Administering Medications and Supplements

This document records both received and learned wisdom for making the sometimes trying process of getting medications and supplements into a cat easier. Entries come from twenty or so experienced pet owners and are in their own words. Nothing recorded here has been vetted by medical authorities for safety or effectiveness. Types of administration involving agents that are not medications or supplements (such as infusions of lactated Ringer’s solution) or that are not intended for systemic circulation (such as topical skin treatments or oral interferon application) have been excluded. Site visitors are welcome to forward contributions of their own for inclusion..

1. Forms of Medications and Supplements

2. Disguising with Food

3. Pilling

4. Syringing

5. Applying

6. Injecting

7. Restraining

1. Forms of Medications and Supplements 

A. Injectable Liquid Injectable medications most often used by pet owners frequently require refrigerating. Strict attention must be paid to “use by” dates. It is wise, however, to let cold medications set in the syringe until they have warmed up.

B. Transdermal Compound A limited number of veterinary drugs are available for direct absorption through the skin, most notably methimazole, applied to the pinna of the ear.

■    I really use transdermal compounds whenever possible-especially with my cat’s with heart issues-they get stressed looking at a pill but don't mind the cream in their outer ear flap.[Ca]

■    Patience does not tolerate oral medicines -- very aggressive!!!! As a result, I am concerned that if she needs medicines for anything and if it's a medicine/supplement that cannot be transdermal, that I will not be able to help her. [St]

C. Capsule

(1) Capsule to Smaller Capsule Many supplements useful for cats come in capsule sizes appropriate for humans or dogs and must be downsized for lower dosage and to accommodate the smaller feline esophagus.

■    I suggest either buying a device to hold empty transparent gelcaps upright or make one. I made several. Crush pills or empty capsules into the fold of a stiff paper like that of an index card. To (e.g., ) make 50mg capsules from a 300mg pill, “load” the smaller holes with the long half of 6 gel caps. Fill each equally, tamping down with the head of a nail slightly smaller than the gel cap opening. If the amount of fill exceeds what will fit in the long end alone, use the second row of larger holes to hold the short end of the gel cap. Store the compounded capsules for later administration or for mixing with other capsule-stored medications or supplements, in order to cut down on the number of pills that the cat needs to get. An alternative to working with small amounts of fill is to add a neutral substance, such as corn starch, to the crushed medication or supplement and mix thoroughly. In this way, the amount of fill being worked with becomes larger and easier to measure. [Jo]

(2) Capsule size Most capsulized feline medications come in #3 or #4 gelcaps. There does not, however, seem to be an agreed upon maximum size for capsules appropriate to cats, whose esophageal capacity may vary with their size.

■    "0" caps are the second biggest available, I think, "00" being the biggest. This size is mainly for a big cat/big mouth, but find it's working fine with the 3 who will take pills. I always dip the end in butter, and massage throat to make sure it goes down. The one cat w/ a small mouth, I'm still able to give the "0" to, as long as it's lubricated w/ a little butter, etc. [Er]

■    I generally use #3 gelcaps for meds and supps, although I also sometimes use #4 for smaller amounts. They have to be transparent so that fill can be evenly divided. However, I usually rough-cut pills (unless they are enteric coated) and put them in whichever size capsule they will fit because I find capsules easier to give. I much prefer capsules to cut pills, which have irregular edges that can make them difficult to get down and which hit a cat’s taste buds very quickly if the tablet doesn’t go down immediately. [Jo]

(3) Capsule Purchase These are some suggested venders of empty gel caps. Transparency is important if dosages are to be obtained by sight measurement.

■    spicediscounters.com (U.S. only)

thrivingpets.com (international)

value-healthcare.co (U.K. based)

capsuline.com (flavored capsules, U.K. only)

D. Tablet

(1) Cutting It is important not to attempt to divide a tablet intended for enteric-coated release in the small bowel.

■    Pills That Are Difficult To Cut: Examples, Cyproheptadine (Periactin), famatodine(Pepcid) can be cut with a pill cutter that can be found in pharmacists some large pet shops and on-line or with dog nail clippers [Ai]

(2) Encapsulating (Tablet to Capsule; see Capsule to Smaller Capsule.) It is important not to crush tablets enteric-coated for release in the small bowel.

