When a cat is sick, in addition to worrying about its symptoms, the most difficult problem to deal with is probably giving it medicine that the doctor has prescribed. No matter how much you give it pills or liquid medicine, it won’t take it. Some people can’t give it medicine because they’ve never done it before. Some people may be because their cat is stubborn and doesn’t cooperate with giving it medicine, so they get killed by its paw claws. Today, we have a technique for giving medicine to your cat for everyone. It’s a method that you can do at home and it’s definitely easier than most people think!
Before giving medicine every time, the owner must first understand that each cat has a different personality. Therefore, we must find a way to give medicine that is appropriate for each cat first. Some cats that are aggressive may need to find someone to help hold them still. As for those whose cats at home are familiar with the owner and are not naughty or mischievous, they are very lucky because they will take medicine easier than cats that are quite stubborn. Once you know their personality, you can start giving them medicine.
Tablet feeding
1. Open the cat's mouth and feed the medicine directly into the cat's mouth.
This is the best way to give a pill (but it may not work for all cats). Use your non-dominant hand to hold the upper lip in the groove behind the canine teeth on both sides, and use the thumb and index finger of the other hand to hold the pill. Then use your middle finger to push the lower jaw open, and quickly drop the pill onto the base of the tongue and close the cat's mouth. After feeding, stroke the cat's chin and neck (you can stroke its nose or blow into its nose) to stimulate the cat to swallow the pill. Once the cat has swallowed, release the hand covering its mouth.
In case the cat is quite wriggling, likes to use its feet to scratch the owner's arm but can still open its mouth to give medicine, have another person help hold the cat's legs and body. If there is no one to help hold it or if you help hold it but the cat still uses its feet to scratch, have the owner take a large and thick towel and wrap it around the cat's body until it reaches the neck with only the head showing. This method will help the cat be calmer, wriggle less, and also reduce the danger or scratch wounds from the cat.
Cautions If the owner does not drop the pill at the base of the tongue, but instead enters the cheek or tip of the tongue, the cat will spit out or spit out the pill. Some cats may also drool and chew until their saliva foams because they do not like the taste of the pill.
2. Crush the tablets, mix with a food supplement, and apply a small amount to the cat's upper lip or gums.
This method is used in cases where the cat cannot open its mouth to give the medicine directly. Owners can crush the tablets and mix them with gel-form animal supplements. Apply a small amount to the cat’s upper lip or gums until the prescribed amount of medicine is reached. The reason for using gel supplements is because gel-form supplements help mask the bitter taste of the medicine, making it easier to give medicine without having to open the cat’s mouth. They also provide energy and vitamins in cases where the cat is sick and eats little.
If the owner does not have gel food, you can use honey or thick gravy (used to flavor dry food to make it more appealing) instead. However, these are a bit more watery than gel food.
3. Stuff the medicine into the food pellets.
This can be done in cases where your cat is quite greedy and eats all the food in one go, the pills are small and do not have a distinct smell. Currently, there are some medicines that have meat flavoring added to them to help mask the bitter taste of the medicine, making it easier for the animal to take the medicine. However, some cats are picky eaters and have difficulty eating. Shoving the medicine into their food is not a good option because we cannot be sure whether the cat has taken the medicine or not. Or some cats may smell the medicine and refuse to eat from that bowl of food.
Liquid medicine administration
Giving liquid medicine is not much different from giving tablets, except that you need to use a device to give it. The device you should have is a “syringe or syringe (without a needle)” and follow the steps as follows:
How to give liquid medicine
1. Suck the medicine into the syringe according to the specified amount.
2. Use your non-dominant hand to grab one side of the cat's upper lip.
3. Insert the tip of the syringe into the cat's mouth near the groove behind the canine teeth, then slowly push the medicine into the cat's mouth until all the medicine we sucked is gone.
Some medicines may have a bitter taste that cats do not like. No matter how the owner feeds it, the cat may have symptoms of spitting up or chewing until the saliva foams all over the mouth. Therefore, when the owner receives liquid medicine to feed the cat from the vet, you may ask the doctor if the medicine is bitter or if it will cause drooling. If you encounter these symptoms, you will not be alarmed. Or you may ask the doctor to turn to prescribing medicine in the form of tablets instead.
As mentioned, each cat has a different personality, so don't forget to choose the right way to give medicine to each cat. If your cat gets medicine, it will get better quickly. However, if you've tried all the methods we've suggested but your cat still refuses to take medicine, you may want to take it to the vet to find other treatment methods.
Read other articles Cats eat less, have bad breath, signs of oral thrush
References
Dr. Oraya Prapanphot (Dr. Nun), veterinarian at Talingchan Animal Hospital
English