How to open a cat's mouth. How to give a pill to a cat

Translation from English. The text is found on many sites, but the author could not be identified - apparently, folklore :)

1. Sit on the sofa. Place the cat on your left arm, bent at the elbow, as if you were about to give a baby a bottle of milk. Talk kindly to the cat.

2. Holding the tablet in your right hand, index and thumb With your left hand, gently press on the cheeks on either side of the cat's mouth (take your time). When the cat opens his mouth, throw the tablet in. Release your cat's cheeks so he can close his mouth. The tablet is swallowed. Release the cat, trace the direction in which he went.

3. Pick up the tablet from the floor and walk in the direction the cat left. Get the cat out from behind the sofa. Place the cat on your left hand and repeat the steps described in steps 1 and 2, sitting on the floor, wrap your hand tightly around the cat. The tablet is swallowed. Release the cat. Trace the direction in which he ran away.

4. Find the cat under the bed, throw away the dirty wet tablet. Quickly collect the pills that have spilled from the packaging from the floor, and find the cat again. Bring it back to the kitchen. Take new pill. Pick up the cat, holding the back legs firmly with your left hand. Press firmly on your jaw to open your mouth and press the tablet to the back of your mouth with your right index finger. Cover your mouth and keep it closed while counting to ten. The tablet is swallowed.

5. Remove the cat's hind claws from your left hand. Immediately pick up the cat, pick up the half-dissolved tablet from the floor and place it in the trash can.

6. Quickly snatch the package of pills from the aquarium without understanding how it got there. Pull the cat out of the mezzanine. Call your spouse if she hasn’t come yet. Kneel down on the floor, firmly grasp the cat with them, hold the front and hind legs. Ignore the growls and hisses made by the cat. Ask your spouse to hold the head firmly with one hand while inserting a wooden ruler into the cat's mouth with the other. Use a ruler to push the tablet down and vigorously rub the cat's throat.

7. When you find the spit out tablet, tear the cat away from the curtain rod and take another tablet out of the package. Make a note that you need to buy a new ruler and schedule cornice repairs. Carefully collect the fragments of the broken figurine and set it aside for later gluing.

8. Ask your spouse to lie on the cat in such a way that only the head peeks out from the armpit. Attach the pill to the straw, forcefully open the cat's mouth with a pencil and blow sharply into the straw.

9. Check the label to make sure these tablets are not harmful to people. Drink a glass of water to get rid of the taste of the pill you swallowed. Place a bandage on your spouse's forearm and remove the blood from the carpet using cold water and soap.

10. Find the cat in the closet of your neighbor’s apartment without understanding how he got there through closed windows and doors. Take next pill. Put the cat in the closet, pinching its neck with the door so that its head sticks out. Use a dessert spoon to open the cat's mouth. Shoot the tablet using a rubber band.

11. Bring a screwdriver from the garage and hang the torn closet door. Put cold compress cheek and check the date of your last tetanus shot. Throw the remaining T-shirt in the trash and bring a new one from the bedroom.

12. Call the fire department to remove the cat from the tree across the street without wondering where the tree came from. Apologize to the neighbor who crashed into the fence while swerving to avoid hitting the cat. Remove the tablet from the package.

13. Tie the cat's front and back legs with twine and tie him to the dining table. Bring some heavy-duty canvas gloves from the garage and use a wrench (no larger than 22x24) to open the cat's mouth. Pop the tablet into your mouth and place a large piece of meat on top. Hold your head upright and pour one glass of water down your throat to wash the tablet down.

14. Ask your spouse to take you to the nearest emergency room. Sit quietly, without twitching, while the doctor stitches your fingers, forearms, and removes any remaining pills from your right eye.

15. Take last pill remaining in the package. Go to the bathroom and take a shaggy towel there. Lock yourself in the bathroom with the cat, ask your spouse to prop the door from the outside.

16. Sit on the floor, wrap the cat in a towel, leaving only the head. Place the cat on your bent arm and hold the pill with the other.

17. Remove the cat from the shower head (Didn't you know cats can run on vertical tiles?), wrap the little tiger in a towel, this time making sure he can't get his paw free. Using your fingers on both sides of the jaw, open the cat's mouth and drop the pill in. Close your mouth quickly. You don’t have to close yours yet.

18. Sit on the floor for at least half an hour, continuing to hold the cat on your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking softly while the tablet dissolves.