■    A mortar and pestle are a good investment for anyone committed to long-term medicating or supplementing of a cat. Depending on the particular tablet, pill-cutters can do a good or poor job of downsizing to a correct dosage. [Jo]

■    vet suggestion, with a morter and pestle, grind up the pills into a fine powder. [Je]

■     Nasty tasting things get put into a small gelcap. Large pills get crushed, if possible, and the powder put into the gelcap. [Sy]

2. Disguising with Food

A. Voluntary Consumption A cat willingly eats a food containing a liquid or powder medication/supplement.

■    Depending on the contents of the capsule, you may be able to sprinkle it into the cat's food. Especially smelly fish (sardines for example) are good for the more bitter medications. If you're just giving a supplement like curcumin, sprinkling it in food does work for some of the most difficult cats.[Pa]

■    Sammie also eats his supplements with his regular wet food. As a general rule , the more problematic the taste of the administered med, the tastier the food has to be, of course (stinky fish, Fancy Feast, etc.) [He]

■    Crush up as small as possible and put into strong smelling food i.e. sardines or tinned salmon. Gel capsules - pierced open and emptied onto food and mixed. Wet food being the best or mixed with chicken. Oil - desired amount measured with a syringe and and emptied onto food and mixed. Wet food being the best or mixed with chicken. Most powders - put into a small amount of cat milk or can be mixed into wet food.[Sa]

■    I give her 1/3 of a 475 mg capsule (158 mg) of Olive Leaf sprinkled on the wet food. That's Eclectic Institute Fresh Freeze-Dried Olive Leaf. The Lactoferrin is 1/2 of a 250 mg capsule (125 mg) of Jarrow Lactoferrin. After sprinkling it in a half-can of Instinct wet food I mix it in then add some hot water and mix again. She has eaten a whole 250 mg of Lactoferrin before, but 158 mg of Olive is all I can "get away with."[JoV]

■    Some medicines can be crushed an put into food. My own cats get fish oil, vitamin E and Moducare as supplements which I mix into Hills A.D by emptying the capsules into the food. One cat also has Istin (amlodipine) and Fortekor (benazepril,) also mixed in. I use the A/D purely as a vehicle for administering supplements and medication in this instance and not as a food source. Its texture makes it very easy to disguise the supplements. I have administered antibiotics the same way. Istin (amlodipine) was detected by my cat Bundles,in the A/D. I found that by covering the powdered tablet with a layer of fish powder and then adding the A/D, everything gets eaten. The fish powder is called, ApPETizer and is made from Bonito with no additives. Buy online at thecatconnection.com and catniptoys.com [Ai]

B. Voluntary/Involuntary Bolus A small amount of food surrounds a tablet or capsule. The cat may eat it voluntarily, may be hand fed, or may require the food to be “popped “ in the mouth.

■    Pill pockets: made by Greenies. Chicken or salmon flavored, they help disguise the bitter taste of many pills, but some cats will still not take them.[Pa]

■    Floyd the Hellion likes pill pockets, so I put the med in a pill pocket and he eats it readily. Sometimes I give several empty pill pockets with the filled one, so he gets excited and doesn’t examine the “spiked” one too carefully. Sophie likes neither pill pockets nor being pilled, but she does like Greenies treats. I put the pill in a pill pocket and stick the pill pocket between two Greenies. Sometime I give several additional Greenies.[He]

■    Consider mixing a crushed tablet in a pat of butter. Chill in an ice cube tray. Then cut into appropriate sizes to get the right dose. If the cat won't readily eat the butter, the piece of butter may be able to be pressed into a capsule and administered. Alternatively, crush the tablet and mix into Rice bran or oatmeal ETC. and divide into the appropriate number of doses. [Ai]

