I've always had more trouble with a pill gun than without. Either the pill sticks in the gun, or it goes to the side of the mouth and doesn't get swallowed. Maybe I just need practice -- or a better pill gun.
My technique involves having fingers in the cat's mouth, which puts some people off, for some reason :)
I really don't worry that much about being bitten. If a cat acts like it's going to give me trouble, I usually call its bluff; more often than not, it backs down. I worked and volunteered with cats in shelters and at the vet hospital for several years and only had a couple of bad bites. Not that I recommend being bitten!
Here's what I do: with my right hand (I'm left-handed), with the palm on the top of her head and in front of the ears, I wrap my fingers around to her upper teeth and pull. Simultaneously, I use my left middle finger to press down on her lower incisors, and her mouth opens. I'm already holding the pill between left thumb and finger; as quickly as possible, I let go of the incisors and put the pill as far back over the tongue and into the throat as I can. If I'm able to, I like to give it an extra push down the throat, but Missy thrashes enough that I mostly have to give it a good toss before she gets her paws up.
Then I clamp her mouth firmly shut with one hand and pick up an eyedropper of water with the other. Some cats will readily swallow with a little throat-stroking, but Missy doesn't do that as easily. (I've wondered if she's having some trouble swallowing.) I turn her head to one side and, still keeping her mouth shut, put a little water in through the teeth, and she swallows automatically. Sometimes I give her another swallow. I don't let her go right away, and when I do, I keep hold of her and watch to make sure she hasn't cheeked it and isn't waiting for me to leave so she can spit it out. Then I snuggle and pet her for a bit. I'd give her a treat, but she's not doing those anymore, and she'd probably be too upset anyway.
The trick is to have the procedure clear in your mind so you can go through it as quickly as possible, while keeping a read on what the cat's likely to do and countering its movements firmly without hurting it. Also, if you can convince yourself that you're completely confident and not worried about being hurt, I think that's communicated to the cat (just as nervousness and hesitation is). It's a kind of method acting :)
The technique has worked with shelter and hospital cats, and it worked particularly well with Rose, who was very cooperative. For a cat who'd been living on the street at a young age and was so shy to start with, she became surprisingly trusting. She was really sharp about connecting the dots, though. It only took a couple of times of treating her afterwards for her to anticipate it. When I'd finished, I let her go and she immediately jumped off the couch -- not to run away, but to immediately spin round and stare at me until I tossed her the treat.
Rose? She would have sat on my lap and purred during the subQs.
My technique involves having fingers in the cat's mouth, which puts some people off, for some reason :)
I really don't worry that much about being bitten. If a cat acts like it's going to give me trouble, I usually call its bluff; more often than not, it backs down. I worked and volunteered with cats in shelters and at the vet hospital for several years and only had a couple of bad bites. Not that I recommend being bitten!
Here's what I do: with my right hand (I'm left-handed), with the palm on the top of her head and in front of the ears, I wrap my fingers around to her upper teeth and pull. Simultaneously, I use my left middle finger to press down on her lower incisors, and her mouth opens. I'm already holding the pill between left thumb and finger; as quickly as possible, I let go of the incisors and put the pill as far back over the tongue and into the throat as I can. If I'm able to, I like to give it an extra push down the throat, but Missy thrashes enough that I mostly have to give it a good toss before she gets her paws up.
Then I clamp her mouth firmly shut with one hand and pick up an eyedropper of water with the other. Some cats will readily swallow with a little throat-stroking, but Missy doesn't do that as easily. (I've wondered if she's having some trouble swallowing.) I turn her head to one side and, still keeping her mouth shut, put a little water in through the teeth, and she swallows automatically. Sometimes I give her another swallow. I don't let her go right away, and when I do, I keep hold of her and watch to make sure she hasn't cheeked it and isn't waiting for me to leave so she can spit it out. Then I snuggle and pet her for a bit. I'd give her a treat, but she's not doing those anymore, and she'd probably be too upset anyway.
The trick is to have the procedure clear in your mind so you can go through it as quickly as possible, while keeping a read on what the cat's likely to do and countering its movements firmly without hurting it. Also, if you can convince yourself that you're completely confident and not worried about being hurt, I think that's communicated to the cat (just as nervousness and hesitation is). It's a kind of method acting :)
The technique has worked with shelter and hospital cats, and it worked particularly well with Rose, who was very cooperative. For a cat who'd been living on the street at a young age and was so shy to start with, she became surprisingly trusting. She was really sharp about connecting the dots, though. It only took a couple of times of treating her afterwards for her to anticipate it. When I'd finished, I let her go and she immediately jumped off the couch -- not to run away, but to immediately spin round and stare at me until I tossed her the treat.
Rose? She would have sat on my lap and purred during the subQs.
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