Pill plunger recommendation!

[Mischief]

I've been pilling cats for close to 50 years, and have become what I considered to be pretty good at it. Lately, though, either my skills have deteriorated or I currently have an unusually high percentage of devil cats to medicate.

I just bought this from Amazon for $4.69 (I chose this one over cheaper brands based on the reviews and my experience with this particular brand):
Kruuse Buster Pet Pill/Tablet Syringe with Soft Tip

After a few days of using this item, I'm very pleased with this product. I've used this product on four cats, twice daily, and each of the pills has gone down on the first try, including with a notorious I'll-hold-this-in-my-mouth-and-spit-it-out-later cat.

 

[Calliegirl]

I never thought of using one, this could be useful. Thanks.

 

[KLS52]

I bought one a while back but I've yet to use it. I'm afraid because I'm not really sure how to do it. I don't think the one I have is exactly like this one though.

 

[Mischief]

This one has two slits in the soft rubber tip at the front. I pull the plunger back and insert the pill in the front of the tip. (That's the reason for the slits in the tip.)

You know the "sweet spot" on either side of a cat's jaw - near the end of the lip line? It's where you exert pressure with your fingers to get them to open their mouths? With several of the cats I'm medicating, I just have to nudge the tip of the "syringe" against that spot, and they open their mouths wide enough to get the tip in. With the others, I still have to use some pressure on the sweet spots to get them to open their mouths.

One of the advantages to this device is that you don't have to get the mouth open very far - just far enough to get the syringe in. I aim it, diagonally, toward the back of the mouth and depress the plunger suddenly. That's it.

 

[Tom L.]

Sounds like just the sort of thing I will need if/when I start fostering cats. I feel like such a klutz sometimes when I'm trying to do such basic things for my animals- and they haven't been Cats From Hell or Monty Python Killer Rabbits, either!! (I'd post that last sentence in the Gripe Thread, but I already did that.)