■     I hand-feed Dutch two pills, 1/2 pill methimazole and a 1/4, tiny, tiny blood pressure pill in little balls of raw meat. It used to be ground beef, now it's ground turkey. I start by giving him a ball of meat to make sure there wasn't a memo out on change of meat this morning. If he eats it and asks for more, I spike the next one with the 1/2 pill, the 3rd one with the 1/4 pill. The pill needs to be completely buried or the jig is up. I usually give him half the rest of the thawed meat to eat off his plate before we move on to serving the cat food. I buy the meat at places where I think it's freshest, separate it into small sections of one or two-day servings and freeze it all in ziplock bags. Each time I dose him, I pull the next pills-worth of meat out of the freezer and put it into the ziplock bag in the fridge and it's thawed by the time we're ready to dose. It's made things very easy for both of us.[Gi]

■    I've been giving gel caps to Zouzou with his [balls of] lean ground beef . . . , filling them with antibiotics to treat his gingivitis. . . . Anyway, I know now that, with this method, I can give gel caps reliably to Zouzou, in filling them with any medicine needed. . . I never saw him rejecting them, probably because they go soft in the meat, and the gelatine sticks to the collagen of the meat. However, there are some problems with this method : first, you have to notice carefully his feeding habits, in order to give him his prefered food and to give it exactly at the time when he is hungry. Also, I can give him only the # 5 gel caps (that is, the smallest ones), because if I give him the larger gel caps, I fear he might be tempted to crunch them. . . . Anyway, I can give him many gel caps in one meal (I succeeded one day in giving him on the same meal 5 of these smallest gel caps). [Ma]

■    In terms of the OLE [olive leaf extract]and the difficulty in dispensing, I think I found our niche and so far so good (it has been very easy with him). First, it's important to use a gelcap small enough to avoid chewing. I use #5 which holds about 100mg. This size was very difficult to find after bouncing around several local pharmacies, but I finally located at www.thrivingpets.com. Second, it's important to use a wet pate style food (on the stiff consistency side) that can be easily molded around the gelcap. I try and position the gelcap on the lower third of the molded ball. The food needs to have a solid consistency to allow the cat to take a few licks at it without taking too much food and exposing the gelcap. When he determines it's to his liking, he'll then simply gobble up the entire ball and eat it down. I try and make it a bit of a production with his treats, which really makes it easy with him. I give him a treat, then a small piece of the decoy food unpilled, then the pilled food, and another treat. [Ge]

■    Baby Food: I have two cats who will kindly let me open their mouths, drop in the pill, and they will swallow. They are the rare exception. Another cat will only accept pills if I cut them in half (to be smaller) and hide them in a spoonful of baby food (meat). He needs twice daily methimazole (hyperthyroid), so this makes it easy on both of us. Now I call him, he comes and looks for his spoonful of food. I am up front and tell him his med is in there and ask him to swallow it. Almost always he does with only one spoonful.[Ka]

■    Bacon: if the pill can't be divided,I wet it in juice of cat food and then I roll up in a little pice of bacon(withou fat)or similar.Be careful :don't touch the pill with the hands(work with the tweezers),because if the cat smell the flavour of the pill,then he refuse it. [Gi]

■    Cheesespread: We've always had success with all sorts of medications using flavoured cheese spread as a disguise. Here are a couple of pics of the technique in practice on our website. catsanctuary/taking_tablets. Smaller tablets just disappear as soon as we cover them with the cheese spread - we put a small dollop in a spoon, then place the tablet on top and cover it with another small dollop of cheese spread; larger tablets we usually break in half, so they get two rations - they don't complain about that; - some powdered medications need more cheese spread due to the volume of powder, but the cats don't seem to complain (if we put the powder on food, they usually just leave it all). One extra trick we use for smaller tablets is to make a cheese spread sandwich with a couple of Welbeloved dry food (about the size of a small pea) we stick two together with the cheese spread, and then stick the small tablet to the cheese as well - the whole thing just goes down in one! we gave phenobarbital twice daily for months that way for one cat. There will always be the occasional one who masters the art of licking all the cheese spread off and leaving the tablet - you can't win them all! [Bo]

C. Involuntary Consumption An agent is added to a semi-solid edible substance, which must be forcibly put into the mouth.

