Come here and take your medicine (cat thread) Updated new problem

Hevach

I have a bottle from the vet that I have to put several drops of in each of my cat's ears twice a day for two weeks.

So far, this daily ritual has involved ambushing him during playtime and squirting one ear, then chasing him around until he runs into the bathroom, then locking us both in and wrestling him with a towel until I manage to force the other ear. This results in medicine all over the fucking house and all over me (it smells like cherries), and seems to get minimal doses actually in his ears. There's got to be a better way, right?

Aurin

What I do to get ear medicine in my cat...

1. Pet kitty, love kitty.
2. Squat over kitty, on your knees, get rear of kitty held by the cat running into your feet.
3. Sit on kitty just enough so that he can't move, hold scruff of neck with one hand.
4. Squirt medicine, rub ears, then release.

Hope that helps.

Hevach

Yeah, I tried that way. Almost lost a finger. He mauled the vet during the demonstration. "It's ok, he'll be more calm when you try it." It works for the first ear, up until the "rub ear" part, which is where he goes ballistic.

Aurin

Hmm... well, my cats don't fight too much when I do it that way, mainly because they can't move. Not sure how else you could do it short of wrapping him up in a towel and sitting on him, since it's harder for the cat to shake his head.

Ripsaw

Take your cat and put it up on a table or counter where you can comfortably lean over.
Put the cat on the counter facing your non dominant hand.
With your dominant hand on the back of the skull, push gently downwards with your forearm.
The cat will press all four limbs down onto the surface to try to push back.
Pin the cat to the counter with your forearm and squirt both ears. It won't be able to move.
Count to three, release and run.

Works on people too. I learned this from a vet. You can tilt the cat's head upwards.
Once the mouth is facing upwards you can lower the jaw and he can't bite you.

Or try the towel trick.

Shark_MegaByte

Keep varying your tactics until you find one that seems to work. It took me a while to get the hang of feeding my cat liquid meds.

Another thing you could try is loading some drops into a syringe to get a couple inches of range, and ambush him when he's napping. Cats are hard to sneak up on, but he doesn't need to know you've got the drops until the last second.

Fallingman

I know it sounds silly - but calm soothing tones will help as well. Even when they're scratching you. The cat's just scared and over time it'll realise you're not hurting it.

Rethius

When you say wrestling with a towel, you mean making the cat burrito right? Roll him up in it so it's just his head poking out the end, that way he can't move and you're free to medicate him as you will.

When he gets out he's gonna be madder than shit though. When I did it to my cat the medicine was usually in by then and it was funny to see him tear around the house in a silent rage.

YamiNoSenshi

If you're keeping the drops in the fridge, make sure you take them out and warm them up somehow before administering them. If they're room temperature, the cat is less likely to freak out than if they're cold. What I did was I would take the drops with me and leave them on the sink when I took a hot shower.

Also, after you've given him the drops a few times, he might learn what the bottle looks like, so you need to hide it somehow while you're approaching him. I know my cat would let me approach/pet/whatever, but if he saw that little white bottle in my hand: ZOOM! under the bed.

Deathwing

If they're room temperature, the cat is less likely to freak out than if they're cold. What I did is I would take the drops with me and leave them on the sink when I took a hot shower.

Hmm, i'll have to see if this helps with applying flea medicine also - my cats are relatively okay till the liquid soaks all the way to their skin, then it's into OMG WTF mode for a while.

When you say wrestling with a towel, you mean making the cat burrito right? Roll him up in it so it's just his head poking out the end, that way he can't move and you're free to medicate him as you will.

Yeah, this will usually work for getting them in a cat carrier also, if you do it quickly and toss them in - it's probably the only we'll be able to get our boy into one for a while, after he spent a couple hours in the car with my wife trying and failing (ice storm + ungodly traffic) to get to the vet last winter.

He turned into a ball of furry orange rage the next time after that......Kinda like this, except with my arm instead of zombies :P

Usagi

Rethius wrote: »

cat burrito

I second this. Wrap him up tight in a big towel so he can't hurt you or himself - sure he'll be pissed at the end of it but at least you'll have all your fingers.

EggyToast

Yes, cat burrito and do it when he's sleepy, not during playtime. Playtime means "ha ha he's chasing me gotta run gotta run oh he's got me aah gotta get away ha i got away ok gotta keep going oh no the bathroom he's gonna get me again aah"

Sleepytime is "huh what i was sleeping oh hi purrrrr hey what's that in my ea- oh man gross"

Hevach

Managed to get through the two weeks. The problem with Loki is that he's still fairly young, so he can go from sleep mode to full hyper destroy the house playtime mode in the time it takes me to find his ear.

Anyway, the ear washing is past. I had a follow up vet visit, and he's acting very strange now. He's viciously defensive, hissing and growling if I come near him. I've given him all the space I can, but he's set up shop in the kitchen, so I do have to pass him to get a drink of water occasionally.

I moved his bowls into the kitchen near him and put the lights out. I don't think they sedated him, but they've had to in the past to get him to sit still for an exam - could he be groggy from something they gave him, or just pissed at me for taking him for another car ride?

Ripsaw

I think he's pissed. Wait till morning. Mine (all five, especially one) growl, but they won't attack.

You should really try the arm-pin thing. Much less trauma involved, for both of you.

Aurora Borealis

What did they do to him at the vet? He may be cranky because he's still in pain. When my cat came back from getting spayed, she swiped at me if I got near her, then only swiped at me if I put a hand anywhere near her belly. She just didn't want me touching anything that still hurt. Seemed reasonable enough to me... she was bad to her normal cuddly self in a few days.

Hevach

Follow up on the ear infection and annual checkup. He's just started moving around the living room now, and I think they sedated him, because he's acting drunk - clumsy, disoriented, and very easily spooked. I couldn't be sure before, since he's barely moved since I got him home.

Aurora Borealis

Yeah, that sounds like a drugged up kitty to me. Just keep an eye on him, he'll be okay once they're out of his system. Although he may still be mad at you for a while. Don't leave any laundry on the floor.