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When you are told by your Veterinarian: "The bad news is: your cat has xyz. The good news is: it is treatable with a daily pill or two", you may wonder aloud how you will ever get Kitty to voluntarily (or not) swallow those meds.
Cats don't normally take kindly to being restrained or forced to do anything they are not in the mood to do. Therefore, the first method to try is the baby food bait and switch technique.
Assuming that the medication required is in tablet form, hide the pill inside a gooey wad of baby food beef, chicken, or turkey. You can encourage your fur friend to nibble and lick it right off of your finger, or you can simply drop it onto the (uncarpeted, of course) floor or a plate. Keep a very close eye on the pill here since above average intelligence felines will quickly learn how to eat all around the little pill, causing you to go through a half jar of the pureed meat in hopes that next time they will accidentally ingest the pill along with the tasty treat.
Watch the floor closely as well since clever kitties also know how to pretend that once in the mouth they fully intend to swallow the little white pill. But, as soon as their back is turned to you, they spit it out, only to be discovered on the white linoleum or carpet upon the next cleaning day.
If this method works for your critter they will be so eager to feast on the baby food that you need only pop the top and the noise alone will bring them running to you.
If your cat catches onto this technique causing you to spend more money on jars of baby food than the medication, you may be forced to revert back to the traditional "holding in lap, prying open mouth, tossing pill way back into throat" method. While not pleasant for either of you, it can still be a relatively painless and quick effort.
Assuming you are a right handed pilling person, hold the cat on your lap, pressing your left elbow against her side, tucking her up against your body for light restraint. Place your left hand over the top of her head, thumb and forefinger reaching down over her nose to pry open her mouth by gently pulling upward. With the pill in your right hand pinched between your thumb and forefinger, use the third finger on your right hand to prop the mouth open and tilt her head back. Drop the pill as far back into her throat as possible and as close to the center as you can aim. Allow the cat to close her mouth (or hold it closed for her) and stroke her throat, praising her softly until she has swallowed. While coating the pill with a bit of butter may make it easier for her to swallow, it may also make it harder for you to release the pill from your own fingers with any speed or good aim.
If your cat is simply too traumatized by the prospect of the above method, use a towel to snugly wrap her entire body, leaving only the head exposed. This protects you and your clothing from sharp claws reaching out in spontaneous self defense mode. You can then turn Kitty over onto her back more easily, which may expedite the swallowing process.
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