■    Molasses: vet suggestion, with a morter and pestle, grind up the pills into a fine powder. Mix this with molassas, the darker the better. Inject either into his cheek or his mouth. Most cats like, or at least do not hate molasses, as it has some extra minerals from processing; and it is sticky, making it hard to spit out or otherwise eject. I found when I gave him pills in this form, he tended to vomit less often. Things to note about using molassas--you cannot premix it at all; it can result in less absorbsion of the pills, as parts can get stuck in the needle-less syringe.(but more absorbtion overall, as it hits the system faster - and it is harder for them to spit the whole thing back at you.); it takes lots of practice to get molasses under the cheek flap if your cat is feeling frisky; and finally molassas can stain furniture and fur if it spills/is spit up. [Je]

■    Twice daily I would mix a concoction of some liquid and solid supplements in a bit of lecithin. Then add a dollop of baby food and swirl them together in a whiskey jigger with the flat back of a spoon. (Later I added casein, a milk protein that is an emulsifier, like lecithin. The emulsifiers gave the baby food mix a thickness so that a good size wood could be taken up on my fingerand wouldn't slop off. Then I'd simply open Bud's mouth, as if I were giving him a pill, and "swacked" it in, well back in his mouth Some of the stuff in the concoction couldn't have tasted great, but he didn't spit it out and didn't seem to mind the "snack" much. [Jo]

3. Pilling (tablets or capsules)

A. Devices May protect fingers from biting, may keep tablets or capsules from sticking to fingers, and may seem less threatening to a cat. However, any device that propels or otherwise directs a tablet or capsule in a way that might obstruct the airway must be used with care.

■    "Pill poppers" are especially good for cats who like to resist and bite, but I like it for any cat even those who easily take pills. It's a plastic tube that has a soft rubber tip that holds the pill/capsule on one end, and a small plunger on the other that propels the pill into the cat's mouth. The trick with this device (see valleyvet.com) is to manipulate it with one hand while holding the cat by the scruff of the neck with the other, use the soft rubber tip (where the pill is secured) and press gently against the side of the cats mouth which will cause the cat to open his jaw, and aim for that sweet spot on the back of the tongue. Best approach is to use a calm, swift and practiced technique that will also ease the process for the cat. There are a few videos on the web demonstrating the pill popper (one is at expertvillage.com), although I didn't find them very useful. Practice is the only way to master its use.[Pam R]

■    I have had great success with a pill popper or piller, whatever it's called. It has a rubber end with a slit which holds the pill. It also cushions it so you dont hurt the cat. With one hand over kitty's face hold his upper jaw with thumb and index finger. (I try to get my fingers under his lips so I dont pinch them against the teeth.) Tilt the head up and help the mouth open with a finger on the other hand. Be sure you are holding the piller ready to go. It requires a confident approach because you basically stick the thing past the cats tounge into the throat and it seems horrible at first. But once the pill is back there it just goes down. [Karin]

■    A lot of my cats don't pill well so here's the trick I used: 1) Cut a long drinking straw in half. 2) Put your finger over one end and fill it almost full with water. (3) Drop the pill in. (4) Pull the cat's head back just a little, insert straw toward back of mouth, let go of water and watch the cat swallow the pill! This is so easy, I can't believe I didn't discover this years ago. Some pills are too big for the straw, so cut them in half or quarters *unless* the manufacturer says not to.[Al]

B. Lubricating Covering a tablet or capsule with a slippery substance to facilitate swallowing.

■    I've tried the technique of smearing the tablet/capsule with butter, but I find this makes it so slippery that I can't hold it either (unless the pill is large enough to put butter on one side). [Pa]

■    I always dip the end in butter, and massage throat to make sure it goes down. [Er]

C. Administering Giving a pill or tablet held in the fingers

■    Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has videos on how to give a cat a pill:

vet.cornell.edu [Ai]

■    I have found that sometimes letting the cat start eating, then scruffing and popping the pill into its mouth results in it going down without trouble. One has to get solid, oral medications as far back on the tongue as possible, and even then some of them seem to be able to manipulate things into a position where they can be spat out.[Sy]

