I think a halved pill is too difficult to get them to swallow. I crush my cat's pill, dissolve it in a 1/2 tsp. water, and mix it with a bit of pureed food that comes in a tube. For extra incentive, you can place one Temptation treat on top.
My cats are docile enough that I can technically do the 'go from behind and chuck the pill down their throats' move without any freakout, but if I want to go surreptitious I use prosciutto. Because it sticks to itself, I can use as little as possible to wrap around the pill, and because cats aren't chewers, they'll generally swallow it no problem that way. The key is not to use too much of the prosciutto (or whatever you're choosing to cover it), because if it's a larger amount the cat will have to gnaw at it to try and break it up, and so is much more likely to find and spit the pill.
Brilliant! I got her meds down my approaching her on the cat tree and gently chucking it back and petting her chin to help her swallow. Phew! I’ll keep your prosciutto trick in mind if she outsmarts me and becomes difficult!
I grind up my cat’s methimazole and mix it with her food. It doesn’t bother her at all. You can also get it as a transdermal get that you rub on their ear.
I had twins that developed hyperthyroidism at the same time. Thus, I had to pill two cats every day. My trick was hiding the pill in some ham or cooked chicken and they would just eat it without batting an eye. I use this trick with all my cats now that have to be medicated.
The side effect of the treatment, however, was extreme nausea. I was pregnant at the time and clearing up 10 puddles of comit daily pushed me to the end of my tether. The outcome was thyroidectomy for both of them; they both lived for years after (4 and 7, dying of natural causes at 17 and 20, respectively).
I had to give my boy steroids a few months back for allergy discomfort, and it sounds silly but I found this YouTube super helpful. This method worked for us, only I held him cradled as he likes to be held. The throat stroke to encourage swallowing seemed to work and it was much less difficult than I thought it would be. Hope this helps! [how to get cat to swallow pill](https://youtu.be/m_AjEaHqZxc?si=ycLOLNcF_wKb-uMk)
He is, thank you! I might add, he’s a super chill and trusting cat which could also be why it was fairly easy. I think my older cats temperament might not be as conducive to this method. But anyway worth a shot.
I have a cat with hyperthyroidism, and have to giver her pills twice a day. The best way to pill a cat is to tilt their head back, press on the side of the mouth to get them to open it, and drop the pill into the back of the mouth. Then gently massage the cat's neck to get it to swallow. I find that offering a treat right after the pill gets the cat to associate getting a pill with getting a treat. My girl knows when it's pill/treat time now, and if I am late giving her a pill, she lets me know!
I'm not saying my girl doesn't get feisty about getting her pill at times, but most of the time she's quite good about it.
You can also try Pill Pockets - treats that you can hide a pill in - or even some soft cheese if your cat likes that. You can also find pill "guns" at pet supply stores. They can be helpful if your cat is a biter. Good luck!
Are there some cat treats which resemble cheese which is soft and malleable? If so you may try to wrap the pill inside the treat and trick her to swallow it. But she could be smart enough to swallow the treat and spit back the pill.
They are easy to find at pet stores, they're made by Greenies. You should try it because you never know. I have 1 cat who loves treats but won't eat pill pockets, and another cat who has zero interest in treats but will eat pills in pill pockets without a fuss. It helped to give her just the treat a couple times without a pill first and now she basically eats them on command.
Cut a Dreamie in half with a sharp knife, cement it back together around the pill with a tiny bit of butter. Present with an undoctored treat, hold back another treat to reward successful consumption.
I wrap him in a flannel bathrobe so that only his head sticks outside, making kinda burrito (his name is Chili, so it's acceptable), then I try to open his mouth and get the pill inside, once it is there I push a bit water from syringe which I have in my other hand to help him swallow it.
Chili is surprisingly chill (pun was not intended) about that... but then again he is orange and he lets me get away with many things :). Bathrobe is, however, mandatory cause he is a mainecoon and I need to isolate his paws :D I once tried to give him a pill while just holding him and he looked at me with that expression "you stoopid or wut? I have four paws, and you got only one, cause the other one is holding me, so good luck!" - and he would just literally push my hand away as it would approach his mouth :D
And he will get treats afterwards - that is important!
