Giving a cat a tablet often turns into stress for both animal and human. As a rule, the cat wins in the end and the often vital tablet lies spat out on the floor. This must not and should not happen. Therefore, we explain here how you can give your cat a tablet – without it screaming, scratching, biting or running away. The most important tip for you is: Be patient, gentle and sensitive. This is the only way to gain your cat’s trust.
Giving A Cat A Tablet Can Save Its Life – So Practice It Together!
In the course of a cat’s life, every cat owner also becomes a pet nurse. For example, for minor injuries, removing ticks, treating with anti-flea medication, or when you need to give your cat a tablet. So the reasons why you need to give your cat a tablet can be quite different. Many older cats or cats from shelters need regular medication. Some cats are already born with chronic cat cold or other ailments and need regular tablets. Should your cat ever get injured, veterinarians will prescribe follow-up antibiotics to be on the safe side. This, too, must then be administered by you in familiar surroundings at home. The alternative would be to have to drive to the vet every day for him to administer the medication. This will be expensive in the long run.
Even perfectly healthy kittens and adult cats need regular worming treatment, which is usually administered in tablet form.
Every cat owner should be aware of one thing: You need to regularly give your cat a tablet – for very different reasons. That’s why it pays for both animal and human to know a gentle procedure for administering tablets. Your cat needs to know the process in order to build trust. That’s why you should know our tips and tricks yourself. With this, you can gain your pet’s trust and easily give your cat a necessary tablet yourself.
Treats To Give Your Cat A Tablet? – Build Their Trust Instead!
The biggest problem is that the cat senses your emotional state – the moment you approach it. Since pet owners are usually nervous and a bit excited as soon as it comes to unpleasant things, the cat then takes off quite quickly. At this moment, the cat knows very well that it is not about treats. No amount of luring or rattling the box of treats will help.
What this means for you is that you absolutely have to relax before giving the tablet to your dog. Mentally and physically. Good thoughts help and so does calm breathing as well as shaking out your arms and legs. Most importantly, don’t let your insecurity show.
Most people approach their pet too briskly to get the medication input done as quickly as possible. The faster, the less stressful. As if it has to be worked off now. This is exactly wrong! It stresses the cat very much, triggers fear and panic, which in turn is then transferred to you.
Therefore, take your time and talk to your cat in a normal, calm tone of voice. Show patience. Cats have infinite patience and, despite their hunting instincts, they are peaceful, calm animals when interacting with their loved ones. Therefore, they understand tension and fear in the other person as an escape signal for themselves. So cat owners should try to behave like a cat in difficult situations.
You Have To Give Your Cat A Tablet? – Avoid The Most Common Mistakes!
- If you have to give your cat a tablet, you should not take it between your legs to hold it. Since you need both hands to give the tablet, many cat owners get this idea.
- Try never to try to open the cat’s mouth with both hands. This usually ends up with tears on your side, as the cat has sharp teeth. Also, you will have no way to give the cat the tablet.
- Never use your weak hand to open the cat’s mouth. Cats are hunting animals or even predators and have a lot of strength in their jaws.
- You surely know that the cat’s teeth rows have a gap on the sides. Trying to open the cat’s muzzle on the side hurts it – and then you too, because it will bite.
- Never hold the head so that the animal feels trapped.
- Never use your grip on the back of the neck to give the cat a tablet. It keeps it as a bad memory and the grip on the neck should actually convey safety.
- Never come from behind with your hand, it looks threatening.
- Never try to push the tablet into the cat’s mouth from the side. She will keep it in her cheek pocket and spit it out later.
The Tricks And Tips – How To Easily Give Your Cat A Tablet
Of course, all cats have their peculiarities and each reacts slightly differently. In addition, there may be bad experiences – especially if you have adopted a cat from the shelter. Also, when you take over an adult cat from a previous owner, you don’t know what the animal has already experienced. Still, you can train things with a cat, too. Ideally from a young age – if you’ve adopted a kitten.
- Practice the procedure of giving your cat a tablet with the kitten by putting a small treat in the kitten’s mouth in the same way. This will help the animal become familiar with your actions and stay relaxed. For larger animals, take half a treat to avoid too many calories.
- Take the tablet in your weaker hand. To open the cat’s mouth, always use your strong hand. The cat would take advantage of the weaker one.
- The cat should sit or squat where it is. To put it extra on the table or something similar would be a warning signal for the animal, because it is not allowed to sit on tables otherwise.
- Now you take your strong hand and stroke it very lightly over the head and the lips. Then carefully grasp the cat’s mouth from above and gently push your index finger between the short incisors. This will automatically open the cat’s mouth and you can place the tablet on the back of her tongue in a flash.
- She will refuse to swallow the tablet, so you must proceed quickly and now gently but persuasively hold her muzzle shut with your strong hand until the tablet is swallowed.
- You can use some tricks to trigger the swallowing reflex when you want to give your cat a tablet: stroke the bridge of her nose very lightly, this will distract her and she will swallow. You can also blow gently on her nose, which will trigger the swallowing reflex, as will gently stroking her throat down her neck.
If you don’t succeed in giving your cat a tablet with this approach, then the trick with a towel or small blanket will help. You take the blanket or towel so that you can grab your cat with it from above and at the same time wrap her relatively tightly in it. Then put her down and give her the tablet as described above. She can’t use her sharp claws against you now and you feel safer.
Practicing uncomfortable situations like giving her medicine or finding and pulling ticks out of sensitive areas will make life easier for both of you.
Intestinal rehabilitation after worming or taking antibiotics and other medications. A worming treatment can completely incapacitate your cat, making it reluctant to eat for several days and sleep a lot. Usually, the animals feel a little better on the 4th day after taking the tablets at the latest. They show it by starting to eat again. If your cat does not run hungrily to the food bowl again on the 4th day at the latest, you must go to the vet!
But even if your cat eats again, the worming is not out of the body yet. She will therefore still feel relatively flabby, because: The digestive system of cats is just as sensitive as that of humans. The intestinal flora was destroyed by the tablet and should be rebuilt with your help. The best way to do this is with light food that you can quickly prepare yourself – carrots are the magic ingredient. It is known that carrot porridge not only helps baby tummies, but also adults should eat carrot vegetables regularly:
A Simple Recipe To Rebuild Intestinal Flora
Cook some chicken or chicken meat and one or two carrots in some water. Then, put both in the blender with some of the cooking water and process it into a puree. Mixed with a teaspoon of organic yogurt, the porridge becomes a delicious, lukewarm and stomach-friendly meal that not only tastes good to your cat, but also helps him feel good again.