As someone who also has cats and a dog, I can relate to you...cats seem to have a built in defense mechanism that makes them suspicious that everyone is out to poison them or something! I read a funny little joke (?) awhile back about cats and dogs and pills. Perhaps you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did. (Hope your arm heals quickly).

Here is a link that might be useful: cats, dogs, and pills

Well, my other arm is shredded now as we tackled Henry, the 21 pounder and he howled and screamed the whole time which was 5 seconds. Does this stuff hurt or sting? I obviously need a new plan of attack. These five cats are not in the slightest aggressive to anyone. All are lap cats who turn nuts when it's Frontline time.

lily, are your cats indoor only?

I have cats who have what I like to call their "feral" streak. It only comes out when you need to do something to them. Then all bets are off.

One way to come up on cats to put medication like that is to get them while they are sleeping. I walk up on them, grab their scruff, put the med on and before they know it, it's over. You have to be quick and can't worry about not getting the medicine on 100% acurately. I just wiggle the tip into the fur and don't worry about seperating it to put the med.

To help control fleas for the outside cats that are feral I put Program pills in their food and it helps to control the flea population that way.

Brutuses..That's a real good idea about grabbing when they're sleeping which is 90% of their day. I got Henry at the food dish. He never passes up the pouring of cat food. All five are strictly indoors and never have been outside except for one. She was pregnant and wandered in my yard about 7 years ago. I ended up fostering her and her three kittens which were born under a neighbors porch. I kept her and her daughter and the boys went to the same home. Two of my cats were here since they were three weeks old and the other two, about 4 months old. Schoolbelle, I think cats have a distinct sense something's up which dogs don't have. Henry was "reading"me well. He was sniffing the air and squinting his eyes.

I have to pill a big fat cat everyday and she hates it. Now I buy Friskies party mix(not to get her fatter)but as a compromise. I put a few on the couch and her eyes never leave the treats so I pill fast and then she devours the treats. She's on the pills all summer and last summer she was on to me and started hiding at pill time. She loves these treats so much, she doesn't hide anymore (although a little reluctant). All the cats come running if I just touch the bag. I use the bag noise to get one up from the cellar.

My male cat is like lightening and it's an entire workout or a big psych game just trying to catch him. I see that same squinty eye look when I try to do the treat trick. Luckly the fat one needs the meds.

I had to give frontline to my cats years ago, and they were fine. I don't think it hurts them to have it applied. However, you'd think I'm trying to kill them when I go to trim their claws!

Cats..you gotta love them..Funny stories. Thank heavens I don't need to bathe them. Since they're always indoors and take very good care of themselves, it isn't necessary. I think it would be all but impossible bathing the two fat ones. Henry is SO strong. The dog isn't wild about his baths but stands very sweetly and stoically and never tries to bolt.

The first time we had to pill Muddy it was a nightmare- hard to believe how much strength is in a little cat when it is mad! For the last couple of years she's gotten at least 1 pill a day and it's gotten much better with time. I think she finally realized it was inevitable that the pill was going to get done. She still occasionally has a day when she will fight a bit.

I swear by those pill syringes that have the little jaws at the end that hold the pill, but they are so hard to find.

Speaking of baths though... last year when my Gus kitty developed some skin problems we had to bathe him. He surprised me by being very cooperative. We put minimal water in the tub and put a towel down for him to stand on. He was a big orange tabby and he looked so cute after he dried, his fur was so soft and so fluffed out!

Both of our cats especially hated having those flea medications put on their necks. I suspect the smell may be very offensive.

There seem to be no more fleas around here now, so I no longer give Frontline, but the cats get constipated so easily that I have to give them Laxatone several times a week. The female has to be done first, or she seems to smell the stuff and then I can't catch her for hours. When I do, I am successful in getting it into her mouth, but the male cat has all sorts of maneuvers that somehow leave half of the Laxatone outside his mouth, usually all over my fingers. Then he usually sulks for several hours.

I loved that funny story about giving cats and dogs pills! Thanks, Schoolbelle.

That WAS a hilarious story. I've read variations of it before and some parts ring very true.

I had to give one of my cats an antibiotic pill twice a day for 2 weeks. My vet showed me a simple way to do it. He kneeled on the floor and had my cat between his knees, opened his mouth, popped the pill in my cat's mouth as far back as possible, then used an eye dropper with some water, and then gave it a little squirt right in the side of his mouth - my cat swallowed the pill with the water. Not much water - just a little to wash down the pill.