■    Buddy likes to sit on my side as he gets pilled, with his paws on my crossed legs. This way I have access to his head and he cannot back up. Moody, who takes medicine for his eyes and nose, sits firmly on my lap, so he cannot back up or scratch at me when he is being pilled. [Je]

■    My cat Zoe, who gets pilled every day: I kneel on the floor, take her between my knees, open jaws with one hand, push pill towards the back of her mouth. Finito.[He]

■    I prefer giving capsules to giving tablets and will often put a tablet inside an empty gelcap. Capsules don't slip out of my fingers and the cat doesn't get a taste of it if I don't happen to get it down the first time. I grasp the cat putting the flat of my palm over the flat of the head, pinching the mouth at the corners ith thumb and index finger, then place the cap wel back on the tongue. I find it isn't necessary to clamp the mouth shut, stroke the throat, etc. [Jo]

■    If you can get them to swallow the pill it is much better to ensure they have consumed the full tablet in one go and you are not chasing them around for the night if they decided not to eat it. I found it best to give tablets on a full stomach as it is possible that they can vomit them back up depending on the tablet. [Sa]

■    [Owner of 40 cats] We must be comfortable ourselves with the position we stay to pill (or any other kind of med) the cat, even if we have to change the cats position. This is because if we are not in a good position it will be much more difficult to push the pill, and the cat will probably through it out We also need to understand the best way each cat will accept the pill. Some of them we just open the mouth, some we have to have the neck hold, and some we MUST find another way - that cat's ways -, because any other won't work. I have a cat who I must put on my lap, holding his neck, with the paws and belly up, then with the other hand, I hold the pill between two fingers, and using another finger I open his teeth and push the pill down. Crazy thing, but works. For cats that slap, I hold the cat on the neck and push his/hers paws against something about his/hers size. It usually gives me time to push the pill down. It is also very important to pay attention on what we do when things go wrong, thus we can understand what - and why -that is not working and looking for new approaches. That is how I found Plug's way (above) to pill. Keeping the cat in a place where we can hold him/her with our body does help. We can put the cat on a table or a furniture that reaches our waist, embrace him/her having the belly in one side and the arm around the cat. Sometimes it is possible to use this same arm to handle the cat's head and open the mouth/pilling with the other hand. For tougher cats I usually sit on the floor with my legs holding the cat and follow the same procedure above. A gentle touch on the cat's nose after pushing the pill (before giving the water) helps the cat to swallow. [Er]

D. Washing Down Some medications must open in the stomach to avoid damage to the esophagus.

■    I always give food after tablets, just to help things on their way. [Sy]

■     I got in the habit of washing capsules down with an oral syringe and some water when I first had to give doxycycline. Some things absolutely need to get all the way down to the stomach because they can cause damage in the esophagus. So I think it's a good habit to get into. [Jo]

E. Reinforcing Reducing aversion for future administrations.

■    Bribe with wet food. I open the can of wet food, or take it out of the cooler so he knowns that treat feeding comes after his pills.[Je]

■    I talk to her and say what a good girl she was and start stroking her and cuddling her for several minutes. This included petting her back, under her chin and sides of face. After at least 2 to 3 minutes, I then place her on the chair (has a cushion on it already) that we were on and continue rubbing and talking to her for another few minutes. I then bring some food to entice her to eat right after that, like a reward.[Pa]

4. Syringing (or Eye-Droppering) Oral syringes and droppers come in varied sizes and configurations.

■    Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine has videos on how to give liquid medication:

vet.cornell.edu [Ai]

■    Strong tasting powders like vitamin C - found the only way was to dissolve in water and syringe into her mouth. [Sa]

■    Watered down A/D, mix in the supplements and medication and then syringe them into the cat. [Ai]

■    I have [the full syringe] it ready by the chair where I give her medicine. I try to keep the same location for medicine administration and follow the same pattern as much as possible. I use my left arm like a wall and curl it around her gently but firmly and use my left hand to hold her head as she swings it from side to side. All the time I am cooing to her and telling her that this will make her feel better and get her big and strong. I must remain calm as she knows fear and anxiety from me very well. I take the syringe with medication in my right hand and just place the tip to the right side of her lips, not pushing or placing the medicine in. This gives her time to realize what is going to happen and to move her head back and forth before I try to get the medicine in. After she does this a few times I gently press the syringe to her right lip and with my left hand touch her left lip so that she opens quickly. Time is crucial with her and I place the medicine in quickly.[Pa]

