There are
pill guns that will allow you to get a pill down without losing a finger. I linked one of several styles that are on Amazon. To be honest, I've always scruffed my kitty, tilted the head back, and shoved the pill down their throat followed by a squirt of water or food to get everything down. I tried pill pockets with Gabby. That worked for a bit until there was a really bitter pill and she wouldn't go near pill pockets again.
Another trick is to put a pill in an empty capsule. You can get blank capsules online. The capsules tend to go down a bit easier and if you have to give multiple pills, you can often get them in one capsule.
If the antibiotic is. upsetting Smokey's stomach, a probiotic will help. You just need to separate when you give them by about an hour. Antibiotics can do the same thing to humans and probiotics work for us, as well. You use about 1/4 of a capsule for your kitty.