Administering Medication

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How To Keep Dogs and Cats From Fighting

Bring a towel or blanket home with the scent of the new pet to get your other pet used to it before bringing the new pet home. You might want to place it under your current pet’s food bowl.

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There will be times when you will need to give your cat medicine whether they like it or not. Some cats will be more agreeable than others, but the following tips should help:

Giving Pills

First, try deceiving your cat by hiding the pill in some baby food. If that doesn't work, try kneeling on the floor and putting the cat between your knees. Make sure your cat's front legs are tucked in between your knees so it can't claw you. Put the palm of your hand on top of its head, and thumb and index finger on either side of its mouth; your cat's mouth will fall open as you tilt the head back. If it doesn't, gently push down on the cat's lower front teeth with your middle finger of your other hand. Drop the pill in your cat's mouth as far back as you can. Keep its head tilted back until the pill is swallowed.

Giving Liquids

To administer liquid medication to your cat, use the same procedure as for pills using a needleless syringe that you can obtain from your vet or a pet store. Squirt the medicine down its throat. Since cats do not breathe through their mouths, don't worry about it choking on the medicine.

As cats can vomit easily, it might help to give it a cat treat after the medicine.

Topical Application

This should be a fairly simple procedure. However, if your cat is less than agreeable, you will need to restrain it. Try wrapping it in a towel or holding it by the fur on the back of its neck with one hand. Hold the head down and clean/medicate with the other hand.

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