Liquid.
Hold his head firmly and with the same hand, press his jaws at the sides of his mouth. This will cause his mouth to open and you can squirt the antibiotic in. It’s easier said than done the first couple of times but you will become a pro.
Muckle him by the scruff of his neck with authority. that will usually work to make him somewhat limp (but not always on all cats) and then just squirt the medicine in. Best of luck!!! Poor little guy.
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I recommend two people. One to hold the cat (grasping at least the front paws to hold him immobile) while the second one administers the medication.
If you are alone, the best solution I’ve found is to essentially body slam the cat to the bed. Your body holds him immobile, allowing you to use both hands to administer the medication.
Beware. Some cats are stinkers, and can hold the medicine in their mouths until you release them, then they spit it right out. While giving you a “Neener! Neener!” look.
There will be tons of cat hair all over the place, too.
Good luck!
~VOW
Word of warning about commercial broths - alliums (onions and garlic) are very poisonous to cats, and you’re going to be very unlikely to find a broth meant for human consumption that doesn’t have one or both. Broths bought at the vet store will be good for cats, or you can boil some raw chicken and give them the broth.
You can add some warm water to canned food to make it thinner, so he can lap it up instead of having to take bites. Instead of trying to find something liquid that is good for cats, take the known thing that’s good for cats and make it softer/liquid.
Like all things cat, there’s a chance he won’t eat it just because.
Yeah, I’m sure it would be easier with an assistant, but unfortunately it’s just me.
My problem now is that when he sees me coming with the syringe he immediately runs and hides under the bed before I can capture him.
Good to know! I didn’t try giving him chicken broth, but that’s what I would have tried if I had. Good thing I didn’t!
Put the syringe on the dresser or headboard or nightstand, and walk away. Try to look nonchalant.
When he emerges from whatever vitally important business he must attend to, pick him up like you’re going to give him lovies, talking to him in that nauseating baby talk we all use. Do the hugs and kisses bit while you sidle to the bedroom. The instant he tenses up, grab him by the handful of slack skin between the shoulder blades. Ignore his swearing.
Hold him away from you (grab TIGHT!) and get the syringe. Do the body slam thing. You’ll probably get hurt. Once you squirt the medicine in his mouth and you SEE him swallow, let him up.
I had a cat that was MEAN. Over the years, he decided he loved me, but only me. And I could still get mauled if he got pissed off. But the body slam is guaranteed to work.
Keep your bedroom door closed, so he doesn’t hide under the bed forever.
If you end up losing too much blood, have the vet’s office label him as “noncompliant for meds.” There are options available.
Again, good luck.
~VOW
My 18 year old cat who died in March was on liquid medication twice a day for a few years. You’d think she would have resigned herself to it at some point but no. Almost to the end, if I did not catch her off guard, I would have to chase her through the house saying “sit! sit!” which she would eventually do (I miss that :().
I used the sit-on-her technique on the bed, which left both hands free. If that works for you, just be sure to put the syringe in the side of his mouth so you aren’t shooting the liquid down his throat.
I usually ask for tablets, then I buy some frozen shrimp. When the shrimp is thawed I slice a pocket in one and hide a tablet. When I give the cat five shrimp, he will gobble them up and the tablet will be gone. He actually loves tablet time.
The only exception is painkiller (I can’t remember the name). He love the taste of that and will happily lick it off the syringe.
We had animals that never fell for “hide the pill in some food” trick. The little shits would gobble down the food, walk three steps, and then spit the pill out, like they were aiming at a spitoon.
Coated pills, wet it, and shove it down the cat’s throat with your index finger. Non-coated, slather the pill with butter or bacon grease, and again, use your index finger to shove the pill down the throat.
Some talented cats can bring the pill back up like a cow does with cud, and will spit it out while glaring at you. Repeat as necessary.
~VOW
Another update: We saw his regular vet today and among other things I got her to give him an antibiotic injection, so so more need to keep trying to give him them orally. The bad news is that he needs to have his teeth removed. We’re going back for that Monday.
Aw. Sorry to hear about the teeth. How many and which ones? How old is your cat?
All of them 
He’s 7, but he is FIV positive which makes him more susceptible to oral diseases like this.
Sorry to hear that. He’ll appreciate the relief from pain. Hope things go well.
My condolences WB, but at least he has been eating again, and he will still be able to eat soft food after this. Cuddle him well.
The cat that is currently occupying my lap had bad teeth when I adopted him from the shelter. He ended up getting them all removed.
His favorite food is dry cat food, go figure!
~VOW
How awesome of you to care for an FIV+ cat. I hope the dental goes well.
Dropped him off for his dental surgery this morning. Wish him luck.
At least until this came up it was really easy to forget he was FIV+. He seemed like a totally normal healthy kitty.