My cat won't take her medicine. How can I give her pills safely?

Hello there! Oh my goodness- I feel your pain. Medicating cats daily can be so frustrating! Luckily, food allergies are almost never to fats! Butter shouldn't interfere with the diet trial. I would be sure to use butter that doesn't have any traces of other food in it though. Some prescriptions can be compounded into different formulas that may be easier to try as well, but I would caution that most flavors would likely interfere with the diet trial. A popular pharmacy that compounds pet medications is called Wedgewood. Some medications in capsule form are relatively unflavored, and may be easily hidden by sprinkling on top of food. Your vet can consult with one of their pharmacists over your cat's disdain for pills and hypoallergenic needs, and they may be other, easier options! I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If you can't get Sweetie to take the pill by pilling her or adding it to her food, you can buy a "pill gun" that is like a little syringe that you fill with water, and then hook the pill to the end of. This lets you place the pill in your cat's mouth, and then the squirt of water helps them to swallow it down immediately a little easier with less risk of fighting it or being bitten. This site has some more info about how to use a pill gun with a cat: https://cats.lovetoknow.com/Pill_Gun_for_Cat You can also search "pill" in our search bar if you'd like to see other general articles regrading pilling pets. If all else fails and Sweetie won't take the medication at all, or it is too dangerous to try and give it to her, I would contact your vet to see if the medication can be compounded into a liquid or different formulation through a pharmacy, or if a different medication that is easier to give can be given instead.

You can try liquid Benadryl. Look for the dye free, unflavored version. Another option would be to have it compounded into a palatable tablet or chewable. Your veterinarian may have a preferred compounding pharmacy that he or she works with for these cases.

Hello there and thank you for your post! I am not sure what medication you are trying to hide, but you could potentially have it compounded into a liquid form if that is easier. I've had clients use pieces of canned tuna to mash around the pill and that seemed to work well. I've had other clients use pieces of liverwurst to mash around the pill as well. You could also invest in a Pill Popper, which you can find in pet stores. Basically, a Pill Popper is a syringe like device that contains a hollow rubber tip which you can insert capsules or pills and safely administer them into the back of your cat's mouth. I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns that you may have.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. A safe dose of Cetirizine is 2.5 - 5 mg per cat, so this is likely half a tablet. Please make sure that Cetirizine is the only medical ingredient in the tablet, and there are no other additives. Pseudoephedrine is very toxic for cats, if this is present in the tablet, go to your vet right away. If you have given 10mg, that is ok, she might just be sleepy. Best of luck with Panda.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) can be used for cats. Other over the counter antihistamines for use in cats include Chlor-Trimeton® (chlorpheneramine), Claritin® (loratadine) and Zyrtec® (cetirizine). You can get doses for any of the above from your veterinarian. Legally, we are prohibited from supplying doses for medications, even OTC meds, in the absence of a physical exam and a VPCR (Veterinarian-Patient-Client Relationship).

Hi, Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If the cat burrito method (wrapping in a blanket) isn't working you can try putting the liquid medication in canned cat food. Put it in a small amount then feed him the rest. Otherwise make sure he is really wrapped tightly and all legs are wrapped up and the towel is to the back of his head it doing the towel method. You could also ask the vet for a pill or injectable form of the medication if available. Good luck