, but not as much as you'd expect. He seems to have forgiven me for the indignity.

If you can't keep a hold of the cat, maybe try bundling it up in a towel?
posted by nomisxid at 8:13 AM on October 6

Simple answer...you can't. Cats aren't like dogs, who will gladly swallow a pill as long as it's wrapped in something appropriately stinky. Cats nibble. Those pockets look interesting, but I'll wager kitty will taste or smell the relatively bitter powder from a capsule. Or, they'll notice the foreign pill stuffed inside and nibble around it.

Sadly, the only sure way to give a cat medication is the method described by MM. With, or without, the prawns. My cat likes american cheese singles. Go figure.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:15 AM on October 6

Burrito method. Wrap kitty in a towel and do it the open-jaws-insert-pill way. Previously and previously.
posted by jessamyn at 8:18 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

Yep, you can't trick them. I have to give my 23-pound cat weekly pills, and holding her down and shoving it in her mouth is the only way that works. Sometimes if you blow a quick puff of air in their faces immediately after clapping their mouths shut it will induce them to swallow.
posted by something something at 8:20 AM on October 6

A pill gun is the only way to go. I am surprised that no one else has mentioned it yet.
posted by amro at 8:20 AM on October 6 [3 favorites]

The important thing, according to my vet when I had to take the Non-Pill-Swallowing cat in for help and even the vet had trouble, is to not allow the cat to have the upper hand.

Easier said than done, right?

You have to keep the cat from getting down low to the ground, where it can wriggle free.

Either put kitty in a towel like many have suggested above or hold your cat in such a way that it cannot get purchase with its back legs and (kicking) feet.

Surprise does not work, but I have found that putting a pill in a treat the cat loves (like the pill pocket idea) was the only effective way to get my cat to take it, including trying the nasty pill popper that shoots it into their cheeks. Neither one of us liked that solution!

Also, the cat's throat does need to be lubricated for it to swallow. I've never tried the butter thing, but it makes sense.

Once you have the pill in there, or THINK you do, it's important to (I know this sounds mean) hold the kitty's mouth close until you SEE the throat move, indicating it has actually, truly, no really swallowed the pill.

Or else it will spit it right out. And then you're back to square one.

Lots of praise afterward doesn't hurt, though I think it does more to make you feel better than your cat.
posted by misha at 8:22 AM on October 6

Similar to other people, I grabbed my cat with left hand on his head so that my thumb was at his right mouth corner and forefinger on his left mouth corner. Tilt back briskly until his mouth opened and then I shoved a peanut butter coated pill right down his throat wiping some extra peanut butter on his tongue. I tried butter, but peanut butter worked better.

The inevitable response from him was: WHAT THE FU...PEANUT BUTTER?! OOOH! The extra bit on his tongue ensured that he'd swallow.
posted by plinth at 8:23 AM on October 6

You absolutely can give a cat a pill without forcing it to take it.

Our cat used to go bananas for cheese triangles. No forcing the cat to swallow was necessary whatsoever. Nibble nom and the pill was gone. I don't know if you have them over there, but they're a very highly processed cheese, similar to thick cream in consistency. Small bit ~> big bit with the pill in ~> small bit was how we used to do it. It might take some experimenting to work out what your cat will gobble down. Also, ask your vet if they do the pills in a smaller size.

Think about it - if I held you down and forced you to swallow something, wouldn't you be a bit suspicious next time?
posted by Solomon at 8:26 AM on October 6

I have an impossible to pill even with two people holding him cat. Pill pockets don't work.

The only thing that works is crushing the pill and putting it in food he likes. I know you said you tried crushing the pill and putting it in food, but it might be worth it to try again with food your cat likes even better.
posted by hought20 at 8:26 AM on October 6

My method is the same as MuffinMan's above, but using chunks of tuna. There is no trickery involved. I will sometimes take a 1ml syringe of water (no needle, obviously) and squirt into the jowls of the cat after the pills gone in and while i'm still holding the mouth shut.

But I like the butter idea. I never thought of that.
posted by cgg at 8:28 AM on October 6

Reiterating the method mentioned above: put your left hand on top of her head, so your fingers are on one side and your thumb on the other. tilt her head back so his nose is up in the air. then use the index finger of your right hand to pull her bottom jaw down and drop the pill straight down her throat. You bypass the tongue altogether.

I call this the "Bowling Ball" hold, in case you can't quite visualize it.

Some pictures.
posted by kidsleepy at 8:28 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

I have to medicate my cat daily. At first it was a real struggle - fur and blood everywhere and the cat and the owner not talking to each other for the best part of a day.

