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Giving cat eye drops
- Thread starter paulsc
- Start Date
Is this a tame or feral cat? (The rules are a bit different ...)
Assuming tame:
1. Have you tried a "kitty burrito?" Wrap the cat in a towel or
small blanket so only the face is exposed. This keeps the cat
from clawing or running, and limits struggle so one person can
hold.
2. Have you explained to her what you are doing, and why? I
truly believe that they understand much, if not all, of what we say
to them. Tell her what the drops are for, why she needs them,
how they'll help her, and that you know she doesn't like it, but your
job is to keep her safe and well, and this is something that you
need to do for her.
3. Does the other cat take them better? If so, ask your vet about
mixing a safe saline solution that you can drop into the other cat's
eye while the cat who needs the drops can see. Cats really do learn
from one another -- and if she sees that the other cats gets
love and maybe a treat after the drops, and nothing bad happens ...
well, she may get the idea.
4. Note the bit about the treat after the dose. That's important!
Spoonful of sugar ...
5. Are you doing this at the same time each day. Cats are really
creatures of habit -- and even something they don't like gets easier
if it's routine.
If you're dealing with a feral cat, you might want to pop over to the
appropriate board for that and ask there. I just jumped into the world
of caring for ferals a month ago, and cannot in anyway consider myself
able to give advice! In fact, you'll see in my thread "T&T" that I'm asking
about giving drops to my feral!
Good luck!
Carol
Assuming tame:
1. Have you tried a "kitty burrito?" Wrap the cat in a towel or
small blanket so only the face is exposed. This keeps the cat
from clawing or running, and limits struggle so one person can
hold.
2. Have you explained to her what you are doing, and why? I
truly believe that they understand much, if not all, of what we say
to them. Tell her what the drops are for, why she needs them,
how they'll help her, and that you know she doesn't like it, but your
job is to keep her safe and well, and this is something that you
need to do for her.
3. Does the other cat take them better? If so, ask your vet about
mixing a safe saline solution that you can drop into the other cat's
eye while the cat who needs the drops can see. Cats really do learn
from one another -- and if she sees that the other cats gets
love and maybe a treat after the drops, and nothing bad happens ...
well, she may get the idea.
4. Note the bit about the treat after the dose. That's important!
Spoonful of sugar ...
5. Are you doing this at the same time each day. Cats are really
creatures of habit -- and even something they don't like gets easier
if it's routine.
If you're dealing with a feral cat, you might want to pop over to the
appropriate board for that and ask there. I just jumped into the world
of caring for ferals a month ago, and cannot in anyway consider myself
able to give advice! In fact, you'll see in my thread "T&T" that I'm asking
about giving drops to my feral!
Good luck!
Carol
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2005
- Messages
- 108
- Purraise
- 1
we just adopted ruby and roxy, and both needed eye drops. we're on week 3 with one more to go over here, so i feel your pain.
do you spend time with the kitty when you don't have the drops in your hand? i find that our two VERY timid kitties respond better when dh & i have loved on them for a while before even assuming the position to give the drops.
treats are a big hit afterward. as are more pets and strokes.
easier said than done, i know.
i've got to say, the "kitty burrito" sounds good in theory and in the vet's office, but it does NOT work on these 2 at home.
we don't pick them up to administer the eye drops. we hold them on the ground or on the bed, wherever they happen to be, between legs so they can't back up. one of us holds kitty's chin up, and the other spreads the eye open and drops. they try to backpedal to get away and can't go anywhere because they have my legs blocking them. so far, no scratches.
good luck to you.
do you spend time with the kitty when you don't have the drops in your hand? i find that our two VERY timid kitties respond better when dh & i have loved on them for a while before even assuming the position to give the drops.
treats are a big hit afterward. as are more pets and strokes.
easier said than done, i know.
i've got to say, the "kitty burrito" sounds good in theory and in the vet's office, but it does NOT work on these 2 at home.
good luck to you.
I had to put ointment in my kitten's eye and give him pills. I took the treat bag out so he knew that they were coming. Then I would burrito him and give the ointment and the pills and right after give him treats. It got so that I would shake the treat bag and he would come running. So he got to associate pills and ointment with treats.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 1,418
- Purraise
- 11
after the burrito made the cat crazier than the drops, I found I could just wedge her between my knees on the floor and hold her head with one and, and hold the eye open and do the drops with the other hand, since she was't restained it went faster. but i admit its agony having to do it 3 times a day for ten days. Mine got so when the treat can came out she knew the eye stuff coming soon after and she'd leave the room right away.
but once her eye infection cleared up she liked me more than ever. it was a weird bonding time.
but once her eye infection cleared up she liked me more than ever. it was a weird bonding time.
I had a pet kitty that needed eye drops a few years ago. She did not react well to them. It seemed like it was causing her pain. I spoke to the vet about it and he told me the drops can sting so he switched her to an ointment. I had no trouble with the ointment. I believe she was so unhappy and fighting because the drops hurt her.
