Sometimes cats require medicine in the form of pills or liquids, and it can be intimidating to be responsible for administering them. To help, we consulted our resident ORIJEN™ veterinarian Dr. Darcia Kostiuk to give her simple, step-by-step guide to giving your cat a pill or liquid medication.
Please note that every cat is different, and while these steps are a general guide, you may need to consult your own veterinarian to discover the best way to administer medication to your cat depending on their needs. Good luck!
How to give your cat a pill:
- Prep: Update your last will & testament, and be prepared for the fact that your cat might get fussy by wearing protective clothing.
- Step 1: Wrap your cat tightly in a towel — kind of like a burrito!
- Step 2: Tuck your cat in their cat burrito under your non-dominant arm, like a football.
- Step 3: Keep your non-dominant arm over the cat while using your non dominant hand to grasp their face on either side of their upper canine teeth.
- Step 4: Gently but firmly, open their mouth.
- Step 5: Using your dominant hand, hold the pill between your thumb and middle finger and push it to the back of their tongue. Use your forefinger to poke the pill down their throat.
- Thank the old gods and the new gods that you successfully pilled your cat and survived!
How to give your cat liquid medicine:
- Prep: Put on clothing that you don’t mind getting medication on!
- Step 1: Wrap your cat in a towel to make a cat burrito.
- Step 2: Tuck your cat in their cat burrito under your non-dominant arm, like a football.
- Step 3: Tuck the tip of the dosing syringe filled with liquid medication behind your cat’s canine tooth and aim toward back of their mouth.
- Step 4: Depress the plunger — but not too quickly! You want to do it fast enough to get the medicine into their mouth before they get out of the towel.
- Step 5: Clean up any mess and try again if necessary!