■    A technician once showed me how to give liquid medication and it was very helpfull. I had been struggling with my cat, squirting the whole amount in its mouth, clamping his mouth closed and holding tight, nose up, waiting for him to swallow. (Torture). Here is what I learned: Place the cat up on a counter. (I go in the bathroom where there is no place to escape to, and clear off all bottles etc. so they wont fall off and break). I put a towell down so its not so slippery. Hold the cat with one hand by the scruff of his neck. The key (for me) to success was to stick the tip of the syrenge in the mouth on the side. There is some space in the teeth (I think) and then it is not aiming at the throat risking choking. Squirt small amounts at a time and wait for the cat to swallow. Larger amounts usually result in it foaming out. [Ka]

■    I found this method on the Jac's Sports Drink website. Dose out the supplements you are giving for a certain number of days, mix them in a blender with a cup of water and a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. If the mixture is too thick, you can thin it with water. Divide the mix by how much of the supplements you put in divided by the amount you want to give at each dosing, then refrigerate. Draw up only as much as you need in an oral syringe, and and squirt it towards the side of the mouth. [Ma]

■    If I've had to give large doses of liquids, I just give a little to the side of the mouth, without opening the mouth, just lifting the lip. If you have the syringes that have that small projection on the front, they're great as this will usually go over the teeth. and they're easier to use if you do have to scruff the cat. I continue in this way, small squirts until all the liquid has gone. Treats are appropriate after this is done. . . . I use one of those small syringes that has a very tiny opening and a plunger that lets me control the delivery much better than an eyedropper. The brand I like best is called "Monoject" -- but see a variety at www.researchsupply.net. Available from most vets at no charge.[Sy]

■     I've given several of my cats supplements like colostrum and lactoferrin in an oral syringe. It is best to start with the powder and bring it up slowly (like making a white sauce of a roux) to liquidity, otherwise the lactoferrin or colostrum tends to float in the liquid or sink to the bottom. A drop or two of oil helps with things that are fat soluble more than water soluble. Make the mix just liquidy enough to draw up in an oral syringe, making sure that all the air is out (point straight up and depress the plunger slowly until no space without liquid is visible) or else the mix tends to blast out. Stick the syringe in the corner of the mouth and depress the plunger steadily, not so fast that the cat is startled. [Jo]

5. Miscellaneous Applications

A. The Mouth Introducing something into the mouth for ingestion that is neither in tablet/capsule or liquid form.

■    I learned a nifty technique for administering solids which squeeze out of a tube. It works for things which are more or less of a toothpaste consistency. First, squeeze a bite-size glob onto the index fingertip of one hand. Then with the opposite hand, grasp kitty's head and upper jaw and gently tilt the nose upwards, letting the mouth open slightly. Then take your fingertip with the "glob", insert in kitty's mouth just behind the upper teeth (on the hard palate), and gently withdraw your finger allowing the upper teeth to "rake" the material off your finger. Release kitty's head, but keep it gently cupped in your hands and stroke the throat so he swallows and can't shake his head to fling the material out. [Te]

■    I started something else on the cat who doesn't take pills: I'm tipping the neutral-tasting powdered substances right into the side of his mouth along the gumline (Between the teeth and cheek), and let him swallow each substance that way. I catch him when he's relaxing or napping on the couch, and on either side of his mouth, whichever convenient, I just spread the lips a little and pour the supplement in, usually with his head tilted back somewhat so the supplement is getting toward the back of the mouth (but still between gum and cheek). Giving this cat a pill is like trying to give a cobra with a whipping head a pill, but he doesn't mind the gumline approach as long as the supp. tastes neutral or good. When he's not napping, and I try and catch him for supps., yes, he runs away. But when I get to him when he's drowsy and comfortable, he goes along w/ it fine. [Er]

B. The Paws Application to the forepaws with the expectation that a cat will consume the substance in order to remain clean and well-groomed.

