Kitten cold medicine

robotbebop

So I have to give my kitten this medicine for her cold. It's liquid so I have to give it to her with a syringe in her mouth. Is there an effective way to do this? I had to hold her on my lap and keep her front legs down but still be able to get her mouth to open. It was.... difficult. It doesn't help that it's 11:00pm now, which she has apparently designated as kitten-pyscho time.

So I'm thinking now that there has to be a better way. Does anybody have some technique to share?

Also, obligatory pic.

This is Helena. Named after Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam of Dune. She's about as vicious and cunning as the old witch too. I'm a big nerd, ok?

EDIT: Big image is big. Spoiler'd that shit.

Caramel Genocide

I always do it real quick-like. Hold the syringe in my left hand, all ready to go. Use my right hand (thumb and forefinger) to pry the jaw open, and whoosh! It usually happens before they know what's going on. Of course some cats won't stand for this at all, and this method can take a number of tries to perfect.

Also, that is a wonderfully awesome kitten.

edit: also make sure to hold the mouth closed for a few seconds after, to make sure they've got it all down

grim123

second person?
way easier if you have someone to hold her down for you

Lord Yod

My cat wouldn't give me any trouble if I just spent a few minutes scratching her ears first.

You could try mixing it with her food?

mts

depends on how it tastes

if the cat likes it squeeze out a litte so she can lick the syringe and then increase pressure to dispense. other wise jam it in the crook of their mouth and squeeze

the second tech helps if you are comfortable scruffing it

onceling

If you can't do this via food, sit on the couch with the cat facing forward parallel to your left leg, hook your left arm around the cat and pull him close to your thigh / hip. Your wrist should essentially be against the cat's neck, meaning his paws are trapped between your forearm and your leg if you need to apply pressure. Use your left hand to open his mouth, use your right hand for the syringe.

If the cat struggles, apply gentle pressure to trap him against your side, relax the pressure if he relaxes. Be persistent and firm.

Crashtard

Wrap it in a towel, insert medicine, squeeze. This how we've always done it with our cats. Great success!

MurphysParadox

My wife and I have been recently giving our cat medicine of the same kind. If you can't hold her (or she causes an inordinate amount of pain when you try), definitely go with the towel idea. As for actually giving it to her, my wife has found the best way is to press your finger and thumb against the sides of the mouth and then just squirt it in there (as caramel genocide says, but with a bit more specific detail).

Earlier, when she first had to have medicine, I had to deliver it solo. I attempted to shove the dealie into the side of her mouth, using it to pry open the jaws as well. This worked poorly compared to the above method.

Crashtard

The great thing about using a towel is that you can hold them still between your legs and have both hands free to give the medicine. The bad thing about using a towel is that when they see the towel the next time they know what's going on.