# Tips for giving a cat pills, or how to effectively cover up the taste **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003 "2024-03-18T22:50:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/21 "2024-03-19T03:13:47Z")
Sometimes our cat will take a pill crushed up and mixed with a spoonful of chicken liver or liverwurst. We’ve tried putting pills down his throat, unsuccessfully. This picture is one that I didn’t appreciate until trying to pill the unpillable cat: [Hercules attempting to give his cat a pill - FunSubstance](https://funsubstance.com/fun/620622/hercules-attempting-to-give-his-cat-a-pill/) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/22 "2024-03-19T03:18:49Z")
My cats reacted to catnip. Like your cat, it was spooky how attuned to it they were. Catnip was an occasional treat for my cats (once every few weeks maybe). I kept the catnip in the cupboard with all sorts of other things (food for humans). The cats would never react in the slightest if I went into that cupboard unless it was for catnip. But, if I pulled the catnip container out they were there in a seeming instant. Magically teleported to me holding the container. It was weird and a little spooky how good they were at doing that. I never could figure out how they knew…but they knew. And no thud-thud-thud-boink-crash. They were just…there. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/23 "2024-03-19T03:43:45Z")
[Easypill](https://www.easypill.net/product/easypill-giver-cat/) may work; mold the Easypill coating so that the pill is completely encased. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/24 "2024-03-19T04:14:36Z")
Metronidazole and clarithromycin both taste terrible, and clarithromycin has the added bonus of being tastable from the INSIDE of your tongue. It’s every bit as weird and unpleasant as it sounds. Anyway, for me, a little chicken baby food really helps for my own cat. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/25 "2024-03-19T04:17:41Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > How many tries do you get before the cat gets wise to your tricks? 😉   > > I know, you’d think they’d figure it out fast, but they keep falling for it! If you really get it into the back of the throat, without sitting on the tongue, they didn’t taste it much, and it’s not that unpleasant. Especially once they learn to swallow it quickly. There’s a reason it (usually) gets easier to pill a cat over time. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/26 "2024-03-19T05:27:24Z")
Insist on liquid medicine. Usually possible, much easier. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/27 "2024-03-19T05:43:28Z")
I’ve also had good luck with the pill popper. Treats afterwards may help them be more accepting. My current cat had a long regiment of antihistimins and after a couple of weeks of pill followed by treat would come running up to me whenever I shook the pill bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/28 "2024-03-19T06:59:31Z")
Pill pockets. [https://www.greenies.com/collections/cat-pill-pockets](https://www.greenies.com/collections/cat-pill-pockets) They can be formed around the pill and my cats love them. You can get them at Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/29 "2024-03-19T15:15:12Z")
I tried pill pockets. Damned cat figured it out first time and refused it. I’ve got one now gets a pill twice daily and he’s not too hard; snug him into my left arm, left hand on top of his head; pinch jaws gently with thumb and middle finger while pointer finger on nose helps open the mouth. Right hand with pill pulls lower jaw down, pops pill into back of mouth/throat; release and pet. This works, providing I can get hold of him. He’s getting more paranoid, even though he gets fed right afterwards. I did start out crushing it and mixing it into wet food or a stew-type treat, which worked until the day he didn’t eat it and my older girl, who didn’t need the med, did. With other cats who were a royal pain to pill I switched to compoundable meds that could be rubbed on the inside of the ear. You need to wear gloves or finger cots if you do that to avoid absorbing any of the stuff. ETA: If you mixed the crushed pill into some tuna water, I bet it would work. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/30 "2024-03-19T15:58:05Z")
Ask you neighbor to do it. Well, it worked for _our_ neighbor. Our neighbor was crying to my gf about how she couldn’t get their cat’s medication into the cat. My gf told the neighbor that cat medicating was my secret superpower. I went to their house and gave the cat its pill. Meanwhile, she (the owner) was looking for her glasses so she could watch and learn. It was a once-a-day pill, so we stopped over the following evening. This time she watched and I gave the pill. She said I did it too fast. We stopped the next evening and I gave the cat its pill. My gf videoed me giving it and showed the neighbor the video in slow motion. Long story shortened, I gave the rest of the cycle. She got me a gift certificate to a brewery she heard I liked. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/31 "2024-03-19T16:07:47Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Metronidazole and clarithromycin both taste terrible Crushing the pills (in addition to being sometimes medically inadvisable, depending on the pill) may indeed be backfiring; the outer coating of the pill, if left intact, may prevent the cat from tasting the inside. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Insist on liquid medicine. Usually possible, much easier. With a (n intact) pill, I know whether it’s gone into the cat or not. With liquids, I’ve all too often had the cat shake their head or spit or drool and get part of it out – but I can’t tell how much went into the cat and how much wound up outside the cat, so I don’t know whether to try to give them more and if so how much. Some things are available as topicals. It’s worth asking. I’ve tried pill pockets, with no success. Depends on the cat. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/32 "2024-03-19T16:09:24Z")
Thanks everyone for the tips, tricks and humor. The vet did say it was okay to crush all of these and he’s so food motivated we had high hopes. This morning’s pilling attempt was mostly successful. Although I will say I prefer pilling a dog - no pointy bits trying to claw your hands away during the process! He knew before I even looked at him that something was up, so cue a slow speed chase through the house. Finally caught him without too much of a fuss. I first made the mistake of trying to drop all three in at the same time. Only the smallest went down and the other two were quickly spit up. So corralled him again (he was much more reluctant to be caught this time for some reason) and managed to get pill #2 down. He absolutely would not swallow pill #3 so we had a nice little wrestling match until the pill dissolved enough in his mouth that he had to swallow it down. I might pick up a can of tuna and give it one last go at trying to disguise the crushed pill taste. Oliver is too smart and I’m afraid he will be increasingly difficult to catch… ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/33 "2024-03-19T16:10:46Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > This picture is one that I didn’t appreciate until trying to pill the unpillable cat: That is great! – I won’t be able to unsee it, now. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/34 "2024-03-19T16:10:53Z")
So kayaker, where exactly do you live…? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/35 "2024-03-19T16:12:59Z")
Next door to the people with the (now) healthy cat!! ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/36 "2024-03-19T16:20:48Z")
Mrs. Cheesesteak does the pilling in our house, and if the cat is being trouble, she does the aforementioned squeeze sides of the mouth, quick drop the pill in, hold the mouth closed… then she blows air on the cats face. Like you’re blowing out a candle. Gets them all confused and they swallow before they know what hit them. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/37 "2024-03-19T16:26:14Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > then she blows air on the cats face. Like you’re blowing out a candle. Gets them all confused and they swallow before they know what hit them. Which, by the way, is [how Dr. Pol does it](https://youtu.be/58z9-sxtEPs?si=UX1PD6p17vBZ5ldN). After the first demo he does describe alternatives and admits even he sometimes fails. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/38 "2024-03-19T21:57:05Z")
Ooh, I never would’ve thought of that! Good one. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/39 "2024-03-19T22:06:56Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Crushing the pills (in addition to being sometimes medically inadvisable, depending on the pill) may indeed be backfiring; the outer coating of the pill, if left intact, may prevent the cat from tasting the inside. This. Many medicines taste incredibly bad. I once chewed an erithromycin tablet. I nearly vomited, and i certainly wasn’t eating anything for a while. But the coated pill has little flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003/40 "2024-03-19T22:49:22Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Turns out the cat was too ornery to die I believe this is the appropriate method. Good luck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tips-for-giving-a-cat-pills-or-how-to-effectively-cover-up-the-taste/999003.md?page=3)