19. Unwind the towel and unlock the bathroom door. Wash out scratches warm water, comb your hair.

20. In the remaining days next appointment tablets 7-7.5 hours try to remember if any of your friends wanted to have a cat? Discuss with your spouse the undoubted advantages of hamsters over cats. And move on to the first step...

Treatment of cat diseases, prevention of worms, the need to take vitamins and other supplements - all this confronts us with the problem of how to give medicine to a cat. In some families, this procedure turns into a real quest: the cat is caught by seven people around the house, finally, they are grabbed and forced to open its mouth, but no such luck... As a result, the owners are bitten and scratched, but the result is not achieved...

In fact, it is quite possible to do without such stress for animals and people, the main thing is to own correct technique and act with confidence.

Is it possible to add veterinary drugs to food?

• Not all veterinary medications can be mixed with food; some are taken strictly on an empty stomach. Products in special shells and capsules cannot be divided into parts and crushed, since they are intended for absorption only in the stomach, and not in oral cavity. Be sure to check with your veterinarian or instructions on how to take a recommended product before adding it to your food.
• Many products have an unpleasant taste, and cats have an excellent sense of smell and are very sensitive. taste buds. If you hide a pill inside a piece of meat, the animal, as a rule, masterfully manages to eat the delicacy and leave the medicine itself untouched.
• Finely crushed tablet or liquid mixed with wet food, also does not always give the expected result. Even if your pet starts to eat, he may soon sense something is wrong and move away from the bowl. Thus, the owner cannot control how much of the drug is eaten, which will only complicate the matter.

To properly give medicine to a cat, it is better to act without tricks. How to do this depends on the assigned dosage form. It is easier to give liquids and suspensions from a syringe, and tablets using tweezers or a “tablet dispenser” (introducer).

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How to give a cat medicine from a syringe

The problem of how to give a cat liquid medicine can be solved very simply: just buy an ordinary disposable syringe at the pharmacy and remove the needle from it. The syringe is calibrated in cubic centimeters. 1 cu. cm is equal to 1 ml.

Before manipulation, dial in advance required amount liquid into a syringe, and then secure the animal. It is better if an assistant does this, but if one is not available, you can swaddle the animal in a towel to protect yourself from sharp claws.

The tip of the syringe is carefully inserted into the side of the jaw - just behind the fang, where there is a fairly wide gap between the teeth. With your left hand, hold the cat's head slightly elevated, but not tilted upward.

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If the animal behaves calmly, then it is enough to clasp its neck with your palm from below and with an outstretched index finger lightly press the jaw upward, preventing the head from lowering.

The medicine from a syringe should be given slowly, in small portions, each time waiting for the cat to swallow, and lightly stroking its throat from top to bottom with the same index finger.

Make sure that the stream of liquid is directed strictly perpendicular to the jaw, and not into the throat, otherwise there is a high risk of moisture getting into the mouth. Airways.

Sometimes during the procedure, the furry patient begins to drool. This is considered the norm, but some active substance flows out along with saliva, therefore, you have to slightly increase the dosage.

How to get a cat to swallow a pill

Many readers are concerned about the question of how to properly give medications to cats, for example, anti-worm medications in tablet form. It's a little more difficult, but nothing is impossible.

Often, owners simply do not know how to open the cat's mouth to give medicine, and act incorrectly. In fact, it is much easier to perform this action in relation to a cat than, for example, in relation to a person whose jaws do not protrude forward.

So, grab the animal’s head from behind with your hand, insert your thumb and forefinger between the lips at the corners of the jaw and lightly press on them. The cat's mouth will open slightly, and at this moment you need to quickly put the tablet on the root of the tongue - if you hit exactly this place, it will work instantly swallowing reflex.

Immediately after this, lift the cat’s head and stroke its neck from top to bottom, without allowing it to open its mouth.

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For those who find this quite difficult or the cat actively resists, you can use an auxiliary tool - an introducer, or simply a “pill dispenser”. This device resembles a syringe with a plunger and a soft tip with several slits.

A tablet is placed inside the tip, and the piston pushes it into the animal’s mouth. To make it easier to swallow, you can add a little water to the tip along with the pill.

Emotional mood

Do not forget to calm the cat throughout the procedure by talking affectionately to it. This works best if you imagine that in front of you is a very small child who does not yet speak, whom you persuade to eat another spoon “for dad” and “for mom.” At the same time, women instinctively raise their voices and develop gentle melodious intonations.

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Naturally, you can say whatever you want and even perform children’s sayings and nursery rhymes - practice shows that they have the same calming effect on cats as they do on babies.

