Senior Cat Comfort & Care

The stress of giving medication can be substantial. If it’s hard on them, it’s hard on you. Don’t worry! We’ve got tips to make it easier:

• Help your cat get comfortable with medicating (check out Tip #18)
• Stay relaxed. If you’re nervous, they’ll be nervous
• Don’t force them. Use treats, toys, or catnip to lure them into position and encourage them to stay
• Treat throughout — before, during, and after
• Coat pills in butter so they slide down the throat
• Wash pills down with 3 to 6 ccs of water using a syringe
• Use a pill popper
• Don’t use their food to mask meds. It may turn them off the food completely.
• Make a parfait, layering a liquid treat or wet food, then meds, then treat or food. This will keep them eating instead of stopping when they taste the meds.
• For liquid meds or crushable pills, use a syringe (no needle) and a liquid treat for the parfait. Layer treat/meds/treat. You can squirt it into your cat’s mouth.
• Put bad-tasting pills in beef-flavored gelatin capsules (available online for pets). They can hold multiple tiny or crushed pills.
• Ask if meds can be compounded into a treat, flavored pill/liquid, or transdermal cream applied to the ears.