Administering Eyedrops

January 12, 2005 12:43 AM

CatFilter: How can one person restrain a cat in order to put eye drops in the cat's eyes? Without inujuring the cat or person, of course.
posted by Fat Guy to Pets & Animals (20 answers total)

Wrap him/her in a tightly in a towel/pillow case so that only their head is sticking out, place them on their back on your lap to administer the drops if they are pretty placid otherwise put them between your knees to free your hands. That usually does the trick.
posted by squeak at 1:08 AM on January 12, 2005

Swaddle your cat securely in a towel, to keep claws contained, and gently brace the cat with your eye-dropper arm while the cat is in your lap. (Basically, sit upright and curl your body around the cat.) Use your other hand to hold the cat's eye open, and work fast!
posted by caitlinb at 1:09 AM on January 12, 2005

what everyone else said
posted by damnitkage at 3:53 AM on January 12, 2005

Perhaps more difficult for eye drop administration, but I have to administer ear drops to a cranky old dog, and I do the wrap in a towel (actually a sweatshirt, because he likes that and associates towels with baths which would be bad juju) but I also employ a distraction -- in this particular dog's case, the Badger Badger Badger flash animation. Do you have a window that the cat likes to sit by, or a fish tank? That might help.
posted by Dreama at 5:35 AM on January 12, 2005

Sometimes it helps to have two people. When we had to do that I'd hold the cat (in a towel, as suggested), making sure she didn't get too squirmy, try to pet her and keep her calm (fat chance there), while my husband kept one hand on her head to steady it, and did the drops with the other.
posted by Kellydamnit at 5:38 AM on January 12, 2005

I like to grab the cat, flip it on it's back, put it's ass in the crook of my right elbow with it's feet sitcking up, grab it's front legs with my right hand and support it's body with my left arm. I find I can do anything I want with my right hand (eye drops, pills, etc...) with ease as long as I had it ready first. The cat will usually nto realize what you're doing until you're done, and then they just give you that "What, fuck?" face for about an hour.
posted by jon_kill at 5:56 AM on January 12, 2005

Have two people. One cuddles and reassures the cat, the other does the nasty business as fast as possible. Take turns being the 'nasty' one who administers the drops.

Oh, and don't let the cat see the drops bottle before you're completely ready to start squirting, otherwise it'll realise what you're about to do and head for the hills before you have a chance to grab it. A sneak attack with the element of surprise is what you're aiming for.
posted by talitha_kumi at 6:00 AM on January 12, 2005

If your cat is particularly crazy, you may need a light sedative. Ace (Acepromazine) worked well for us when we had to bathe our 15-lb cat, who had long hair and actually needed a monthly bath. Just makes them a little stupid and docile, and doesn't last for too long.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:29 AM on January 12, 2005

I'd second the drugging recommendation. Cats are wiley critters with sharp talons of death. Also, they have a keen ability to back out of a good hold by squishing their body up. jon_mc's suggestion is pretty funny.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:41 AM on January 12, 2005

I recently went through this with a large, vicious velocicat. I've found that if you sneak-up on it while it's sleeping you can get one eye done before it knows it doesn't like what you're doing. The other eye is a struggle. For a time, I considered alternating eyes, and applying twice a day, but I think in the end I decided it was less traumatic for both of us (me and the cat) to just get it done with.
posted by cosmonaught at 7:23 AM on January 12, 2005

Get yourself one of these. I have one cat that's a complete terror when it comes to medications. This thing does a good job of safely restraining the little guy while you get the job done. (In addition, you can zip/unzip the holes for the legs and tail, which makes it great for trimming nails, etc.)
posted by lilboo at 8:18 AM on January 12, 2005

Also, for some reason, the bag has a calming effect if it's on the snug side. I can't explain it, but it's true for my larger cat especially.
posted by lilboo at 8:20 AM on January 12, 2005

One cat we had would happily submit to just about anything, including eye drop administration (and he was prone to eye infections), if he was expecting a particularly wonderful treat afterwards (in his case bonito flakes). He only needed to make the connection once - eye drops = bonito flakes, and he'd calmly wait for his medication and then race to the cabinet containing the treats. Unfortunately he was an exception and other cats I've had never could figure it out or the treat just wasn't wonderful enough. So I used the wrap-in-towel method for them.
posted by TimeFactor at 8:50 AM on January 12, 2005

My cat is a ninja and the towel thing doesn't work for her. She would laugh in the face of the Klaw Kontrol Bag that lilboo posted, and I'm sure she thinks that cat in the photo is a mind-controlled cat robot or else a dog in disguise. One time at the vet's they tried to restrain her in a similar bag, and it took 1 vet and 3 techs to hold her down just to clip her claws.

For a humor break, you may want to read Cat Bathing as a Martial Art (old, I know, but some may not have seen it).
posted by matildaben at 8:51 AM on January 12, 2005

Also, it helps to even the odds if you do the deed in a room where they can't hide under the furniture if they escape. We medicate our cats in the living room (they can't get under the couch) and close the doors to the other rooms. The bathroom, with the door closed, is another alternative.
posted by lola at 9:38 AM on January 12, 2005

No no no no. You don't need drugs, and you don't need the towel unless your cat is really freaked.

You have the thumbs. Let your cat know that. Cats respect power and superiority. Pick them up like of course it's the most natural thing for you to be doing.

Just let them know you're in charge. Growl at them a little if it will help.
posted by geekhorde at 12:18 PM on January 12, 2005

Geekhorde,
Cats respect their own power and superiority; humans who deign to think they are in charge when there is bare flesh exposed will be likely to loose their thumbs. If this was not the case, then they would be dogs.

I second the two person, tightly wrapped towel, cradle like a football approach. Then lots of grovelling and apologies afterwards so you don't get the cat revenge treatment (in my house, this is the really scary stuff).
posted by dness2 at 4:08 PM on January 12, 2005

Uh, we have thumbs, and cats have claws. So, contain those if possible, and try to keep the whole thing low-stress. Drugging our cat was way easier on him and us - he didn't really remember the bath or any hygenic or medical maintenance -- no revenge treatment, and everyone has fewer scratch marks, mental scars, and guilty complexes. YMMV.
posted by Medieval Maven at 4:23 PM on January 12, 2005

Just a thought, but don't cats sort of "relax" when you pick them up by the scruff of their neck? I've read that when mother cats pick up their young a natural sedative (or something) is released which partially incapacitates the kittens as they're moved. Granted it's probably not the most comfortable or humane thing an owner can do for their feline, but what else can you do when the thing's hissing and spitting fiery death?
posted by riffraff at 7:34 PM on January 12, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks everybody for the good advice!
posted by Fat Guy at 2:56 AM on January 13, 2005