Try not to be nervous yourself, behave calmly and confidently, and we hope our advice will help you with this.

How to give medicine: video to help

If it’s easier for you to see once than to hear a hundred times, then watch these videos - practicing veterinarians demonstrate how to give your cat medicine yourself.

An owner who is going to perform anthelmintic treatment on a pet for the first time or is following a veterinarian’s prescription must know how to give the cat the pill correctly. You must understand that the manipulation will be unpleasant for the animal, although painless, and the pet will probably resist. Below we will tell you what steps you need to take to get your cat to swallow the right drug without scratching the owner and experiencing as little negative emotions as possible.

But, if we are talking about treating an animal, then the pet may need to give pills for several days in a row, and possibly several times a day, so a trip to the animal hospital will become a problem. Therefore, the owner needs to get better at this matter - feeding pills to a cat.

Here are some tips from veterinarians that will help you carry out the procedure quickly and successfully:

1. Prepare the tablet in advance: remove it from the blister or other packaging, if necessary, separate the required part according to the dosage.
2. Determine where you will sit to administer the pill to the animal, and prepare a large towel or blanket to restrain the cat.
3. It is best to carry out the manipulation together, so that one person can hold the pet, the second can open the cat’s mouth and feed the medicine.
4. Check with your veterinarian in advance or read the product label to see if it can be mixed with water or food to make the process easier.

Giving the cat a pill: step-by-step instructions

The most important thing is that the owner himself does not get nervous when he is about to carry out the manipulation. Under no circumstances should you shout at the cat, squeeze it tightly, shake it or hit it. The pet is already stressed from the fact that they are trying to stuff something into his mouth, and additionally punish him cruelly. You need to understand that it is difficult for some people to take pills, forcing themselves to swallow them, and it is unacceptable to be angry with an animal that does not understand what it is for. Therefore, you need to tune in calmly and kindly, after which you can begin.

Step one

The owner must understand that even the most affectionate cat may be very resistant to being forced to swallow a drug, especially if the tablet has a repulsive taste or is large in size. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the animal’s active resistance, including the use of teeth and claws. To prevent the pet from injuring the person giving it the medicine, you need to securely restrain the cat.

A thick blanket, towel or even a warm jacket is suitable for this. The cat needs to be lifted and swaddled so that only the head remains outside. There is no need to squeeze the animal in the cocoon too tightly, but you should expect the pet to actively free itself and break free. Therefore, you need to wrap the cat tightly, additionally holding it with your hands (if a second person is helping) or between your knees (if the procedure is carried out alone).

You need to keep the tablet ready, because the cat will soon realize that she doesn’t like everything that’s happening and will hasten to run away. Before the pet begins to violently resist, it is advisable to feed him the tablet.

Step two

Of course, the cat will not want to open its mouth on its own, so the owner must do it himself. There is no need to put your fingers between the teeth; just press lightly at the base of the cat's jaw to open the cat's mouth. At this moment you need not to hesitate and immediately push the tablet inside.

If the cat is overly aggressive, thick gloves can be used at this stage and the jaws can be held open with the fingers of your free hand. However, to avoid bites, it is better to use tweezers with soft pads or a special device for giving tablets to animals.

Step three

Simply putting a tablet in a cat's mouth is not enough - the animal will not swallow the drug unless it has an attractive aroma and taste. Unfortunately, most medications, on the contrary, are extremely unpleasant for the pet, and the cat’s reaction will be predictable - push the tablet out of its mouth as soon as possible. Accordingly, the medicine needs to be pushed deeply, to the very root of the tongue.

Table 1. Options for feeding the tablet to a cat

The most difficult option is to feed the whole tablet. They resort to it when other methods are impossible. In this case, the cat’s jaws need to be unclenched, then with two fingers, quickly place the tablet deep into the oral cavity, just to the side of the root of the tongue, and then quickly close the pet’s mouth. You cannot let the cat go at this moment - you need to make sure that the tablet is swallowed.

Step four

After the tablet is in the cat’s mouth, you need to cover its jaws and hold them closed for a while. The animal's head is raised up so that the nose looks at the ceiling, and several times it is passed along the throat with stroking movements to provoke a swallowing reflex. After this, you need to let go of the animal’s head and watch it, without letting go or unwinding the blanket or towel.

If the cat has not swallowed the tablet, it will immediately try to spit it out. Therefore, when you release your pet and it runs headlong away, you may not see that the manipulation was not successful. You can release the cat when it becomes clear that it has swallowed the drug.

