What To Do If Your Cat Spits Out Its Medication

Posted on: 25 July 2018

Giving medication to a cat can be tough at times for pet parents. Nobody wants to make their pet upset, but ensuring that your cat gets its medication on a regular basis is the only way to make sure that they stay healthy and well. If you're having difficulty getting your cat to take their meds because they keep spitting it out or throwing it up, try these tips.

Importance of Food

If your vet hasn't explicitly stated that your pet needs to take their medicine with or without food, you can switch it up to see if it makes it easier on your cat. In many cases, cats will vomit up medicine because they had an empty stomach. It's often unpleasant for humans to take medicine on an empty stomach, too, so you can probably identify.

Instead, try giving your cat their favorite treat and let them eat it. Let them rest and wash up after their meal for a few minutes, then try the medication again. If they don't throw up, you'll know to stick with giving it to them following a meal.

Avoid the Tongue

Having medication melt on your tongue probably isn't your favorite, and your cat hates it too. Putting a pill or liquid medicine directly on your cat's tongue will increase the likelihood of them foaming at the mouth or spitting it out.

Try to put the medicine as far back in your cat's mouth as you can. If you're using a dropper, this should be easy. If you're using pills, pinch your fingers together and try to drop the pill near the back of their tongue. Then tip their head back slightly to encourage swallowing it. With any luck, your cat will take the medicine more easily.

Pill Tools

Pills can be particularly tricky to give to cats, and they may be very likely to spit them back out. In this case, try using a tool to help out. There are a few options here. You can use a pill popper, which is like a syringe made for pills. The popper prevents your fingers from getting chewed on and can effectively flick the pill further back in your cat's mouth, encouraging swallowing.

Alternatively, a pill treat may be useful. These are little pill pockets that can be sealed around your cat's medication, hiding the scent and giving your kitty something pleasant to eat. If you continue to have difficulty with your cat's medication, talk to a veterinarian for assistance. This is something that many cat owners will need to learn to master over the course of their cats' lives, so don't give up. For more information, contact a vet office like Center-Sinai Animal Hospital.

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