Site Accessibility Features: Skip to page menus

Reset Website Accessibility

 Site Menus Section  Skip to page content 
    


 Home
 About Us  Our Veterinarians
 Our Team
 New Clients  Take A Tour
 Forms    New Client Registration Form – Download
 New Client Registration Form – Online
   Hospitalisation and Surgical Release Form – Download
 Hospitalisation and Surgical Release Form – Online
 Contact Us
 Services  Mobile Services
 Medical Services
 Surgical Services
 Wellness and Vaccination Programs
 Anesthesia and Patient Monitoring
 Health Screening Tests
 Nutritional Counseling
 Preventive Services
 Breeding Services
 Grooming
 Exotic Pet Medicine and Surgery
 Avian Medicine and Surgery
 Veterinary Specialist Referrals
 Emergency and/or Extended Care
 Pet Health  Pet Health Library
 Pet Health Checker
 Pet Food Recalls
 Pet Product Recalls
 How-To Videos
 News
 Links
 Kind Words & Wags
 Book Now
 facebookinstagram

Giving your cat a pill

Transcript of Giving your cat a pill

00:01 Speaker 1: Hold the cat securely in your lap. Make sure you have carefully read the label and understand the dosing instructions. Grease the pill with a very small amount of margarine or butter, so it doesn't stick in your cat's mouth or throat. Hold the pill between your thumb and index finger. Gently grasp your cat's head from above with your other hand, by placing your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Tilt the cat's head back over its shoulder so that its nose points to the ceiling. With your pilling hand, use your little finger and ring finger to open the cat's mouth farther by gently putting pressure on the lower front teeth. Quickly place the pill as far back over the tongue as possible. Close the cat's mouth and hold it closed while you return the head to a normal position. Gently rub the cat's nose or throat or blow lightly on the nose. This should stimulate swallowing.

Download Video: MP4, WebM, Ogg

The easiest way to give your cat a pill is to hide the pill in food. This usually works best if the pill is hidden in a small amount of tuna or cream cheese. To ensure that the pill is actually taken, it is best to give a small amount of food that the cat is certain to eat rather than a large portion that the cat may not complete. Some cats may spit out the pill, so it is important to monitor this activity. If your cat persists in spitting out the pills or if dietary restrictions prevent you from hiding the pills in an appealing treat, you will need to administer the pill directly into the cat’s mouth.

Instructions

Prepare the environment so that you have a safe place to handle your cat. Have the pill ready and in a place where it will be easily accessible.
If you are administering the medication on your own, you may find it easiest to place your cat in your lap. You may need to have someone assist you in restraining your cat by wrapping it in a blanket with only the head exposed.
Make sure you have carefully read the label and understand the dosing instructions.
Grease the pill with a very small amount of margarine or butter so it doesn’t stick in your cat’s mouth or throat.
Hold the pill between your thumb and index finger.
Gently grasp your cat’s head from above with your other hand, by placing your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other. Tilt the cat’s head back over its shoulder so that its nose points to the ceiling. The jaw should drop open slightly.
With your pilling hand, use your little finger and ring finger to open the cat’s mouth further by gently putting pressure on the lower front teeth.
Quickly place the pill as far back over the tongue as possible.
Close the cat’s mouth and hold it closed while you return the head to a normal position.
Gently rub the cat’s nose or throat, or blow lightly on the nose. This should stimulate swallowing.
If you have trouble with this method of opening the mouth, try placing the cat on a table. Hold the cat by the scruff of the neck and lift the front paws off of the table. The mouth will open. Quickly place the pill as far back over the tongue as possible, as in the previous method.

Site Sidebar: Skip to end of sidebar

new client?

register with our hospital today!

registration

contact us:

168 Middle Road Devonshire, Bermuda FL02

Email: info@endsmeet.bm Phone: 441-236-3292 Fax: 441-236-9049

hours of operation:

Monday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Tuesday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Wednesday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Thursday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Friday: 8:00am – 6:00pm Saturday: 8:00am – 12:30pm Sunday: Closed

emergencies:

Out of Hours Emergency Pager: 441-694-0703

If you have an Emergency please call our reception team during business hours or our Emergency Pager after hours. Please DO NOT send an email for an Emergency!