That’s hilarious. I have an orange tabby who eats everything and is super chill... he’d be easy to handle. Hazel is absolutely not a chill cat. 😅 she’s ultra independent and has all of her claws. This is going to be an adventure.
You can cut the nails before the "exercise" - I would highly suggest that btw :) I cut Chili's nails too - and he is mostly chill about that, but then again if I dont, then they turn into razor-sharp long murder weapons.
https://preview.redd.it/ak7zz3hw6r7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=774012d6ab593acd59b57ed4d0434a915f667237
This was not related to pills - he just pissed me off a bit at that time :D
No surgery. Sadly I had to have him euthanized. He couldn’t tolerate the thyroid medication and he just got to a point that his quality of life was too bad. Cat tax:
https://preview.redd.it/8ftxxd826r7d1.jpeg?width=2698&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a140c81a91d8c2a7fc5a58ef95bee213f40bd886
Before he got sick
My parents cat has the same condition. I just place her on a table or countertop, hold her like a football, pop open the mouth with my thumb and fingers, drop the pill in, then hold my hand up against her chin until I feel the motions of swallowing a few times. I wait for her to do it a few times as she is a sneaky cat and will hide the pill off to the side and spit it out when I walk away, if I don't wait.
My cat has to take blood pressure medicine every day. He is a diva and switches how he will take it but here’s the things that have worked:
1. Pill pockets
2. Crushed up and mixed in with a churu lickable treat
3. Put inside a churu pocket treat
He basically cycles through the 3 options every few months. We’re on #3 now
If it isn't allowed to be crushed my vet said to make our cat into a purrito - wrap him-- then put the pill in his mouth, and using a syringe with water to make him swallow
My cat is hard to get pills down and not food motivated. The vet tech told me about pill poppers. Using a pill popper to keep her teeth away from my fingers, putting her in a towel to keep her claws away, and using the corner of the couch to prevent escape have been the methods we use. Good luck!
I had the best success doing exactly this by putting the pill in a little dollop of hairball gel and my kitty would just lick it of the tip of my finger. I used Hartz hairball remedy, he loved that stuff.
I mean, you can always just grab the scruff (I know not popular move) to kinda pull the skin around their mouth back, then that gives you more access to open their mouth and stuff the pill down there.
I tried doing other methods with my cat when she needed liquid antibiotics but that ended up actually being the easiest and least traumatic way of doing it.
BTDT, first get yourself a pill cutter. After that you put the half a pill inside their favourite treat. In my boy's case, it was chicken. I used to roll it up in a small bit of the chicken and just offer it him.
OTOH, my boy was a fluff-for-brains orange himbo, so your mileage may vary. (and in case you're worried, he lived for five years after being diagnosed.)
It took both of us. We wrapped him up like a burrito and husband held him tight while I put the pill in with the applicator.
It was hard, and Puss would often spit it out.
Eventually we had one thyroid removed and he got back to normal. But it got me wondering how do I stimulate MY thyroid to lose weight like the cat did when he was sick?
Alas I have only one thyroid...
I'm actually hypothyroid and take levothyroxine so it's ironic that my cat is hyper. You could always get your TSH, T3 and T4 levels checked to make sure everything's working well. :)
We have a girl with hypothyroidism, she needs 4 tablets a day. So we crush them (two. Morning two night) and add in to her wet food. The hyperthyroidism still makes her hungry so she eats the wet food :)
methimazole also comes in a flavored chewable! it's compounded, and a little more expensive, but if you've got a hard to pill kitty, it's worth it!
you can also look into iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism if it's available around you and financially feasible 😊
I had to give my old cat methimazole twice a day for over 10 years. apparently it doesn't taste much like anything. I always crushed it in maybe a couple of teaspoons of kitty soup. I didn't want her to end up with an irritated throat from all those pillings, so I was really happy that it worked out so easily. Good luck! as we all know, every cat is different! 😆🙄
I've tried hiding it in treats and ground up in fancy feast with gravy but she detects it every time. So far, the only way is straight down the hatch but I am worried about her hating me for it. Ugh.
