Carrington College Blog

How to Give Your Cat a Pill: Step-by-Step Instructions from a Veterinary Technician

January 22, 2015

Anyone who has ever owned a cat for more than a few days understands that it can be difficult to get your furry little friend to do anything he or she doesn’t want to do. Cat medication and other types of antibiotics are often required to help your pet recover after surgery or sickness, to say nothing of how important medications are for certain chronic conditions. Dishing out cat pills is definitely a lot easier said than done, but giving a cat a pill can certainly be accomplished with a little practice and determination. When it comes to pilling a cat, you just have to keep a few key things in mind to help things go as smoothly as possible.

How to Give a Cat a Pill Using A Pill Gun:

Jeanette and TriggerIt is highly suggested that you purchase a “Pet Piller” (also commonly called a “Pill Gun” or “Pill Popper”) to make the process significantly easier than if you were to give a cat a pill by hand.

  1. Start by laying down a nice, soft towel for your cat to rest on. Place your cat on top of the towel and wrap it around the animal, leaving only the head exposed (making a “kitty burrito”). This position will help prevent scratching while you dispense the cat medicine.
  2. Place your pill in the rubber end of the “Pet Piller.”
  3. Firmly grab the cat’s head near the temples. Elevate the head upwards.
  4. Place the tip of the “Pet Piller” into the side of the cat’s mouth and use the plunger to release the pill.
  5. If the cat spits the pill out, repeat the process as needed until the pill is swallowed.
  6. Make sure you watch for your cat to lick his or her nose because that means that they’re swallowing the pill.

Vet Tech DIY Cat Eye MedicationsHow to Give a Cat Eye Drops:

  1. Read the medication label very carefully and only use as directed. Make sure that you’re following all instructions.
  2. Remove the cap on the medication and put it in a nice, clean environment so that it doesn’t get dirty.
  3. With your cat wrapped snugly in a towel, first elevate the animal’s head.
  4. Use your thumb to open the cat’s eye.
  5. Completely invert the bottle and only apply one drop.
  6. Be sure to apply all liquid cat medicine before moving forward with any ointments.
  7. Also be sure to not use “rubbing” eye medications on your animal, and don’t rub the ointment in yourself—it will disperse naturally.

Veterinary Technician Program

If you’re a natural animal lover, there are few careers more exciting than becoming a veterinary technician. Also commonly referred to as a vet tech, the veterinary technician is someone who provides support to the veterinarian throughout all aspects of caring for an animal. A veterinary technician performs certain types of medical tests to help diagnose illnesses, treat injuries and more. Not only do vet techs get to work with various types of animals on a daily basis, they also get to play a significant role in their animal friends’ lives and help keep them as healthy as possible at all times. If you think that becoming a vet tech could be the right career path for you, consider looking into our veterinary technician program to get started doing exactly that today.

Learn More About A Career In Vet Assisting

If you love animals and working in a fast-paced environment with lots of other employees and if you enjoy connecting with customers and helping educate clients. Veterinary Assisting may be the right career for you.

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