How to Give Your Cat Liquid Medicine

Giving medicines to cats is just as tricky a task as getting a child to eat greens. And if you have a feisty cat, it gets even harder. For most cats, pills are a complete no-no, making liquid medicines a lot easier to give. 

Luckily, there are some ways through which you can make the medicine-giving process as easy as possible. Here are some of the best ways to give your cat liquid medicine. 

close up of cat

Hide it in their food

Whether it’s worm medication, natural cat UTI remedy, or even vitamin supplements, you can easily get your cat to have their medicine. The most efficient trick is to hide it in their food. Canned food is best for this purpose, as liquid medicine will easily blend in with the flavor and wouldn’t be noticed by your cat. If your cat has a big appetite and finishes all its meals, you can directly add it to the bowl. 

On the contrary, if it doesn’t, then it’s best to make small lumps of food that you’d feed your cat by hand and put little amounts of medicines in each lump. This way, your cat won’t waste any of the medicine, should it not finish the bowl. 

Reading the instructions on the medicine label is extremely important as some may restrict you from mixing it with food. If the medicine has been refrigerated, hold it between your palms to warm it up. Don’t warm it up in a microwave or heater of any sort. 

Putting medicine in their food could negatively affect your cat’s appetite. Most medicines don’t taste good, so when you add it to your cat’s food, those meals will get just as bad tasting. It’s better to observe your cat during and after meals to ensure they don’t grow disliking to food. If your cat eats less or avoids eating altogether, it’s better to use another method. 

Use a syringe

This direct method will make it slightly difficult than hiding it in their meals, but it’s more effective and easier to control. Just as mentioned before, you must warm the medicine before you use it. After warming it up, use a syringe and fill it up. Don’t do this in front of your cat, as it might end up frightening it. 

Once you’re fully ready, bring your cat and make it sit on your lap, facing away from you. Keep the syringe out of your cat’s view as you bring it out. Hold your cat from under its belly to ensure it doesn’t make sudden moves that may cause injuries from the syringe. With the same hand, lift its head up to the ceiling and gently push its lips and whiskers apart. If you find it difficult to do all that by yourself, you can get another person to keep your cat’s mouth open and head facing up.

Once you’re all ready, bring the syringe close to the cat’s mouth. Some experts say that allowing your cat to lick the tip of the syringe can get it to be more comfortable with the process. You can try this yourself. After that, place the syringe at an angle such that the liquid trickles down from the back of the tongue and not directly down the throat, which could cause gagging. 

Don’t release a lot of medicine at once, rather keep a slow and consistent flow. If your cat reacts aggressively, stop the process and calm it down. Once it’s calm, you can resume the process. You can even rub the chin to provide some reassurance to your cat that it isn’t being harmed. As soon as the medicine is over, wipe off anything that may have squirted around your cat’s mouth. Pat it and let it off of your lap. 

Foaming due to medicine

If a cat doesn’t like something it has ingested, its mouth will foam as a result. Medicines can also lead to such foaming, as the taste of the medicine may cause the reaction to occur. Don’t worry about it as it is very common. Give your cat some water to drink or distract it with some activities. If you still feel like something is wrong, contact your vet and explain the situation. 

Such reactions only occur when you first start giving medicine to your cat or when you change the medicine itself. Over time, your cat will get used to the medicine as well as the process, making it much easier to handle. 

Ensure that you provide the maximum care and assurance to prevent your cat from developing an aversion to the process and the medicine. Once it’s habituated to the process, you can make it a timely routine or whenever the medicine is required. 

Krystal | Sunny Sweet Days
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