How to Get Your Cat to Take Liquid Medicine

There are several types of medication for cats, including tablets, capsules, topical treatments, and liquid medicines for oral consumption. Cats tend to resist and fight against anything you try to place in their mouths, even a medicine syringe. However, with some preparation and a few simple tips, you can easily get your cat to take liquid medicine.

Spread a Towel. Lay a large towel in the area where you'll give the cat its medicine. You may want to wrap the cat in the towel to keep it still and prevent scratches if the cat reacts by clawing.

• A large bath towel is ideal.
• Spread the towel out fully.
• The location should be comfortable and convenient, such as a table or kitchen counter.

Prepare the Medication. Follow the instructions on the medication bottle or your veterinarian’s advice to properly prepare the medicine. In many cases, you'll need to shake the liquid medicine before each dose.

Prepare the Syringe. If you're administering the medication with a syringe or dropper, draw the prescribed dose of medicine into the syringe.

Place the Cat in the Right Position. Gently place your cat in the area where you'll administer the medicine (on the towel) and speak to them in a calm, soothing voice. Position the cat in the center of the towel, facing you.

Keep the Cat Still. You need to ensure the cat doesn't move or escape while receiving the medication.

• If the cat is cooperative, you may find it easier to keep them still. You can ask someone else to place their hands on the cat's shoulders to hold its front paws in place. This helps keep the cat calm and prevents scratching if the cat tries to claw out of resistance.
• You or your assistant might need to hug the cat close to your chest or abdomen to prevent it from backing up or squirming away.
• If the cat becomes restless or tries to scratch, consider wrapping it in the towel. Wrap the cat snugly in the towel, leaving only the head exposed. Secure the towel around the cat’s neck to trap its paws so it can't scratch.
• To wrap the cat, lay one half of the towel over the cat's back and then repeat with the other half, covering most of the cat's body. Wrap the towel tightly around the cat’s neck to keep its front legs close to its body and immobilized.
• Ask an assistant to hold the cat’s body still once it is wrapped to keep the cat in place.

Mở miệng mèo. Tạo hình chữ "C" ngược bằng ngón trỏ và ngón cái, sau đó úp lên đầu mèo. Đặt đầu ngón trỏ và ngón cái lên 2 bên khóe miệng mèo và lòng bàn tay nằm lên trán mèo. Nhẹ nhàng bóp ngón trỏ và ngón cái để đẩy mép mèo lên trên răng hàm.

• Nếu thuận tay trái, bạn nên dùng tay phải để mở miệng mèo, còn tay trái cho mèo uống thuốc.
• Cách mở miệng này giúp mèo tránh tự cắn vào mép cũng như giảm nguy cơ mèo cắn bạn.

Nâng đầu mèo lên. Khi mèo đã mở miệng ra một chút, bạn nên nâng đầu mèo về phía trần nhà.

• Không cần dùng tay còn lại để nâng đầu mèo. Thay vào đó, bạn chỉ cần xoay cổ tay đang giữ miệng mèo. Cách này giúp đẩy hàm dưới xuống để nới rộng miệng mèo ra.

Đặt ống bơm thuốc vào miệng mèo. Dùng tay còn lại cầm ống bơm thuốc lên, sau đó đặt miệng ống phía sau răng nanh dưới của mèo (răng dài đối diện hàm dưới) và tạo với lưỡi một góc nhọn.

Bắt đầu bơm thuốc vào miệng mèo. Nhẹ nhàng và từ từ nhấn pít-tông ống bơm để đưa 0,5 ml hoặc từng giọt thuốc nước vào miệng mèo.

• Một khi thuốc được đưa vào miệng, mèo sẽ chuyển động lưỡi và cố gắng nuốt thuốc xuống.
• Một số con mèo có xu hướng hạ thấp đầu xuống để nuốt nên bạn có thể nới lỏng cổ tay để giúp mèo hạ đầu xuống mức có thể uống thuốc dễ dàng.

Allow the Cat to Finish the Medicine. After the cat swallows the medicine, you can give it an additional 0.5 ml of medicine.

• Repeat the process until the cat has consumed the full prescribed dosage.

Reward the Cat. Speak gently to the cat and remove the towel. It's likely that the cat will try to run away if you don’t show any affection, such as offering a tasty treat.

• Rewarding the cat after giving medicine helps calm it, making it easier for the cat to take medicine next time.

• Do not administer more medicine than the dosage prescribed by the veterinarian.
• Avoid inserting your finger directly between the cat's teeth to prevent the risk of being bitten.
• Give the medicine slowly and patiently. Rapidly injecting liquid medicine into the cat’s mouth may cause it to inhale the medicine, which could severely impact its lungs.
• If the cat has been prescribed tablet medication, consult the veterinarian before crushing the tablets and converting them into liquid form. Some tablets are designed to release their active ingredients gradually or have a protective coating that allows them to survive the acidic environment of the stomach and be effective once they reach the intestines. Crushing the tablets may reduce their effectiveness, so it should be avoided.