By Eve-Angeline Mitchell, Contributing Writer
If you're a cat owner that's ever had to give your cat a pill, you know how impossible, and even traumatic, it can be. There is an assortment of ideas about how best to give him his medication, but there's really only one thing that will actually make it easy. It might even make it a little fun. You can use pill pockets.
If you're a cat owner that's ever had to give your cat a pill, you know how impossible, and even traumatic, it can be. There is an assortment of ideas about how best to give him his medication, but there's really only one thing that will actually make it easy. It might even make it a little fun. You can use pill pockets.
I personally like Greenies Pill Pockets. I have two cats on long-term courses of medication right now. Both are a nightmare to give pills to. Both are also on these pills for anxiety, and so torturing them day after day, for weeks on end, wasn't going to work. After day 3 of pills, I was desperate for something that didn't require practically sitting on them, forcing their jaws apart, and sticking the pill as far back on their tongues as possible. I was getting bitten and scratched, and they got terrified every time I pulled their bottles out. Even a pill-popper was too much for them.
How Greenies Pill Pockets transformed my cats' pill time.
How Greenies Pill Pockets transformed my cats' pill time.
Greenies Pill Pockets are geared towards turning pill time into treat time. They're strongly scented and very flavorful, and they cover up the smell and taste of the pills so your cat only smells and tastes the treat. To use the pill pockets, simply put the pill into the pocket, nudge it down as far as you can with your fingernail or a toothpick, and pinch the top closed. Then give it to your cat as you would any treat. It's really that simple.
Before I started using these, my cats would disappear under the bed as soon as they heard the pill bottles rattle. Now they associate that same sound with a treat, and come running into the kitchen, mewing loudly. They don't even seem to notice there's a pill stuck inside. On the rare occasion that they do drop the pill, all I have to do is give them a second treat.
Before I started using these, my cats would disappear under the bed as soon as they heard the pill bottles rattle. Now they associate that same sound with a treat, and come running into the kitchen, mewing loudly. They don't even seem to notice there's a pill stuck inside. On the rare occasion that they do drop the pill, all I have to do is give them a second treat.
| There are some minor drawbacks, however. Greenies Pill Pockets only come in two flavors, however: Chicken and salmon. I have very, very finicky cats and I was hoping to get maybe four or five different flavors, in case they didn't like the first one (or three) that I tried. One of my two cats on meds gets tired of having the same flavor treats over and over. Also, the pockets have a greasy texture to them, so I always feel like I need a napkin or paper towel nearby to wipe my fingers off after I'm done. | |
| | One other drawback seems to be their size. One of my cats has a little trouble with bigger treats, and usually drops pieces of the pockets on the floor. What I do, in her case, is take a knife and cut the pocket in half, from top to bottom. Then I roll her pill inside one-half of the pocket, turning it into a little ball that's easier for her to manage. This requires cutting her pills in half, too, though, so if you want to do this, investing in a pill cutter might be a good idea, too. |
Some people say that they've tried pill pockets for their cats, and once their cats realized there was foul-tasting medicine inside, they stopped eating the pill pockets, and even started avoiding them like the plague. One possible remedy to this situation is to give your cats empty pill pockets sometimes as well. That should help them continue to see the pockets as treats that they want to eat, rather than something they'll eventually find disgusting. Some cats also just get tired of treats when they don't get a variety of flavors.
But in general, these pill pockets are a great alternative to the more stressful, and ultimately more dangerous, methods of making sure your cat gets his medication.
But in general, these pill pockets are a great alternative to the more stressful, and ultimately more dangerous, methods of making sure your cat gets his medication.
Eve-Angeline Mitchell is an experienced writer and blogger, and an animal rights and welfare advocate. She has been writing about cats, from pet cats to feral cats, to the history between cats and people, and even about bit cats, on Examiner.com for four years. She is also an avid do-it-yourselfer when it comes to home improvement and enjoys learning how to do new things.
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