I've found the following helpful: get the vet to show you how to open a cat's mouth. There is a knack to it. I hold the hinges of the cat's jaw with my thumb and third finger and squeeze gently. This seems to make the mouth open or the jaw softer. With the other hand, I hold the tablet between the thumb and forefinger and use the third finger to prise open his jaw. Then it's a lightening flash strike to the back of the throat with the tablet.

To make him swallow, I then have a small syringe of milk or water close by which I irrigate his mouth with. This makes him swallow the tablet down. If that's not an option, close the cat's mouth immediately, hold his head up and stroke him under the chin until you see him swallow. Talk in silly and calming noises all the time!

I find hold the cat like a bagpipe helps as well. You have to do a bit of mental preparation first. YOU are in charge here and you've got to let the cat know that by your actions.

I'm lucky now though - my poor cat had to have his teeth taken out so at worst all I get now is a gummy nibble if he's not too happy.

Good luck!
posted by stenoboy at 8:29 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

Just another data point: my cat eats two pills a day, in pill pockets. They may not work for all cats but it won't hurt to try.
posted by ORthey at 8:37 AM on October 6

A pill gun is the only way to go. I am surprised that no one else has mentioned it yet.

Yep. Also called a piller or pet piller. For our cats we have to combine this with the burrito method, but the piller really helps if your cat tends to SPIT or hack the pill up after you've gotten it in the mouth. It shoots it down the throat, basically.
posted by peep at 8:37 AM on October 6

Wow, great suggestions. We'll try the butter method tonight, combined with the burrito method. Tasty! We'll soon see if the cat goes for it.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 8:44 AM on October 6

Another vote for pill pockets. I had a cat who was tricked by nothing, and pill-shoving didn't work particularly well, but the pill pockets completely fooled him.

If you do end up having to use force, my trick for getting them to swallow was to dab a drop of water on their nose so they'd lick it. Cats reflexively swallow when they lick their noses. I also found it easier to get their mouths open by poking a finger through the side behind the fang teeth, but that can give you a less straight shot.

Your cat's mileage may vary. Vets should just give a couple extra pills with every kitty prescription because inevitably at least one's going to get all sticky and furry and gross from all the spitting and re-shoving, or the cat bites a capsule open and starts foaming at the mouth.
posted by Metroid Baby at 8:45 AM on October 6

Wrap cat in towel so claws cant get you, sit on it, tape it to the floor, whatever. Then put the pill in a straw (regular type drinking straw). Open up their mouth in a variety of ways, put the straw in the back of their mouth and BLOW HARD. Like a blow dart. It shoots the pill far enough down that they cant hack it back up. Works for me every time. Afterwards I recommend hiding for awhile so your cat cant find and kill you.
posted by Jenny is Crafty at 8:46 AM on October 6

If it's a smallish pill, I once had luck with this:

- cut the pill in half
- crush each half into a fine powder
- dump wet cat food onto plate
- remove most of the solid parts of the wet food, so all you are left with is the juicy, liquidy stuff that the cats go all nom-nom-NOM crazy over
- dissolve 1/2 of powdered pill into this juice*

Give them this mix twice daily so they get the whole pill.

(* takes a little doing because you have to find the right mix where the cat won't pick up on the taste.)
posted by bhance at 8:50 AM on October 6 [1 favorite]

I never realized how lucky I was to have such a docile cat. Any time we've had to give him a pill he's just taken it willingly for the most part. Normally we do massage his throat just to make sure he swallows with no trouble, though.
posted by joshrholloway at 8:50 AM on October 6

I struggled for weeks trying everything in the book with our cat - for a while, crushing the pill and mixing it with tuna worked, but she quickly figured it out. In the end, I found the best way to simply be the most straightforward method:
from above, place my middle finger and thumb on either side of her mouth, firmly (but not too forcefully) close my fingers together - thus prying her mouth open - then, in one quick move - place the pill at the back of her throat. close her mouth (by letting go) and rub her throat - this works nearly every time - seems obvious, perhaps - and, admittedly, it seems impossible, but I've found it to be extremely effective - the key seems to be working quickly and confidently - preparing by having the pill ready in my right hand and quickly making the move with my left.
posted by soplerfo at 8:53 AM on October 6

nth the wrapping in towel. A full-on swaddle like you do with a newborn.
posted by gaspode at 9:05 AM on October 6

I may have missed it in the above posts but in case it hasn't been said yet: no matter what method ends up working for you, reward the cat with a favorite treat immediately AFTER you have pilled it. Positive reinforcement is key to animal training. Training is key to accomplishing the pilling, which of course the cat will naturally resist.