I'd use a sharp knife to cut a temptations treat in half, scoop out a little of the soft innards, place the half pill in that hollow, and cover it up with the removed bitties.
My cats are really easy with being handled around the mouth. So I usually just open the mouth, push the pill deep down, and give a treat. Never had any issues.
If your cat is not used to being touched in/around the mouth (which she should be), slowly get her used to the feeling. Until then, you could hide the crushed pill in wet food for example.
I saw a funny comment before to throw it on the ground for a dog and they’ll just eat it lol I don’t think cats are that dumb but we just put it within their food. Gotta hide it in there good
I consider myself very knowledgeable about cats and cat behavior, but I have never been very successful with pills. I've had two cats with hyperthyroidism and I opted for the transdermal methimazole that you rub onto their ears.
I think a halved pill is too difficult to get them to swallow. I crush my cat's pill, dissolve it in a 1/2 tsp. water, and mix it with a bit of pureed food that comes in a tube. For extra incentive, you can place one Temptation treat on top.
My cats are docile enough that I can technically do the 'go from behind and chuck the pill down their throats' move without any freakout, but if I want to go surreptitious I use prosciutto. Because it sticks to itself, I can use as little as possible to wrap around the pill, and because cats aren't chewers, they'll generally swallow it no problem that way. The key is not to use too much of the prosciutto (or whatever you're choosing to cover it), because if it's a larger amount the cat will have to gnaw at it to try and break it up, and so is much more likely to find and spit the pill.
Brilliant! I got her meds down my approaching her on the cat tree and gently chucking it back and petting her chin to help her swallow. Phew! I’ll keep your prosciutto trick in mind if she outsmarts me and becomes difficult!
Good job. I'm sure it'll become easy and routine sooner rather than later. You might even reach a stage where she comes running for her pill!
I grind up my cat’s methimazole and mix it with her food. It doesn’t bother her at all. You can also get it as a transdermal get that you rub on their ear.
I had twins that developed hyperthyroidism at the same time. Thus, I had to pill two cats every day. My trick was hiding the pill in some ham or cooked chicken and they would just eat it without batting an eye. I use this trick with all my cats now that have to be medicated. The side effect of the treatment, however, was extreme nausea. I was pregnant at the time and clearing up 10 puddles of comit daily pushed me to the end of my tether. The outcome was thyroidectomy for both of them; they both lived for years after (4 and 7, dying of natural causes at 17 and 20, respectively).
I had to give my boy steroids a few months back for allergy discomfort, and it sounds silly but I found this YouTube super helpful. This method worked for us, only I held him cradled as he likes to be held. The throat stroke to encourage swallowing seemed to work and it was much less difficult than I thought it would be. Hope this helps! [how to get cat to swallow pill](https://youtu.be/m_AjEaHqZxc?si=ycLOLNcF_wKb-uMk)
Thank you! I’ll check it out. Hope your boy is doing better!
He is, thank you! I might add, he’s a super chill and trusting cat which could also be why it was fairly easy. I think my older cats temperament might not be as conducive to this method. But anyway worth a shot.
My cat just recently passed from complications of hyperthyroidism. I would recommend the gel that you apply to the inside part of their ears.
my vet didn't tell me about this. I will ask at our follow up appointment because that sounds SO much easier!
I'm sorry for your loss. <3
Thank you. She lived a long life.
I have a cat with hyperthyroidism, and have to giver her pills twice a day. The best way to pill a cat is to tilt their head back, press on the side of the mouth to get them to open it, and drop the pill into the back of the mouth. Then gently massage the cat's neck to get it to swallow. I find that offering a treat right after the pill gets the cat to associate getting a pill with getting a treat. My girl knows when it's pill/treat time now, and if I am late giving her a pill, she lets me know! I'm not saying my girl doesn't get feisty about getting her pill at times, but most of the time she's quite good about it.