■    If it is something I have to place on her paw to lick, such as Probios gel [Pa]

■    Tiger gets in morning alpha-lipoic 50mg Gel in morning on paw. And in evening two gelcaps filled with medicine around paw area. The gel is 400IU from vitamin E that I empty purchase from Wal-Mart (Spring Valley supplement). The only problem I have is catching Tiger to place the gels on him. His month is too small to try to place anything in. [Ar]

■    Steve Harris, on the grouppekurosawa website grouppekurosawa.com, claims in his FIV protocol that he recommended the following to a woman, who gave supps to her cat this way: “ Prepare your home made anti-FIV and FeLV medicines as follows. Purchase some palm kernal oil. This oil can be purchased in health food stores or over the Net. This oil contains a very large amount of lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid that is very toxic to envelope viruses such as FIV and FeLV. . . . It does not accumulate in our arteries like the longer chain saturated fats found in animals. When lauric acid is oxidized by cells, it produces a very large amount of ATP, the energy molecule of life. Lauric acid is a great energy source for people with HIV, or cancer or animals with debilitating diseases. . . . Put all the dry ingredients together in about one half cup of warm distilled water, mix in a teaspoon of Lecithin and one cup of palm kernal oil. Prepare the tea by boiling ten or so green tea bags (do not use decaffeinated tea) in a small pan. Boil them until nothing else can be extracted from the bags. Now concentrate the tea down to a few ounces. Do not burn the tea. Add one ounce concentrated tea (a shot glass) to the other liquid components. Add some pieces or tuna or sardines to give it flavor, and emulsify in a blender. The more disgusting it smells, the better your cat will like it. Now, put it on your cats’ furry little arms—lots of it. Be generous. Your cat may hate you, but they will definitely lick the emulsion off their fur. This is an old trick scientists use to get mice to ingest test chemicals. They put the chemicals in olive oil and literally soak the mouse in it. They hate oil on their fur, as do cats. Continue this practice every day. Also, of course, try to feed the cats high caloric foods, but do not stop dipping their arms in the emulsion. This is an easy way to get your cat or dog to take their medicine. Grind up the pills, mix them in oil, and put it on their arms. They will lick it off regardless of how it tastes.” [Jo]

6. Injecting Subcutaeous injections can be taught to pet owners in a short amount of time. Veterinarians will not normally permit intramuscular or intravenous injections to be done by medically unqualified pet owners.

■    With subcutaneous injections that can go into the "scruff" area, I just make a little tent and inject there. Have to be careful about the needle direction or you can go in one side, and out the other!! with the SC injections, I have used an insulin syringe, but the one without the "built in" needle. I have also used an ordinary 2cc syringe. I use a new, large needle, 19 gauge I think, to draw up from a multi dose vial, then change to a new, sharp needle, 23 gauge for the actual injection. The vial top is swabbed well with absolute alcohol or metho prior to inserting the needle. I've been very fortunate with the cats I've had to inject in that they weren't squirmers!! As you can usually lift the cat's front end up when scruffed, is it then possible to inject without too much fuss? Needles are flexible, to an extent, but the position would no doubt be changed.[Sy]

■    I learned to do SubQ injections with a hypodermic syringe pretty quickly. My primary problem was in keeping Bud still long enough to inject the medication (I did feline interferon and B12). I was very leery of his making a sudden jerk and having the needle go in at too strong an angle. On one occasion when I hurried too much, the needle went through one layer of skin and out another, resulting in the loss of a very expensive dose of interferon. Mostly, I tried to get him at different places when he was involved in different activities: sitting on the little “bench” by his cat door, gazing out; sitting on the outdoor picnic table, surveying his domain, etc. I believe I would have had the best success if someone had held him while I did the injecting, but my wife was too spooked by the whole process to do that well enough. I learned to pull the scruff up, forming a triangle at the back end, injecting in the middle of the triangle with the syringe almost parallel to the back, and making sure I could still see the base of the needle. Later, when Bud had to be given Epogen, I used a small insulin syringe. Bud barely felt the prick of the short, thin needle, and it was a better experience for both of us. This is definitely the way to go if the medication to be injected will fit in an insulin syringe.[Jo]

