There comes a time in most pet parent's lives that you have to medicate your fur-child. If you're one of the lucky few, you can hide pills in your cat's food or even give medication as a treat with Pill Pockets or Pill Masker. But, many cats can't be fooled, and so you'll need to know how to give your cat a pill. There are a few different methods, so you'll want to experiment and find what works best for your cat.
Pilling By Hand:
Hold the top of your cat's head. Use your thumb and middle finger to push the sides of your cat's jaw and hold it open, and use that same hand to hold your cat's head back. Use your other hand to gently pry open your cat's mouth and quickly deposit the pill as far back onto your cat's tongue as you can. Close your cat's mouth and hold it closed, but don't let kitty run off or he may spit the pill out! You'll want to hold your cat's mouth shut and encourage him to swallow by gently rubbing his throat or blowing softly into his face. After you feel him swallow, release him. Pilling by hand takes a bit of practice, but may be the best option for cats that require daily long-term medications.
Pill Poppers:
Pill poppers are a great invention for people who's cats tend to get aggressive or bite when you stick your fingers in their mouth to give a pill. They look like a syringe you can put the pill into and, just like the name suggests, pop the pill into the back of your cat's mouth. You'll use the same technique above to open your cat's mouth, insert the pill using your pill popper, and then hold your cat's mouth closed and encourage him to swallow.
Important! It's highly recommended that you follow up pilling your cat by encouraging them to drink water or eat a small meal to help the pill travel all the way from the cat's esophagus to his stomach and avoid irritation.