Give Cats Liquid Medicine

Medications for cats come in different formulations, such as a tablets, capsules, spot-on formulations, and oral liquids. Cats tend to struggle and resist having things forced into their mouths, with the syringe used to administer medications being no exception. However, with a bit of preparation and by following a few simple tips, giving your cat a liquid medication need not be stressful.

Steps

Preparing your Materials

1. Lay out a towel. In the area where you plan to administer the medication, lay out a large clean towel. Unless your cat is very placid, you will use this later to wrap the cat up in order to keep it still and avoid being scratched.
   • A full-sized beach or bath towel is ideal.
   • Stretch the towel out so it is entirely flat.
   • Work at a comfortable and convenient height, such as a table or counter top.
2. Prepare the medication. Follow the instructions on the bottle or provided by your veterinarian to properly prepare the medication. In many cases liquid medications will need to be shaken before each dosing.
   • If the medication will be administered directly from the bottle, place it on a flat surface, easily within reach of your dosing area (i.e. the towel).
3. Prepare the dropper. If your medication will be administered via dropper or syringe, load the syringe with the prescribed amount of medication.
   • Follow all instructions and measure carefully.
   • Put the dropper or syringe somewhere it can be easily reached from your dosing area.

Preparing your Cat

1. Position the cat. Gently carry your cat to your dosing area (i.e. the towel) and make sure your voice is soothing, happy, and relaxed. Place the cat in the middle of the towel, facing you.
2. Immobilize the cat. At this point, you will need to ensure that the cat cannot wiggle or escape during the dosing.
   • If your cat is very placid, it may be sufficient to hold it. If you have an assistant, he or she should place a hand on each of the cat's shoulders and gently grips the cat's upper forelegs. This keeps the cat still and stops it from lifting a front paw to scratch.
   • You or the assistant can also cuddle the cat to your chest or stomach, to stop the cat backing away or wriggling sideways.
   • If your cat is wiggly or likely to scratch you, you'll need to wrap the cat in the towel. Wrap your feline snugly, with just its head protruding. A snug fit around the neck ensures the claws are safely contained inside and cannot scratch you.
   • To do this, fold one half of the towel over the cat's back and repeat with the opposite half so that the cat is contained within the towel. Take up any slack in the towel around its neck, so that its front legs are pinned against its body and contained within the towel.
   • If you have an assistant, have him or her put their hands on the outside of the towel, over the cat's shoulders, to steady the animal.
3. Open the cat's mouth. Form an inverted "C" shape with the forefinger and thumb of your left hand. Place this upside-down C over the cat's head. Your fingertip and thumb should be resting on either side of the corner of its mouth, with your palm resting on the cat's forehead. Gently press inwards with the fingertip and thumb, pressing the cat's upper lips over its upper cheek teeth (the molars).
   • If you are left-handed, use your right hand to open the cat's mouth so your left hand is free to administer the medication.
   • This approach forces the cat to open its mouth slightly in order to avoid biting its own lip, while also minimizing the likelihood that you will be bitten.
4. Raise the cat's head. Once the cat has opened its mouth a little, angle its head upwards towards the ceiling.
   • This can be done without shifting your left-hand grip, simply by rotating your wrist. Tipping its head upwards helps the lower jaw to drop down a little, opening the mouth wider.

Administering the Medication

1. Place the syringe in the cat's mouth. Pick up the syringe in your free hand and rest the hub of the syringe (the open end) just behind the cat's lower fangs (the long teeth at the front of the lower jaw), angled over the tongue.
2. Begin administering the medicine. Gently and slowly press the syringe's plunger so that about half a milliliter of fluid is dribbled into the cat's mouth.
   • Once you have put medicine in the cat's mouth, it will move its tongue and try to swallow.
   • Some cats like to lower their head to swallow, so you may need to relax your wrist so that her head can drop down to a more natural position for swallowing.
3. Finish dosing the medicine. After the cat has had a chance to swallow, give it another half milliliter of medicine.
   • Repeat this process until you have administered the full prescribed dose.
4. Reward the cat. Talk soothingly to the cat as you slowly unwrap the towel. Most likely, the cat will run off as soon is it can, but if it doesn't give it some affection and maybe a tasty treat.
   • Rewarding the cat after giving it medicine will make it less resentful and make the task easier next time.

Tips

• Although it is possible to medicate a cat wrapped in a towel by yourself, it is much easier if you have an assistant to hold the cat. This allows you to have both hands free so to administer the medication.
• If you prepare some food that the cat enjoys before you give it medicine, this makes for a satisfying reward the cat can enjoy afterward.
• Test the syringe with water beforehand to make sure it is free of obstructions.

Warnings

• Never give your cat more medication than your veterinarian has instructed.
• Avoid placing your finger directly between your cat's teeth, as this is greatly increases the risk of being bitten.
• Be patient and administer the medication slowly. Squirting a liquid in quickly can result in the cat inhaling the liquid, which can cause a potentially serious form of pneumonia.
• If your cat is prescribed tablets, always check with your veterinarian before crushing them to make up a liquid. Some tablets are designed to slow-release the active ingredient, or are in a protective coating to survive stomach acid and become active in the intestine. Crushing or grinding such tablets decreases their effectiveness and should be avoided.

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Sources and Citations

See also

• Give Steroids to Cats with Inflammation
• Give Codeine to Cats in Pain
• Give Gabapentin to Cats with Cancer
• Give Subcutaneous Fluids to a Cat
• Give a Cat Medicine
• Give a Cat an Enema at Home
• Give a Cat a Pill
• Give a Cat an Injection

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