If you own a cat, you already know how hard it is to get the little beggar to do anything he or she doesn't want to, and that includes taking medicine! Pills and capsules are a particular problem - it's almost impossible to get a cat to swallow a pill, so your only option is to crush it to powder and hide it in the cat's food. Cats have a good sense of smell, so you may have to hide it in a stinky treat, like salmon, for example.

If your cat is too smart for you, you could try getting your vet to prepare the medicine in a liquid form that the cat can't detect. Never forget that you can never count on a cat getting hungry - most cats have several houses in the street to 'stock up on' if the main home food dispensary starts playing up! Why only the other day, Woohoo brought home this fine cat - how could I possibly not feed him too?!

I'm against the use of plastic tubes to force the medicine down your cat's throat. You can traumatize the little fella if you do this - he almost certainly won't want to be your friend for days afterwards! No matter how sophisticated the tube (and some have 'launch mechanisms' etc), your cat will struggle, and this won't be fun.

In an absolute emergency (for example, when you know your cat has eaten something poisonous, and there is no time to call the vet) there is one guaranteed technique that could save your cat's life. I repeat, NEVER use this technique except in dire emergencies. Pick your cat up by the scruff of the neck and angle the cat's head backwards making his mouth face upwards. This is how mummy cats pick up kittens, and they have a reflex to temporary immobility in this position. You can then drop the medication straight down the cat's throat. The cat's usual reaction will be to swallow, although watch out for the cat breathing in - you don't want to pour it down his airways! Once swallowed, you can gently let the cat down. Remember to give her lots of strokes and treats after this kind of thing, because it is kind of traumatic for the cat (and the owner!).

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