Have to give my cat half of two pills for an inner ear infection. I have tried everything - hiding in food (prawns, ham, cat treats) a pill injector from the vets, prising open the mouth but he still spits it out.

Problem is also once it touches his mouth, it starts disintegrating, making it even more impossible to put in his mouth. Short of travelling to the vets everyday to get them to do it, I'm at my wits end!! Why can't they understand I'm trying to help?!

Please help!!!

I am lucky my cats will let me. Ty to put it in his mouth when he is asleep. Open a tiny space at the corner of his mouth and put it in. Gentley rub his throat and it should go down.

I have a similar thread on here somewhere.

I found smoked Mackeral the best for hiding tablets - though Stripe is taking them in her meat now.

I started by crushing the tablet in Shiphams paste with a little Mayo and rubbing it on her lips from the back of a plastic spoon so she'd lick it off. Worked but Smoked Mackeral was better. Then she started co-operating.

Better just hope she doesn't work out that smoked mackerel=pills.

Shame the vet couldnt give puss a long lasting injection. Its a mare trying to get a cat to take a tablet , tell me about it....

I must admit that my guinness has to have pills quiet often. He has a baldder problem and they give him diazapan to calm him down so he is so relaxed anyway. The AB that he take just like a sweet is synlox he takes it out of your hand them crushes it up. I had to look after a friend cat who was ill and he had to have it crushed and water added too it i then syringed it too him. The usualy threw i wrapped him up tightly in a towel. Have you tried that yet. It sometimes helps if you have somebody else. At one point we did resort to pinning him down and making him have it but that was the last resort

I had a major thread on this about 3 months ago, when oldest cat had a liver infection and refused to take any pills, in food or out of it. I later discovered that the antibiotics were making him so miserable anyway that he wasn't that hungry, so putting the pills in his food wouldn't have worked. I tried wrapping the cat up in a towel and forcing the pills into his mouth, but he always got out and I ended up with scratches and bites, and a very hacked-off cat!

Anyway (provided that you're allowed to crush the pills), this is what I did. I ground down the pills into a powder and mixed them up with some butter, which I smeared on the front of his paws. It was a hell of a mess, and being a clean cat, he had no option but to lick the butter and the pills off. It worked a treat, he got his meds, and he recovered quickly and has been absolutely fine since. The vet thought it was hilarious, but there was no other way of doing it.

How to give a cat a pill
1) Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2) Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3) Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4) Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right fore-finger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5) Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6) Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7) Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8) Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9) Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10) Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11) Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab. Throw Tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12) Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.

13) Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14) Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15) Arrange for RSPCA to collect cat and ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

HOW TO GIVE A DOG A PILL:

1) Wrap it in bacon.

My Sister does this with the cat..

Get a few cat 'nibbles' and start to feed the cat one at a time with your fingers, keep doing this for a few nibbles but then slip in the pill. If your cat is like my sisters then it will be fooled into eating the pill.

Have you tried pill pockets?

Exactly what I done with one of my departed pusscats, I thought to myself they are always cleaning themselves so I just spread it on top of his paw.

crush it up and put it in fresh fish,something like mackerel with a strong smell.cat HOPEFULLY wont smell it.

My cat smokey is due for his worming tablet soon got a reminder today. There is no way that i would be able to pop a pill in him or i would have no hands and arms left. When he got neutered we had to borrow a metal cat trap from cats protection to catch him and even that was a trouble getting him in. Whilst he was there they clipped his claws, checked him all over defleaded him and when he woke up gave him a wormer. Looks like its going to be a spot on wormer as i realy value my arms. Not quiet sure if i can even get that on him. Not all of my cats are little angels.

Reminds me of the cat we had when i was a kid,he was a very gentle loving puss most of the time,he saw the cat basket(vet trips and a fortnight in the cattery each summer) he turned into a wild animalHed literally bite our hands and scratch like mad.Funny enough he took pills hid in food cos he was a greedy bugger and didnt always sniff past the food it was hidden in

Thanks for replies, I called the vets at lunch and they advised me to bring him down for an injection if he hadn't taken it that morning. I booked an evening appointment as I was going to try again when I got home. After speaking to my sister, I realised I hadn't been scruffing him! So tried that when I got home and looks like I got them down him! He got some prawns as a treat.

Tried again this morning and it was a little bit more difficult but as far as I can see he hasn't spat them out. Again gave him prawns after as a treat. Back to the vets again tonight for a check up but can tell he's better as he's back to scratching me for no reason!

You're lucky - I tried every sort of food, I scruffed the cat, I wrapped him in a blanket and had the OH hold him down, but no way could I get these pills down him - he struggled so hard I was seriously afraid I'd hurt him. I used to wake up dreading every day! The butter thing was such a relief, it was worth having the cat smell rancid for weeks!

I manged to give Mr Dibbles his worming tablet and he seemed to swallow it so, knowing he's a crafty old thing, I held him close for a few more minutes stroking his throat just in case...

Let him down back on the floor, he walked around the lounge for a few seconds, wandered back over to me and spat the pill out at my feet!