Many of my cat owner clients feel so intimidated when it comes to medicating their cat. It really is not that complicated and with all the new options available it is very important to discuss with your vet what option will work best for you and your cat. The key objective is to trick your cat into enjoying this daily ritual. If it becomes a choir for you and your cat it will eventually become impossible.
Some of the most popular choices are the new flavored liquid medication and flavored treat chews. Both are available in all kinds of flavors like chicken, tuna, beef, liver, etc... to fit most cats taste. The liquid can be given orally or added to a very small amount of canned cat food or other canned meats for humans like tuna or chicken. The chews work real good for cats who have real good appetites. You can feed as a treat or break up and mix with canned or dry cat food.
The only down fall to these new meds are the price they are quite a bit more money than traditional pills. So if you have decided that pills are the best for your particular situation, here are a few suggestions on how to make pill time more enjoyable.
If your cat loves Soft Pounce type treats, They now make a Soft Pounce Treat for Hairball relief this one that has a pocket filled with hairball Jelly. You can cut the pill in half or quarters with pill cutter then poke or hide it in the pocket of this treat. I recommend you give a few of these treats without a pill first cats are always very suspicious of anything new.
Another trick I use is I hide the pill in a small ball of a special canned food called Hills A/D most cats love this stuff. I start by taking a small amount of this canned food out of the can and roll it into a small ball. I place it on the floor and let the cat pick it up and eat it. Then eventually I cut the pills in half or quarters and put it in the middle of this A/D ball and place it on the floor. If your cat loves this stuff like most cats do it works great. I have had cats stay at my facility that actually come running for pill time. As a second option I sometimes place the pill in a ball of A/D and open the cats mouth and pill the cat. Again I start by doing this the first couple of times with plain A/D with out a pill. Like I stated before cats are very suspicious of any thing new.
You can also follow the same instructions as A/D and use Chicken or Turkey Baby Food. It works better once it is refrigerated it will roll into a ball and hide the pill better once it is cold out of the fridge.
I have a few clients who use soft cheese like cream cheese to hide the pill in. Some cats love this stuff, make sure and use a very small amount just enough to hide the pill completely. If it is too much they will tend to break it up before eating it. You want just enough to cover the pill so that the cat will eat it in one bite.
If you are lucky and are able to pill your cat with out any tricks you can still give your cat a small yummy treat afterwards as a reward this way your cat will look forward to pill time.
Lisa Kelly Owner and Operator of http://www.KittyCondos.com a Luxury Cat Care facility in Portland Oregon.
Also the inventor of the http://www.DryFur.com the super absorbent Carrier Cushion ideal for pets who travel.
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