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My sister Jill has 3 cats, and every now and then one or all of them require tablets for one reason or another. The two female cats don’t have a problem with this, but the male cat fights tooth & nail (literally). After her last attempt at giving the cat some antibiotics, she shared this list of instructions with me, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

1. Sit on sofa. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your elbow as though you were going to give a bottle to a baby. Talk softly to the cat.

2. With right hand, position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand (be patient). As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.

3. Pick the pill up off the floor and go get the cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process. Sit on floor in kitchen, wrap arm around cat as before, drop pill in mouth. Let go of cat, noticing the direction it runs.

4. Scoot across floor to pick up pill and throw soggy pill away, and go retrieve cat from bedroom. Bring it back into the kitchen. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Pry claws from back legs out of your arm. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of closet. Drop dissolved pill into garbage can.

6. Call spouse from backyard. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat (cat is actually enjoying this … really). Get spouse to hold cat’s head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into cat’s mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rod, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered Royal Doulton figures from mantlepiece and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat’s mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor’s shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with rubber band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Call fire department to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take another pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie cat’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed, force cat’s mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour one cup of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call at furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Get last pill from bottle. Go into bathroom and get a fluffy towel. Stay in the bathroom with the cat, and close the door.

16. Sit on bathroom floor, wrap towel around kitty, leaving only his head exposed. Cradle kitty in the crook of your arm, and pick up pill off of counter.

17. Retrieve cat from top of shower door (you didn’t know that cats can jump 5 feet straight up in the air, did you?), and wrap towel around it a little tighter, making sure its paws can’t come out this time. With fingers at either side of its jaw, pry it open and pop pill into mouth. Quickly close mouth (his, not yours).

18. Sit on floor with cat in your lap, stroking it under the chin and talking gently to it for at least a half hour, while the pill dissolves.

19. Unwrap towel, open bathroom door. Wash off scratches in warm soapy water, comb your hair, and go find something to occupy your time for 7-1/2 hours.

20. Arrange for animal rescue group to get cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.


Posted by no1ladydj, 23rd May 2014


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  • Lol, I have trouble giving my little Maltese ShihTsu her worming tablets so I thought I might find some useful tips here. Weeeeelllll, not so much. But it sure has given me a great big belly laugh

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  • lol try to get chocolate worming stuff for them. not actual chocolate but flavoured. not supposed to feed animals chocolate?

    Reply

  • stories are great to read

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  • That was really funny. I could actually picture each scene.

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  • I used to wrap my cat in a towel so she couldn’t move and then stroke her chin. This created a reflex action, the cat would open her mouth and I would put the tablet or dose in. Easier if there is 2 of you, one holds the cat, the other gives the dose. Works a treat.

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  • Lol” yes, I’ve tried and failed

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  • Great tips, my dog isn’t quite relaxed when he knows i’m ready to give him his pill, takes a while but he eventually swallows lol

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  • Goodness me what a list!

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  • Have always had trouble with cats and pills. Dogs will eat basically anything. Much easier haha. Good tips though, thank you

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  • i agree, dogs are so much easier

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  • Wow, dogs are so much easier to give pills to!

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  • Luckily my dog is food-orientated, so most of the time I can give him a pill in cheese or meat & he swallows it whole. Cats are sneaky, my sister tried putting the pill inside some food and her cat ate the food & spat the pill out.

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  • Yep, been there done that with my cats too! They are so fussy about being held.

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  • Yes, my sister went to the vet and got one of the “pill poppers”, because her partner said he wasn’t ever going to be involved in medicating the cat again, after being scratched from head to toe. I think he was on the verge of saying “It’s the cat or me”, but he didn’t, probably because my sister may well have chosen the cat.

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  • lol that was a good read

    Reply

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