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Hi All, Please forgive the addition of yet another SubQ fluids line of questions. Please forgive the long email, but I want to lay out all that we've done for efficiency's sake.
Our cat is named Weena. She weighs a little over 6 lbs and is about 11 years old (rescued). She's been diagnosed with CRF and needs 200 ml of subQ fluids (lactated ringers) once a week. Weena has been in our family for 8 years. She's a demonstrative snuggler. Recently, we've discovered that she's also a direct descendant of Houdini.
It was good to read about Aussie and and to hear all of your comments and suggestions for how to administer subQfluids to an "aggressive" cat. Weena is not aggressive. She's never bitten or scratched us. Recently however, she is a spring-loaded contortionist.The first time she got fluids was at the vet. I learned to tent her skin at the scruff of her neck and to be sure the needle was not between skin layers (painful). Weena is terrified at the vet and is fairly docile compared her persona at home. For two weeks we gave her fluids at home, fairly successfully (with brushing, which she loves, and calm talking). The third time we tried to give her fluids, she rebelled. I took her back to the vet and learned the towel wrap restraint method. It worked well - for the vet tech.
Our problem is that Weena struggles - acrobatically - when we try to give her fluids. We clip her claws, warm the fluids (tested against the inside of my wrist until slightly warmer than my skin), hand the bag from a cabinet handle about 24 inches above the counter surface where we have a anti-slip rug and soft towel, wrap her (in her towel) and tuck her into the crook of our elbow. We have two sets of hands at our disposal (though she still out manuevers us!) It's bad enough that she yowls as if we're killing her well before we have even removed the cover on the needle (!), but it's her kicking, bucking, jerking and squirming that allow her to wrestle free of all of our towel wraps and make it nearly impossible to get the needle (size 18) into her. If we are lucky enough to get the needle into her scruff, she almost always dislodges it with a very effective backwards head jerk that she's developed in the last two sessions.
We've given her fluids at home 6 times, and twice (first and second-to-last) at the vet. When does she learn that this is worth her while??? I am considering a "cat sack" but wonder if she'll just turn circles within it (is it like a straight-jacket or just a bag?). I'm wondering if there is a way to vet-wrap her front legs together and her back legs together (with padding between?), but this seems horrible and will certainly freak her out more and isn't likely to control the head jerking needle-dislodging trick. Our vet says Weena is in the early stages of CRF, so subQ fluids will be a long term process, likely to get more frequent. We don't know what to do. We don't want to take her to the vet every week for her fluids.
Help!
Our cat is named Weena. She weighs a little over 6 lbs and is about 11 years old (rescued). She's been diagnosed with CRF and needs 200 ml of subQ fluids (lactated ringers) once a week. Weena has been in our family for 8 years. She's a demonstrative snuggler. Recently, we've discovered that she's also a direct descendant of Houdini.
It was good to read about Aussie and and to hear all of your comments and suggestions for how to administer subQfluids to an "aggressive" cat. Weena is not aggressive. She's never bitten or scratched us. Recently however, she is a spring-loaded contortionist.The first time she got fluids was at the vet. I learned to tent her skin at the scruff of her neck and to be sure the needle was not between skin layers (painful). Weena is terrified at the vet and is fairly docile compared her persona at home. For two weeks we gave her fluids at home, fairly successfully (with brushing, which she loves, and calm talking). The third time we tried to give her fluids, she rebelled. I took her back to the vet and learned the towel wrap restraint method. It worked well - for the vet tech.
Our problem is that Weena struggles - acrobatically - when we try to give her fluids. We clip her claws, warm the fluids (tested against the inside of my wrist until slightly warmer than my skin), hand the bag from a cabinet handle about 24 inches above the counter surface where we have a anti-slip rug and soft towel, wrap her (in her towel) and tuck her into the crook of our elbow. We have two sets of hands at our disposal (though she still out manuevers us!) It's bad enough that she yowls as if we're killing her well before we have even removed the cover on the needle (!), but it's her kicking, bucking, jerking and squirming that allow her to wrestle free of all of our towel wraps and make it nearly impossible to get the needle (size 18) into her. If we are lucky enough to get the needle into her scruff, she almost always dislodges it with a very effective backwards head jerk that she's developed in the last two sessions.
We've given her fluids at home 6 times, and twice (first and second-to-last) at the vet. When does she learn that this is worth her while??? I am considering a "cat sack" but wonder if she'll just turn circles within it (is it like a straight-jacket or just a bag?). I'm wondering if there is a way to vet-wrap her front legs together and her back legs together (with padding between?), but this seems horrible and will certainly freak her out more and isn't likely to control the head jerking needle-dislodging trick. Our vet says Weena is in the early stages of CRF, so subQ fluids will be a long term process, likely to get more frequent. We don't know what to do. We don't want to take her to the vet every week for her fluids.
Help!
What are some very, very, very special treats that Weena just loves? I have special treats and only give them when one of my cats needs medicine, fluids, etc. Believe me, they learn to give in and accept the procedure if they know that treat is coming. You can also practice wrap her without giving fluids. Get her used to the wrapping by treating her. Hopefully she is a snuggler and loves attention because that will be in your favor here. I know it is so hard to have to "manhandle" them but it must be done. Talk soothingly to her, stay very calm. tell her what you are needing to do, tell her this is what she needs to get used too. I know this is hard, for sure. I dread the day if/when a couple of mine will need fluids as they age. Some cats are just going to give you a battle each and every time. You could also consider giving her something to relax her in the initial stages of this procedure - the fluids. Ask the vet. If she learns that it will not hurt her, she will learn to relax and accept that this is part of her life right now. I hope this helps some. 
