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My cat won't eat her medicine. How do I give her a large pill?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 11 lbs

How do I give my cat a doxycycline 50 mg capsule, the vet prescribed it, I give first dose mixed into food but he did not each much, do I pill him although the capsule looks big?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on February 22nd, 2021

If you can't get Sweetie to take the pill by pilling her or adding it to her food, you can buy a "pill gun" that is like a little syringe that you fill with water, and then hook the pill to the end of. This lets you place the pill in your cat's mouth, and then the squirt of water helps them to swallow it down immediately a little easier with less risk of fighting it or being bitten. This site has some more info about how to use a pill gun with a cat: https://cats.lovetoknow.com/Pill_Gun_for_Cat You can also search "pill" in our search bar if you'd like to see other general articles regrading pilling pets. If all else fails and Sweetie won't take the medication at all, or it is too dangerous to try and give it to her, I would contact your vet to see if the medication can be compounded into a liquid or different formulation through a pharmacy, or if a different medication that is easier to give can be given instead.

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