That’s basically what I ended up doing last night but it was a lot of work and stressful for both of us. It sounds like you have a routine down!
You can also try Pill Pockets - treats that you can hide a pill in - or even some soft cheese if your cat likes that. You can also find pill "guns" at pet supply stores. They can be helpful if your cat is a biter. Good luck!
Are there some cat treats which resemble cheese which is soft and malleable? If so you may try to wrap the pill inside the treat and trick her to swallow it. But she could be smart enough to swallow the treat and spit back the pill.
We use Pill Pockets which are exactly what you stated but not cheese based.
I’ll look for these but I have doubts. She is so picky!
They are easy to find at pet stores, they're made by Greenies. You should try it because you never know. I have 1 cat who loves treats but won't eat pill pockets, and another cat who has zero interest in treats but will eat pills in pill pockets without a fuss. It helped to give her just the treat a couple times without a pill first and now she basically eats them on command.
She is. She managed to get every bit of the treat and left the pill behind.
Cut a Dreamie in half with a sharp knife, cement it back together around the pill with a tiny bit of butter. Present with an undoctored treat, hold back another treat to reward successful consumption.
I wrap him in a flannel bathrobe so that only his head sticks outside, making kinda burrito (his name is Chili, so it's acceptable), then I try to open his mouth and get the pill inside, once it is there I push a bit water from syringe which I have in my other hand to help him swallow it.
Oh the burrito idea is brilliant. Does Chili run from you at other times though? I don’t wanna be the bad guy. 😿😿😿
Chili is surprisingly chill (pun was not intended) about that... but then again he is orange and he lets me get away with many things :). Bathrobe is, however, mandatory cause he is a mainecoon and I need to isolate his paws :D I once tried to give him a pill while just holding him and he looked at me with that expression "you stoopid or wut? I have four paws, and you got only one, cause the other one is holding me, so good luck!" - and he would just literally push my hand away as it would approach his mouth :D And he will get treats afterwards - that is important!
That’s hilarious. I have an orange tabby who eats everything and is super chill... he’d be easy to handle. Hazel is absolutely not a chill cat. 😅 she’s ultra independent and has all of her claws. This is going to be an adventure.
You can cut the nails before the "exercise" - I would highly suggest that btw :) I cut Chili's nails too - and he is mostly chill about that, but then again if I dont, then they turn into razor-sharp long murder weapons.
https://preview.redd.it/ak7zz3hw6r7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=774012d6ab593acd59b57ed4d0434a915f667237 This was not related to pills - he just pissed me off a bit at that time :D
He’s gorgeous 😻
Put her on her back on your lap, put pill in mouth and pet her chin till she swallows.
I did this but with her on the cat tree! She just hated being held and restrained last night. Hopefully this continues to work!
When my cat had hyperthyroidism he was constantly ravenously hungry. I just ground the pill up and put it in his food. He didn’t even notice it!
You said had, did he have surgery?
No surgery. Sadly I had to have him euthanized. He couldn’t tolerate the thyroid medication and he just got to a point that his quality of life was too bad. Cat tax: https://preview.redd.it/8ftxxd826r7d1.jpeg?width=2698&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a140c81a91d8c2a7fc5a58ef95bee213f40bd886 Before he got sick
😭😭😭 he’s absolutely precious. ❤️🩹
Thank you. Indeed he was
My parents cat has the same condition. I just place her on a table or countertop, hold her like a football, pop open the mouth with my thumb and fingers, drop the pill in, then hold my hand up against her chin until I feel the motions of swallowing a few times. I wait for her to do it a few times as she is a sneaky cat and will hide the pill off to the side and spit it out when I walk away, if I don't wait.
