My new cat is hiding and scared. How can I give them medicine?

I have 3 cats and they generally hate their medication as well. The easiest way to go about this is to grab a towel and burrito wrap the kitten in there to trap his legs and prevent him from scratching you, then scruff him (grab the back of his neck with one hand). Here is a youtube link on how to burrito wrap your cat --> https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+burrito+wrap+a+cat Then I would give the medication in the side of the mouth --> https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+medicate+your+cat I hope that this helps! Best of luck with your new rescue kitten Pistachio moving forward. Take care!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This one is really hard and common among cat owners. A few tips: - If Gurl is food motivated, use treats or her food. example: give a treat, give the meds, give more treats or dinner. In time, she'll hopefully associate the medication with the treats/food. - Use the gabapentin to your advantage. Gabapentin has mild sedating and anti-anxiety effects (along with pain control) in cats. If you can get that down her, you may find that an hour or two later, the metronidazole goes dow easier. - Consider having the pharmacy add in some flavoring. -try mixing them into wet food, tuna juice, chicken broth, etc. get creative - try the pills - it may seem counter-intuitive but some cats you can pill easier than you can get liquids down. -Talk with your vet about other options. Depending on her underlying issue, maybe a diet change, steroid injection, or other medication or supplement can help. Best wishes to you and Gurl!

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

I understand! Medicating cats can be very challenging in some cases. I'm not sure what type of medication he is taking, but some options would include mixing in some canned food, tuna, or other special treat. If he won't eat it this way and won't allow you to medicate him by putting the medication directly in his mouth, you could ask your vet about having it compounded into a tasty treat or liquid suspension that might be easier to give.

I can certainly understand your frustration. Cats are very smart at not taking their nedicaiton. I would talk to your vet about getting his medicaiton compounded into a flavor that he likes. There also may be an alternative medication in capsule form that won’t taste like anything that you can hide in a soft treat or a pill pocket. Most vets carry pill pockets or you can get these from your local pet store in many situations (call first). And finally there is a “pill gun” or “pet piller” that your vet should be able to sell you to make it easier to give Diggie his medicaiton. I surely hope this helps you in giving Digger his medicaiton. And remember that cats will often feed off of our energy, so try to keep a level head and be firm with him, then cuddle him and praise him every time he takes his medication well. I also find it helpful to use a large soft blanket to help hold my cats still when I want to give them their medication. This also prevents you from getting scratched. Best of luck to you and take care.

Cats will not understand that you are hitting them for what you believe is “their own good”. In fact, hitting an animal can make them anxious and scared of you, and will not help them to understand what you don’t like about their behaviour. Taking medicine can be stressful for cats, and scolding or hitting them when giving medication will just make it worse for them. Please do not hit your animals, as they will learn to mistrust you and live in fear. Visit the following link for information on cat behaviour for information on how to keep your cats comfortable and happy and working on training. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=C&C=1&S=2 There are many things that you can do to help alleviate stress and help Leo feel better, which may in turn decrease the undesirable behaviour you are noticing. I would advise seeing your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for his behaviour first, and also make sure Leo’s environmental needs are being met. Cats need at least one litterbox per cat plus one extra to help reduce stress associated with the litterbox. They should be placed in separate rooms, away from the food and water bowls, must be scooped at least daily (preferably multiple times a day)and washed out at least weekly with a mild soap, followed by thorough rinsing. Cats need a lot of space to explore, but keeping them indoors is much safer than letting them outside, due to the risk of injury from cars, wildlife, other animals, etc. The key is providing space (particularly vertical space for climbing, such as cat trees, ledges, and the like) inside the home. Visit http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=2 and https://indoorpet.osu.edu// for tips on stress reduction. Also look into Feliway, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in cats http://www.feliway.com.

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.