Getting a cat to eat a pill with food without noticing?

Kourtney

My kitty is having an allergic reaction and I need to give him Benedryl. Ive tried to crush up the caplets and put them in wet cat food, and even in some melted butter, but as soon as he takes a bite, he spits it back up, then proceeds to drool all over. Can anyone help me out?



Arnoldo

Hey batty first off dont mind anyone questioning Benedryl it works wonders for animals too(it works better on them then us actually)i dont have a cat anymore but this is what i used to do with my cat and 3 dogs.(learned this from my vet Dr. Fisher)first thing is you need to find a food your pet likes alot..in my case my dogs love steakfor my cat she loved imitation crab meat. have the pet in your lap for easy control. i would have my cat in my lap and feed her some crab meat(no pills or crushed pills in there.) this is a way of gaining your cats trust. then after a few pieces give her the food with the pill inside it. it should workif not plan Bsit her on your lap again except this time when you give her the pill/food and as soon as its in her mouth take one hand and gently(your cat trust you enough to put your hand on her right?), gently cup her mouth shut, again GENTLY cant stress that enough. while one hand is cupping her mouth take the other hand and again GENTLY stroke/massage her throat up and down and in circles as well. in a way it helps the movment on the throat kind of like a manual override to swallow, when you do this they are pretty much forced to swallow it since they have no control over it. it actually works with humans too but our heads have to be tilted upwards. as for my dogs well they are easier to handle..two with the massage technique works and my cocker spaniel..well she would eat a pencil if I gave that to her lol. good luck



Ariel

Why are you giving him benadryl? you need to go to the vet in order to get allergy medicine for you kitty!! i dont think its a bright idea to give your cat any kind of human medicine without asking your vet first!



Annmarie

Can you crush the pill and mix it with a little bit of wet food? Glad my cats dont take pills. good luck in getting that to work.



Dexter

I put my cat in between my legs - dont crush her-, drop the pill in her mouth, gently hold her mouth shut and help her get it down. No food needed!



Ellsworth

Go to the vet!!! or put human food down and dont crush the pill and have your cat then just eat the food and ur cat will sawllow the pill best wishes



Jonnie

Ok so cut the pill in half and get the canned kitty food take a bite size portion out and put the pill in the middle gobble gobble all gone!



Bernadette

Try "inserting" the pill in a soft cat treat that he likes. It takes time for a cat to realize that they are going to have to take medication one way or another so you may simply have to start by holding your cat firmly in your arms, tilting his head back, and injecting it into his mouth. Is there a liqued version of this medication that you can try? Also, cats should not eat butter.



Almeda

Try with Tuna, or hamburger - Also make sure medicine is ok dosage for a cat.



Cherrie

What you do is put in a piece of ham or something then feed it to it. The cat wont even notice it swollowed the pill.



Dillon

Vets have these little cat treats in the shape of a pocket you can put the pill in. These work.



Bianca

Try cheeze



Callie

Benadryl is extremely bitter, which is why its in a capsule rather than in a tablet, which is cheaper for the manufacturer to make, Try Pill Pockets. You can get them from pet shops or vets. Theyre evidently delicious, since all the cats I know gobble them up. You can tuck a capsule in the open pocket, then pinch it shut, and the cat cant detect its in there. Sometimes you can coat a pill with Easy Cheese (that cheese that comes in aerosol cans) and dogs will gulp them down, but cats, being smarter, usually notice the pill and lick the cheese off, leaving the pill behind.



Ashton

Benadryl is sour. You may actually have to wrap the cat in a towel, open his mouth and jam it down. Then you have to hold the cat and gently massage the throat to encourage swallowing. I have found many pills on the floor, long after I thought the cat had swallowed them! Benadryl comes in a liquid for children, ask the vet for a dose that would be correct.



Carisa

Hold your kitty in your lap and open her mouth slowly. Drop the pill in the back of her throat and he will swallow. Hope the vet told you to give him benedryl....just be careful. A whole tab maybe way to much. Call your local vet.



Daron

He is drooling because the benafryl is bitter. Dont crush it just coat in butter and see if you can get him to swallow it. Check the web on how to pill a cat.



Marhta

I have also had to give my cats pills, and believe it or not, it is easier without food. More often then not cats will find the pill in thier food, and either lick it clean or avoid it all together. My vet showed me how to do this, and it really will work. (I have four cats, and have used it multiple times) Make sure your cats doesnt bite, or this is an unsafe tactic for you. Open your cats mouth (have a friend do it if you cant do it one handed) and using your forefinger push the pill all the way to the back of there mouth, right to the end of their toungue and into the throat. Then remove your finger quickly and allow thier mouth to close. This should be one fluid motion, and your cat wont even have time to hate you! By reflex their throat muscles will contract and they will swallow. I promise they wont choke, I wouldnt hurt your lovely feline friend!



Gertrudis

I had to give my cat a pill. THe vet had me put a glob of butter on the end of a pencil eraser and put the pill in the middle of the butter. The cat licked some butter and then put the glob in its mouth right away and i took the pencil away. it was down her throat before she knew it.