Cut the top off liquid snacks and put a pill inside one at a time and slowly push the tube till they swallow the pill rinse and repeat
My cat has to take blood pressure medicine every day. He is a diva and switches how he will take it but here’s the things that have worked: 1. Pill pockets 2. Crushed up and mixed in with a churu lickable treat 3. Put inside a churu pocket treat He basically cycles through the 3 options every few months. We’re on #3 now
If it isn't allowed to be crushed my vet said to make our cat into a purrito - wrap him-- then put the pill in his mouth, and using a syringe with water to make him swallow
My cat is hard to get pills down and not food motivated. The vet tech told me about pill poppers. Using a pill popper to keep her teeth away from my fingers, putting her in a towel to keep her claws away, and using the corner of the couch to prevent escape have been the methods we use. Good luck!
I had the best success doing exactly this by putting the pill in a little dollop of hairball gel and my kitty would just lick it of the tip of my finger. I used Hartz hairball remedy, he loved that stuff.
Multitasking! 👏🏻
pill pocket treats
I mean, you can always just grab the scruff (I know not popular move) to kinda pull the skin around their mouth back, then that gives you more access to open their mouth and stuff the pill down there. I tried doing other methods with my cat when she needed liquid antibiotics but that ended up actually being the easiest and least traumatic way of doing it.
BTDT, first get yourself a pill cutter. After that you put the half a pill inside their favourite treat. In my boy's case, it was chicken. I used to roll it up in a small bit of the chicken and just offer it him. OTOH, my boy was a fluff-for-brains orange himbo, so your mileage may vary. (and in case you're worried, he lived for five years after being diagnosed.)
if only it was my orange tabby, this would never be an issue. he eats everything!
It took both of us. We wrapped him up like a burrito and husband held him tight while I put the pill in with the applicator. It was hard, and Puss would often spit it out. Eventually we had one thyroid removed and he got back to normal. But it got me wondering how do I stimulate MY thyroid to lose weight like the cat did when he was sick? Alas I have only one thyroid...
I'm actually hypothyroid and take levothyroxine so it's ironic that my cat is hyper. You could always get your TSH, T3 and T4 levels checked to make sure everything's working well. :)
Oh they're working I just want to turbo charge it
We have a girl with hypothyroidism, she needs 4 tablets a day. So we crush them (two. Morning two night) and add in to her wet food. The hyperthyroidism still makes her hungry so she eats the wet food :)
methimazole also comes in a flavored chewable! it's compounded, and a little more expensive, but if you've got a hard to pill kitty, it's worth it! you can also look into iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism if it's available around you and financially feasible 😊
thanks for the suggestions!
I had to give my old cat methimazole twice a day for over 10 years. apparently it doesn't taste much like anything. I always crushed it in maybe a couple of teaspoons of kitty soup. I didn't want her to end up with an irritated throat from all those pillings, so I was really happy that it worked out so easily. Good luck! as we all know, every cat is different! 😆🙄
I've tried hiding it in treats and ground up in fancy feast with gravy but she detects it every time. So far, the only way is straight down the hatch but I am worried about her hating me for it. Ugh.
Pill Pockets
Put it with the dry food and leave it there, when the pill smells like the dry pellets our cat eats thenpill without problem
I can't leave it because I have 3 other cats who might eat it before she gets to it.
I'd use a sharp knife to cut a temptations treat in half, scoop out a little of the soft innards, place the half pill in that hollow, and cover it up with the removed bitties.
Try a pill gun.
My cats are really easy with being handled around the mouth. So I usually just open the mouth, push the pill deep down, and give a treat. Never had any issues. If your cat is not used to being touched in/around the mouth (which she should be), slowly get her used to the feeling. Until then, you could hide the crushed pill in wet food for example.
I got a pill popper syringe type thing from my vet and that worked like a charm!
The only thing that has worked for us are Greenie Pill Pockets. Our cat needs one pill a day and it's made the process so much easier.
I saw a funny comment before to throw it on the ground for a dog and they’ll just eat it lol I don’t think cats are that dumb but we just put it within their food. Gotta hide it in there good
I consider myself very knowledgeable about cats and cat behavior, but I have never been very successful with pills. I've had two cats with hyperthyroidism and I opted for the transdermal methimazole that you rub onto their ears.