We use a pill popper or shooter that we got from the vet. one
hand on the head to force open the jaws and then pop the pill
into the back of the mouth  or throat. Get it in deep enough,
she can't spit it out.

Leanne

The easiest way I have found to give a cat either pills or liquid
medicine is to place him up on the counter or table, hold him firmly,
but gently, by the scruff of the neck while setting him on his haunches
and tilting back his head.

This will keep him from struggling and will force his mouth open enough
to get the syringe or dropper in. For pills, I have to open his mouth a
bit with my finger so I can deposit the pill far back on his tongue so
he can't spit it out.

As soon as I pop the pill in, I relax my grip on his scruff and stroke
his throat to encourage him to swallow. Then of course before I let him
down I pet him, scratch his head, and tell him what a good kitty he is.

The whole procedure only take a few seconds. The hardest part is
catching him, as he can read my mind and knows what's about to happen.

Why not disolve the pills in water and mix with wet food?

I know exactly what you're talking about!
DON'T leave the pill in food too long - it dissolves and starts smelling.
My trick was liver pâté. Try one go without, one with half of a pill, one
without etc.

Good luck!

Carola

I use an insturment from the vet that holds a pill and you hold the cats
mouth open and insert this device till it reaches the back of her throat,
past the tongue, so it can't be spit out and hold mouth closed till pill is
swollowed...I also have to wrap my kitten in a towel and hold her like I
would a baby...it's quick and painless.
Good luck!

The method that Fat Freddy posted, mostly:

park the cat on the table,
jam the cat's back (immediately above the butt) into left armpit
use left hand to crank cat's mouth open
use right hand to pop/stuff pill in.

I usually give the cat a kitty-treat immediately afterwards, too.

I've used the "dissolve the pill in tuna juice" thing too.

pat

I use a pill splitter and cut it into at least 4 pieces, and mix it in
with tuna. That cat goes crazy waiting for me to get it all ready b/c
she loves the tuna. I've actually fed her chunks of tuna off my finger
with some of her pill on it.
Other than that, read this:
http://www.pmaco.com/humor/Cat_Pills.html
Marie

Hi
do a search  on Google how to give pill to cats,
you will find  they show you very easy  ways to
pill  your cat

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned doing it this way, but I always
dissolve my cats meds in a little bit of water, maybe a teaspoon of it and
give it to them in a medicine dispenser.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am an avid cat lover and work as an investment banker. I came across this
study while researching for a client. I was amazed and thought that this
information could help you.

The following is a summary of a very interesting article that appeared in
one of the vet journals entitled “Evaluation of the Passage of Tablets and
Capsules through the Esophagus of the Cat”. It is from a paper presented at
the 2001 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum.

I have always been concerned about the issue of pilling cats with a dry
pill with no water or not in liquid form. Have You ever tried to swallow a
pill dry without any water? Just think how terrrible this must feel to a
cat whose esophagus is so small.

Study: 30 cats were used. Fluoroscopy was used to evaluate the pill/capsule
passage at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 300 seconds. Cats given dry pills by
standard pilling methods as opposed to those given the same medication in
liquid form.

The study was evaluating how long it took for the pill to get through the
esophagus into the stomach of the cat.

Study results: For the dry pill swallows: (can you imagine having to
swallow tablets or capsules with no water, hurts just thinking about it) at
5 minutes ONLY 36% of the pills were in the stomach.

For the liquid medication all medication was in the stomach by 90 seconds.

"The main concern with this information is that if tablets and capsules sit
in the esophagus for a prolonged period of time, this can cause damage to
the tissues in this area. This damage can lead to esophagitis, which can
lead to nausea, vomiting and megaesophagus. At times, the esophagus can
also respond by developing an ulcer or stricture. The latter is a very
serious complication requiring aggressive therapy, preferably with balloon
dilatation.

My cat will be on methimazole for the rest of her life. She literally runs
to the refrigerator for her tuna flavored liquid medicine making for a much
more enjoyable relationship with her. The “bond” between pet and pet owner
is very important and a traumatizing experience like pilling everyday can
cause a permanent break of this trust or “bond”.

Many of you may not be aware of the option of having tablets or capsules
made into tasty liquid forms to facilitate administration. The list of
flavors depending where they are made up is long and includes Tuna,
Sardine, Salmon, Beef, Bacon. etc. Keep the quantity small 1ml or less for
ease of administration and make sure that you use a reputable pharmacy that
has done all of the proper testing (stability, compatibility). You can ask
to see stability data before using a pharmacy so that you can have peace of
mind of knowing that what you are giving your pet is medication that is of
proper quality and accurate strength and that the flavorings being used are
not diluting or ruining the efficacy of the medication being given.

There are human pharmacies out there that will do this but vet meds are not
their specialty and they don't have access to vet meds. There are many
sources out there to get this done at. Call FLAVORx Inc 1-800-884-5771 ext
252 they can tell you who offers this service.

Hopefully this information will be useful and help to save some of our
animal companions from painful esophagitis and humans from the hassle of
pilling and traumatizing beloved pets.