All cats need some form of medication or preventative treatment given monthly or annually. This can often times be a daunting experience: cats will sometimes hiss, scratch frantically, then run and hide. When administering medication to your pet kitty, it can often be helpful to have a few different tactics up your sleeve. Here are a few helpful hints to make the administration of medication a little easier!

Cat medication generally comes in 3 different ways of administration: pills, liquid, or topical treatments, like preventive flea or tick products. Depending on the form of medication, you will want to change your tactic. Cats can be picky, and they are often hard to trick- this requires skill on your part, but it can be done!

First we'll look at medicinal pills for your kitty. You can try to either camouflage the pill in their dinner (which sometimes works, but it is not a sure thing), or you can put the pill in some soft baby food. The taste is new, interesting, and intriguing to cats; they may be so absorbed in this new treat that they do not notice the pill. If this does not work, more drastic measures are in order.

Here's how you can safely administer the pill without fear of getting scratched or bitten: kneel on the floor and place your kitty between your knees (this allows your hands to remain free). Then, make sure your cat's front paws are tucked safely and securely in between your knees so they are unable to move or crawl away. Next, gently place the palm of your hand on the top of your cat's head, and put your thumb and index finger on either side of your cat's jaw. This would gently pry open their mouth. Then, place the pill as far back in their mouth as you can, and keep their head tilted back until the pill is swallowed. Sometimes rubbing your kitty's neck gently helps them swallow as well.

When administering liquid medicine, you can either opt to mix it with baby food, or use the same pinning procedure that was previously described. This time, all you will need is a medicine dropper or a sterile 10cc syringe (without the needle, please!) and measure the correct dosage of medication and as you tilt your cat's head back squirt the medication into their mouth. Don't worry, cats do not breathe through their mouths, so there is no need to fear choking your kitty. Because cats can sometimes vomit easily, it may be a good idea to give your kitty a treat after their medication to help settle their stomach.

Finally, topical treatment administration is often the simplest of the three. Wrap your cat in a towel, which restrains them and holds them securely in place. Simply grab the ruff of their neck in between their shoulder blades and clean and administer the medication.

Though giving your pets their needed medication can be a stressful experience for you and your cat, it doesn't have to be. By following these indicated procedures, it should make the experience easier on the both of you. Good luck in your medication administration endeavors!