■    I never have anybody holding them for fluids or injections. I hold and embrace them with my own body and just give the injection. [Er]

7. Restraining Maintaining a cat in a position that allows for the medicating technique being used.

A. Website Suggested on line demonstration

■    This website shows several ways of restraining a rambunctious cat for administering medication. vetmed.wsu.edu [Co]

B. Towels Large enough to restrain forelegs and often “backing out” movement with hindlegs.

■    Try this: Put the cat on the floor and firmly wrap him in a large towel. Kneel down and put one of your knees on each side of him. Hold the end of the towel with your right knee, so he cannot undo the towel. Open his mouth with your left hand and administer the solution with your right hand (or the other way around if you’re left-handed). And talk to him lovingly while you do all this. Make sure everything is quiet and peaceful and nobody else is running around or making loud noises. [He]

■    A less drastic method to a total wrap is this: place the cat on a countertop and drape a wide towel across the chest and legs, drawing the top edge closely around the scruff. It's not that hard to hold towel and scruff all together. The forelegs will not be restrained, but will not be as effective at fighting off the meds because they're under the towel. Also, it helps to stand with your side next to the cat's side, not facing the cat. I'm right-handed, so I put the cat on the counter and stand with my left side parallel to him/her. I place my left arm and elbow over the cat so I've got it snugged up to my side; this helps control the ability of the cat to squirm, struggle, back up and skitter off. Now I can use my left hand (still holding the towel and scruff) to pull the head back just enough to administer liquids or medicine balls with my right hand. [Al]

C. Blankets Suitable for enveloping the entire body except for the head

■    Bud first got used to a blanket restraint when being pilled, because he was a large and aggressive cat in his youth. (Eventually, this became unnecessary and I handled pilling, syringing, etc. much as is done by the vet.) I placed a thin sheet blanket along the left side of an upholstered swivel rocker which had just enough room for the two of us side by side, he to my left. The blanket was folded in two lengthwise, touching the floor at one end and running up the chair back at the other. Loose folds of slack are created on both sides of the blanket: along my left thigh and atop the arm of the chair. I placed Bud beside me on the blanket, pulled the slackened fold next to my leg around the front of him, pinning it to itself with a cloths pin at the back of his neck. The folds on the arm of the chair were then tucked down to Bud's left at the cushion base and the blanket portion hanging down towards the floor was brought across Bud left to right and tucked between my thigh and his body. This creates a secure restraint that allows free use of both hands. If Bud got rambunctious I could apply pressure to his back with my left forearm. [Jo]

D. Sacks Bags for containing cats with some sort of “draw string” to close off at the neck.

■    Here is something that I also find helpful. It’s a “Cat Sack” which I use for my business, but so many people want to know where I get this. You can use it to restrain kitty while you clip her nails, clean her ears, or clean her teeth. You could even take her to the vet in this, though I probably wouldn’t just for safety’s sake. futurepet.com . [Sh]

■    How do you overcome the vigorous forepaw repelling of the syringe? It was exactly what did Zouzou when, months ago, I tried to syringe an antibiotic syrup into his mouth, and I don't think he is special. To-day, he is used to be put in a cat sack from which he cannot move his front legs, and I would have no problem to give him a liquid med. My wife and I learned how to put Zouzou in a cat sack, and my vet taught me how to put his capsules in his rear mouth with the help of a pill gun. At first, the whole procedure was emotionally demanding (for all of us, humans and animal !), but, progressively, as time went by (he needs his pills every day), we became more relaxed on doing the pilling. I would never have believed I would be able to pill my cat. [Ma]

E. Clips Placed on the body to provide “psychological counter-irritation”

■    I tried this recently with Huckleberry. He is easy for me to pill, but I wanted to fuss around with him... look him over, check claws etc.. I had seen that putting three clothes pins on the scruff of the neck supposedly sedates the cat by way of a pressure point. I found it dubious and more likely that the cat thinks it has a viper on it's neck. Could be, but to my surpise, he became relatively more sedated! felinecrf.org [Ka]

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