That’s a bit much for a cat.
Cans = tasty cat food? Yes. Cat carrier coming out = awful trip to vet? Yes. Crinkly sound = nasty-tasting pills forced down my throat? Yes.
Taking nasty pill = I breathe easier and feel a bit better in a couple of hours? No. It’s the immediacy that is the problem. Making connections like that is really beyond many or most animals.
Mostly not. Pets are hugely variable on how difficult they are to medicate. One of mine is dumb as a rock and doesn’t make connections well, so he is easy to corral( he gets cans= cat food, but hasn’t in 12 years figured out cat carriers = trip to the vet ). But once in hand he is a writhing pain in the ass to pill.
The other, like yours, can tell when nasty medicine is approaching and will flee to the most unreachable hidey-hole he can. If gotten in hand though, he takes his medicine pretty easily. The key for cats like that is tricking them.
Open the package in another room, keep the nasty medicine concealed. Be casual about the approach and if you have a clever cat, vary the routine so he doesn’t pick up on clues as quickly.