Getting
pills into cats can be difficult. There is now something called Easytabs,
a meat flavoured cover for a pill made by Bayer. You press the pill into the
meat pellet. Clever stuff. Ask your vet for it.
Or kneel and place your cat facing away from you between your knees. With
thumb and middle finger, pull cat's head back until it is facing straight
up at the ceiling. It is crucial that the cat's head must be facing upwards
at 90 degrees. Use gentle pressure from thumb and middle finger on either
side of the cat's jaw, at rearmost crease of the lips, to open cat's mouth.
Pop tablet on the tongue as far back down the throat as possible. Close cat's
mouth and keep the head pointing up at the ceiling. Hey presto, the cat will
swallow the pill.
For flea and worm treatments, ask for a spot rather than a pill. Profender
now works for all worms. Or buy a pill crusher from your vet, and mix the
crushed pill with butter or marg with perhaps a little Marmite, and smearing
on the front paws. Keeping drugs very cold before mixing them with food will
reduce the smell and taste of the drug and therefore make it more likely the
cat will accept it.
Some people find a Mikki pillgun costing helps get pills into pets. A good
pet shop should order this for you. `A pill pulveriser (to grind them up for
mixing with food), a pill splitter for dividing too-large pills, a pill cutter
and a super dropper for liquid medication are available from MBS, 51 Manor
Farm Rd, St Neots, Huntingdon, PE19 1PW.