I have to pill THREE of my kittens every day for six weeks!! All done!!

Wish me luck [][]

Bingley has a scab-like place on his head. We went to the vet and they thought it might be ringworm but it didn't fluoresce (sp?) So, we sent off samples to the lab and the results were....one test was positive and one negative [}][}] So, half a pill a day for six weeks. Boy this should be fun. Especially as my knee op is on Wednesday and I won't be able to chase him around the house for a while...

Fun, fun, fun
Kate

Crush the pill up & mix in with a tsp vanilla icecream ~ most cats cant resist icecream

Cold icecream? Really? That sounds easy Thank you

Or wait until he is REALLY hungry, then give him the pill with a tiny bit of mince, or other food he likes, wrapped around it.

Cheeeese! Crush it up and squash it into some room temperature cheese [}]

Have never met a cat or dog that won't eat ANYTHING disguised by cheese

Yep, cheese works as well but mine prefer icecream all mushed up with the pill crumbs inside

Good luck, I am sure you won't have a problem, after all they are only "wild" cats [] and we all know how feral yours are [}]

Look at it as physio.

...and either buy gauntlets to protect your arms, or wrap the victim - sorry, patient! - up in a towel before you start so you don't get scratched.

That is, of course, only if he doesn't willingly eat it disguised in yummy high-fat dairy product [}]

has anyone else tried using apple cider vinegar on fungus like ringworm? i have used it and found it great, dabbed it on several times a day for three or four days and it disappeared and never came back. i think the fungi can't cope with the acidity, stops them repoducing i suspect...

good luck with the kitten, anything to not have to stuff it in manually sounds great to me!

If you have a real fighter on your hands and she/he won't take a pill any any form, put cat on your lap, on it's back, hold by the scruff of the neck, firmly and pull the head back slightly. It helps if the cat is sloping head downwards a bit. Pop pill into the mouth and hold it shut until puss swallows.

Watch out for the claws just in case it fights back. The Vet nurse in Greenwoods Corner in Auckland did this with Tree and believe me, alllllll her feral instincts came into play at pill time. Tree lay on her back still as, eyes wide open but almost in a trance. The pill went in, Tree swallowed, pill gone.

Tonks wasn't fussed on taking her pill recently so I applied the same technique.... she didn't go into a trance but the pill went in. It took her absolutely AGES to swallow it but it was a test of wills and she got fed up being on her back so she gave in a swallowed.

It was a five day course of two pills a day and by the end of the course, a pill could be popped in without too much fuss and she'd take it... all without having to be put on her back.

I've tried many disguises with cats and just when you think you've won, they either won't actually lick up the serving or the pill gets spat out as they walk away eating the treat.

Good luck! If you can make the first pill a 'no big deal' sort of thing, just in and down without the cat realising what has happened, hopefully it won't get ideas the second time.

Here's hoping the icecream pill will work..... you never know!
Cats will surprise you every time.

I'm running out of ideas to get 1/2 a teaspoon of gulcosamine into Tumnus. Did the marmite sandwich... he got wise to it. Done a used teabag with a slit in it with the glucosamine inside, he's wise to it. I don't know if he can taste it or not but he certainly seems a bit fussy over it when normally he'll wolf it down.

Yakut

Mix it with something he likes and smear on front paws and he should lick it off, mine do.

Do you think I should try to pill his normally - as in not disguise the pill - first and move on if that doesn't work? If I can have a cat who's been trained from a young age not to make a fuss about taking a pill, that would be great On the other hand, if it all goes horribly wrong, it could be a disaster [}]

First pill tonight so plenty of time to think about it....

Cheers
Kate

I'm with Yakut.
Grab the back of the Kittens neck firmly, cats are hard wired to relax when held by the scruff (mostly).
Keep its feet on the floor and bend its neck back to allow access to mouth. (Wear a thick jumper the first few time LOL) Hold the pill between thumb and index finger, use third finger to open mouth and place the pill at the back of the throat and poke into throat, remove fingers wait till kitten swallows. Release. Then let it have its dina. Don't cover the pill in anything as this can make them sticky. Don't go in from the side, as their wee sharp molars can go right through your fingers. Oops!
I had to do this with our cat who had a thyroid issue, twice a day for years, he was the evil cat from hell but soon learnt to take the pill. (from me) Take no prisoners, and don't be woosey about it.

I would agree, the first time (at least) try just popping as suggested above. A couple of our cats have been on longer term pills for a while. One was just brilliant and would virtually open her mouth, and swallow offending article. Another cat often required one person to hold, particulaly the front legs and another to do the deed. I think speed is of the essence too. Blowing on a cat's nose (gently) often encourages them to swallow if the pill has at least gone in.

The vet I took Tree to always had a problem getting a pill into that rat trap mouth of hers. Ooooh she'd open her mouth fine but as soon as that pill hit her tongue or any other part of her fanged gob, those teeth would snap shut like a crocodile and the vet, bless him, would be left counting his fingers and a mushy pill to try and get back in on the counter.

He had another client with two cats and every so often, the client would phone up for another worm pill visit. He would laugh and say, you've got to be kidding!!!! I think he'd found another method with those two but there was no way he could get a pill into them. Tree was almost as bad and he was a bloody good vet!!!! If he moved his practise out here, I'd go back to him in a shot. He was really funny and very sweet. As soon as he saw the animal about to enter his consulting rooms, his voice would go up several octaves and treats were forthcoming for whatever critter was being looked at.

Bria would literally drag me through the door when she had to see him. Nako had blood tests taken without any fuss and was quite calm and relaxed about any visit. Tree was fine too, she just didn't like the car ride or the pills or whatever.
He is a brilliant vet! very very kind to owners who have that last big decision to make too.

I'd go for the no fuss method Kate. Try it and see, you never know! If it doesn't work, then try another method. The trouble with mixing a pill into something is if they refuse to eat it, that's one pill less in the course.
I used to end up covered in pink paste trying to get Tree to take one. Pink foam from Trees mouth with all the hissing and growling and general fizzing in fury. Just don't make a fuss, walk up to the cat with the pill in your hand, try the quick, open of the mouth and pop the pill right down the back as fast as you can before puss gets a chance to think about it. Hold the muzzle shut gently until you feel a swallow. If there is no swallow, gently stroke the throat, if still no swallow, gently blow across the nose.
If this doesn't work and the pill gets spat out like a meteor, wait for an hour or so and try another way. Always be nonchalant, like you aren't really going to the cat but going to see or get something in their vacinity. Sneaky and stealth..... just like they use on their prey... they don't see you sneaking about stalking something so they won't expect you to be stalking them. Mawha ha ha ha![][}]

Let us know how you get on!!!!!!

Yakut