After a bit they will start coming to you as soon as the pill bottle comes out (or the nail clippers or what have you).

Of course, this does not work if you regularly give your cats treats for doing nothing whatsoever.
posted by quarterframer at 9:13 AM on October 6

I used the force method of opening de catz mouth and shoving pill back. What helped was telling myself that the cat NEEDS the medicine, it is for his good and just do it so de cat can not have to take these things. Speed and timing is key.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:15 AM on October 6

I'm a vet, and stenoboy's method is what I do, plus or minus towel. A small, thin syringe of water (I use a 1ml syringe) can be key if the cat won't swallow after you've got the pill in there - you can squirt some in the corner of their mouth while still holding it closed, forcing them to swallow.
posted by peanut butter milkshake at 9:39 AM on October 6

Grind to a powder and mix with turkey baby food.

The problem with the forcible methods is that after a few days, the cat starts expecting this, and every day grabbing the cat and forcing it down their throat because more and more arduous. At least with our cat, who needed pills every day, sometimes twice a day, for ~6 months.

What finally worked was that we ground up the pill into a fine powder, and mixed it with baby food. It worked fantastically. We were happy - it's so easy, no more scratches, and no more cat-wrangling. The cat was happy, because he got a tasty treat everyday. The cat would lick the plate clean, he loved it so much.
posted by Tooty McTootsalot at 9:41 AM on October 6

I would suggest a Pill Injector or hiding in food as suggested earlier. If you ever do have to medicate, wrapping kitty in a bath towel may save you some bleeding scratches. This link is pretty bare bones, but should give you an idea of a good technique.
posted by tryniti at 9:51 AM on October 6

Greenies worked for me for a very long time. Until my cat accidently tasted the pill inside them. Now, I occasionally try giving him an empty Greenie just to see if he got over it and looks at me with sad eyes as if to say, "Why do want to kill me?"

So, sadly, the towel method it is. If you're quick it's alright, and the cat cannot scratch throught the towel. He gets his favourite wet food immediately afterwards, with extra gravy bits.
posted by Kurichina at 10:03 AM on October 6

I have an unpillable cat, too, and I have to give her a tranquilizer before taking her to the vet, so this is a key operation for us. I have had some luck with one of the following two methods:

Sneak Attack: My cat, when unmolested, is the sweetest thing in the world. I wait until she is sleeping somewhere out in the open (usually on the bed or her favorite window seat) and, with the pill in my hand, stroll on by and then, THIS IS IMPORTANT!, swiftly and decisively throw my body over the cat so that she is pinned down with only her head free, stick the pill in her mouth (assume being bitten is a given to avoid the fear of being bitten), and keep her pinned down, holding her mouth closed, UNTIL SHE SWALLOWS. Seriously, sometimes this takes minutes. She is one of the most stubborn animals I have ever encountered in my life. That's why the full body hold is key. The towel trick never works for her because she will go from Sweet Kitty mod to KILL ALL THE HUMANS AT ALL COSTS mode in about half a nanosecond. I actually saw her rip a towel out of the vet's hands once as the vet approached her in an attempt to pull the burrito trick.

The downside of this method is that it works once, maybe twice. The cat is also psychic and can tell when I'm even thinking about trying to give her a pill. It's uncanny.

Bait and Switch: I use this method the most. It's kind of cruel but it seems the least stressful for all parties involved, although if you have the give the cat a lot of pills, it's probably not going to work. First, the night before we take her to the vet, I feed her about a quarter the dry food that I usually feed her. The following morning, she is pretty damn hungry. I bust out the super posh canned food and crush up the tranq in it. She's usually too hungry not to eat it, and by the time she gets part of the food down, she's already starting to bob and weave and I can get her to eat the rest of the food without setting off her "oh shit they are drugging me!!!! FIGHT" alarms.
posted by jennyb at 10:20 AM on October 6

Ooo I am going to try the turkey baby food trick. That's a great idea!
posted by jennyb at 10:22 AM on October 6

MuffinMan's idea was the only one that worked with my old stubborn (and whipsmart) Tonkinese - pill her, then give her the most delicious treat known to man afterwards. In her case, it was a scoop of salmon wet food.

