I’ll share my technique
- Control the back of the head with your off hand. At first by gripping a handful of the scruff of their neck, later just by cupping the back of their head once they’re used to it
- With your main hand, get a little slippery on your index and thumb and grip the pill between them
- Put your main hand palm up under their jaw and tip their head back with it.
- Use your middle finger to press on the side of the mouth, near the corner. Their mouth will open.
- Your thumb and index should be in position to flip into their mouth with a twist of the wrist while keeping that middle finger in place.
- Squirt the pill from your slippery fingers with a pinching action. This will shoot the pill back into their throat if executed well.
- Use your palm to close their mouth, keeping their head tilted back until they swallow.
This should all be done in a pretty smooth quick motion. Cats can understand some human language if you talk to them regularly, so I talk them through what I’m doing each time. If they spit it out, I just pick it up and repeat while telling them they have to swallow. My cats are all used to it now and take their pills without incident.