Lesson description:You will teach your cat to come to you and accept medication. The technique discussed is a passive one meaning your cat makes the choice and should never be forced. The goal is to have the cat realize that good things happen when you approach the cat with a pill popper, syringe or pill.  This process is called desensitization (becoming more comfortable with you handling the pet) and counter conditioning (changing the emotional response from fear to comfort).

Before starting be sure to have the following items:

• The cat's favorite dry food (or favorite crunchy treat).
• Treats and toys- they have to be good. Your cat gets to decide.  Canned food, hot dogs, chicken chunks, tuna chunks, and yogurt are popular options.  If your cat has health issues, please consult with your veterinarian prior to trying these foods.  The cat won't be getting a large volume of these special items. Some cats prefer toys to food so having their favorite toys is helpful also.
• Syringe, pill popper or whatever it is you would like to use to medicate your cat.

The training plan will progress much quicker in cats that have not been medicated before. If your cat has had a really bad experience with pilling in the past, the training plan will take longer. That is okay. Think of it as really building a trusting relationship with your cat.

*** Your cat should be a willing participant.  IF at any time your cat backs away, you are proceeding too fast (or do not have a good enough treat to make it worth hanging around).  Slow down.  Your cat should not want to leave, but should always have that option.  Your cat should never struggle.

Repeat each step at least 3-5 times or until your cat is very comfortable and understands that this is fun.

Training plan for using a syringe or pill popper: 

• Present the syringe or popper (S/P) with some really yummy food on the outside. Let your cat lick it off.
  
• As the cat approaches to eat the food off of the S/P place hand on head
• Raise hand slowly beside cat
• Approach head
• Rest hand on top of head
• Gradually increase the pressure on head
• Hold head firmly while feeding the cat from the S/P
• Slowly rotate head slightly upward while holding head and feeding from the S/P
• While holding head firmly, place the S/P in the mouth
• Start with just the tip just barely in the mouth.
• Gradually move the S/P farther back in the mouth.
• As you remove the S/P from the cats mouth try to wipe "excess" food on the roof of the mouth.
• Place a piece of kibble in the S/P, with soft food still on the outside of the S/P.
• Start with just the tip of the S/P just barely in the mouth then depress plunger releasing the kibble.
• Gradually move the S/P farther back in the mouth then depress plunger releasing the kibble.
• As you remove the S/P from the cat's mouth after depressing the plunger & releasing the kibble, wipe "excess" food on the roof of the mouth.
• Repeat the process several times a day for several days and then on a regular basis to keep your cat and your skills honed.

Things to consider:

• The cat decides the rate of training.  While going slow may be tedious, it will create a longer lasting positive effect.
• Rank treats/toys from high to low. The best treats are the ones the cat will do anything for and are used when introducing new steps.  As the cat becomes more comfortable, gradually fade out high value for lower value treats.
• It may be helpful to use a place mat, a special bed, or a towel so that the cat sees these things and realizes something good is going to happen as soon as they see the mat.
• Using Feliway during the process can help the cat feel more comfortable.  You can also use a Feliway diffuser in an outlet near the mat.
• This seems like a lot of work. The benefits are many fold.
  
• Teaching your cat to feel comfortable around their head will allow you to give your cat medications.
• Training your cat helps to build a trusting relationship.
• Hopefully your cat will always be healthy and not require medications. If however your cat should get sick, you will be comfortable medicating them AND your cat won't look at you as an adversary because you are doing something they don't like when they are feeling badly.