After a couple of days of this, she would sit placidly for the pilling, then trot to the kitchen for her treat.
posted by spinifex23 at 11:00 AM on October 6

Never tried it with cats, but I started using peanut butter with my dog after she started trying to fake taking her pills. I have a separate jar for her, and I just scoop out a finger-full, put the pill in it, pry the mouth open, and smush the peanut butter and pill mostly on the roof of the mouth. By trying to swallow/lick/deal with the peanut butter, the pill gets swallowed.
posted by radioamy at 12:21 PM on October 6

We would crush up the pill into a powder and mix it with the water that comes in tuna cans (along with a few chunks of tuna). Don't know if it will work for your cat, but it's worth a try.
posted by Kimberly at 12:35 PM on October 6

Very similar to what Kimberly says above, we mix the crushed pill with plain water (but tuna juice is a great idea).

But then we suck it up in a syringe (no needle) and shoot it down the cat's throat.

If you don't know where to get a syringe, buy a bottle of children's Motrin. It has a syringe, not a dropper.
posted by Knowyournuts at 2:15 PM on October 6

As mentioned above, the only method which works for me with _either_ of my squirming hellions is the straddle-method (on carpet, not smooth floor!). Kneeling on either side of kitty, feet together (so they can't squirm backwards), kitty held with the knees, sitting down (but not on!) so they can't arc upwards.... then with the fingers on jaw-hinge, ram it in, close and stroke throat.

Stroke a bit more.

Then, because I'm a suspicious so-and-so, I open their mouth again to make sure it's swallowed. Mine have been known to swallow, but secrete the pill under their tongue, stroll away, and quietly spit the pill out once they're out of reach.

Butter? No. Just makes it harder for me to get a grip on!
posted by coriolisdave at 4:01 PM on October 6

I have no non-anecdotal evidence for this but I've been told that cats are of two types: fish cats and chicken cats. Our current cat turns her nose up at fish flavors but likes chicken. The chicken Greenies worked for us.
posted by Morrigan at 5:34 PM on October 6

meat and fish didn't work for my cat, he would always manage to eat the food and spit the pill out. For whatever reason, hiding the pill in a blob of mayonnaise works better, at least with small pills. For larger pills, I use the towel or pillow method described by others above.
posted by missanissa at 7:43 PM on October 6

I am too lazy to read through all the suggestions in case someone might have dropped this one. But, in addition to Pill Pockets and pillers, you can spare the cat the agony of being pilled (some of them go absolute bat-(#)@($, even wrapped in a towel) by:

1. Crushing the pill, if it's in tablet form, or removing the contained powder from the capsule (if it's in capsule form, you can pry open the halves).
2. Mix enough chicken or turkey baby food to get the powder absorbed, but not so much that you are going to struggle with having to syringe-feed the cat. Do it in tiny amounts.
3. Get a feeding syringe (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p_Lixit-Pet-Hand-Feeding-Sy.jpg) and suck up the baby food.
4. Hold cat in lap, sneak syringe tip into side of mouth, give a squirt as far back as possible. Repeat.

This is the awesomest method ever and the one I reserve for problem cats (ha, hence the name) where I work. Even when you think you have pilled a cat successfully, sometimes they spit it out. I've known people who would find piles of pills hidden in their house after their sneaky cats spat them out.
posted by problemcat at 2:01 AM on October 7 [1 favorite]

If the pill doesn't have to be given whole, grind it up in 1ml of water. Suck it up in a syringe and place the syringe (facing forward) to the side of the cat's mouth (where the hinge of the lips is) tilt the syringe and squirt it in.

Ramming whole pills down a cat's throat is to be avoided. If you have to give a pill whole, then you MUST follow it with 1 ml of water to wash it down.

Think about it, do YOU like to swallow whole pills without some water to sloosh it down your gullet? No, of course not. Really, whole pills can sit in a cat's throat for hours, they scratch the delicate throat tissue on the way down and if the pill contains something a bit fierce can burn the cat's throat.

Manhandling the mouth of the cat wide open so you can shoot, ram or shove a pill down their with giant human fingers can also cause the cat some facial bruising, nerve damage, bruising or laceration to the delicate tissue inside the feline mouth, and if it's a particularly insane/hysterical struggle - damage to the cervical spine (oh yes it can)

Aaah, problemcat just said all this, but with tasty food instead of water! Yay problemcat, yeah do what problemcat says! problem cat is wise.

Syringing is the way to go! :)
posted by Arqa at 10:30 AM on October 10

The Greenies feline pill pockets are officially effective. Just got my cat - notorious for sniffing out pills mixed into wet food and other tricks - to eat a pill. Success.
posted by bunny hugger at 11:04 AM on October 11