74 DISEASES OF CATS 



drug is at all nauseous^ or in the f pod if prac- 

 tical where the drug is tasteless or better still 

 where possible by hypodermic injection. Alka- 

 loidal medication is ideal in feline patients 

 owing to the small bulk of the dose, the cer- 

 tainty of action and the ease of administration. 

 PiUs and capsiiles are best administered by 

 means of a pill gun as by this method the oper- 

 ator runs no risk of being bitten or the patient 

 of being injured during the process. 



Fluids are best avoided where possible; 

 where used they should be given by means of a 

 small syringe, administered slowly and deliv-' 

 ered in small quantities at a time well on the 

 back of the tongue. In large cats the cheek 

 may be pouched in the same manner as in the 

 dog but in small cats and kittens this method 

 is not practical, usually resulting in bitten fin- 

 gers and the loss of the dose. 



Where it is desirable to administer the 

 medicament in liquid form to large cats the 

 dose should be regulated so as to be of as small 

 a quantity as possible, except, of course, where 

 irritant drugs are used, in which case they must 

 be properly diluted to avoid irritation of the 

 buccal mucous membrane. The medicine being 

 already placed in a teaspoon, syringe or other 

 convenient receptacle, the animal's mouth is 

 closed, either by an assistant holding the jaws 