Video - How to give a cat a pill

Scratches, bites, torn clothes and an upset pet, huddled in the farthest corner out of fear - a familiar picture? Then you almost certainly have at least once had to rack your brains about how to give your cat medicine without scaring your pet and remaining safe and sound. A minimum of physical coercion and a maximum of care - success is guaranteed.

First, you should ask your veterinarian about possible ways use of the drug:

• is it permissible to mix medicine with food;

• can the tablet be dissolved in water or other liquid;

• Is it possible to grind the tablet to a powder state?

• is it permissible to reduce the concentration of a liquid drug by adding water or other liquid;

• Is it possible to mix the medicine with fat-containing liquids or foods (milk, sour cream, meat).

If we're talking about O anthelmintic, read the instructions carefully.

Whole tablet

How to give a tablet to an animal if the drug cannot be crushed and mixed with food? We take a non-aggressive and trusting pet in our arms, calm it down and sit it on our knees so that the cat is pressed with its right side to the body. Left palm Place it on the cat's head and grab it with your index finger and thumb. upper jaw and gently squeeze your fingers into your mouth (on both sides immediately behind the fangs). The reflex is triggered - the cat opens its mouth and begins to back away. We hold the cat with the forearm and elbow of our left hand, and right hand put the tablet on the root of the tongue. Now all that remains is to hold the jaws closed and stroke the pet’s throat so that it swallows.

The cat should be in a sitting or standing position. You cannot forcibly tilt the head back or lay the cat on its side - this could cause the pet to choke.

If the pet desperately resists, it is also advisable to try to calm the cat and persuade it without violence. If this is not possible, you will have to call one of the household members for help. The owner holds the cat as described above, helping himself with his other hand. And the assistant puts the pill in the cat's mouth. If it is impossible to hold the pet even with both hands, you need to wrap it in a thick blanket in a sitting position (it is more comfortable on the owner’s lap). We leave only the head outside, which we fix with both hands, and the assistant places the tablet on the root of the pet’s tongue. It is important to act confidently and quickly, not to scold the cat, not to show irritation or nervousness.

Read also: Kvamatel for cats: description of the drug and indications for use

Capsule

Gelatin capsules often stick to the tongue, palate, and even the mucous membrane of the larynx, beginning to dissolve upon contact with saliva. A person takes a couple of sips of water to swallow the sticky stick, but a cat cannot be forced to take a tablet. The easiest way to give a capsule to a pet is to pour a drop of sunflower oil into a saucer and “roll” the capsule in it. The oil will not dissolve the gelatin, but will prevent saliva from entering the tablet shell, which will now easily pass into the esophagus. If the drug is not liquid (powder or granules) and can be mixed with food, you can open the capsule and proceed as described below.

Crushed tablet or powdered preparation

The powder may enter the respiratory tract or stick to the larynx and oral mucosa, causing irritation. To avoid this, you need to do the following:

• Place foil or baking paper on a saucer, forming a depression in the center. If you pour the medicine directly into the saucer, it will be smeared over the entire surface - the dosage will not be observed;

• pour the powder into the hole;

• add water drop by drop and thoroughly stir the powder until mushy;

• Using the back of a tablespoon, scrape off the pulp from the paper. It is advisable to use a spoon with a handle that widens towards the end. You can use a spoon directly if you have a very small dessert spoon (a regular tea spoon is too large for a cat’s face);

• hold the cat as described above, carefully insert the handle of the spoon into the mouth with the “slide” up;

• At the root of the tongue, turn the spoon over and shake the medicine onto the tongue. We hold the cat's jaws and stroke the throat.

If possible, the pulp should be mixed with boiled yolk or a small amount of minced meat. You can soak dry food and mix it with powder.

Read also: A cat has a dry nose: when is it normal and when is it the first sign of disease?

Liquid medicine

If possible, the liquid should be mixed with the same dry food or yolk to make a paste. If the drug must be given in pure form, you will need a syringe without a needle:

• draw the liquid into the syringe;

• we put the cat on our laps with its side and hold it with one hand in a sitting position;

• We place the syringe behind the cat’s cheek so that it is between the cheek and the teeth (that is, there is no need to push it directly into the mouth, forcefully opening the jaws);

• With one hand we lift the cat’s head a little (do not throw it back, just lift it a little, otherwise the pet will choke);

• With the other hand, we gently press the piston, making sure that the cat has time to swallow the medicine.