What can I do about my cat's ear drops?

March 18, 2008 4:31 PM

My kitten FREAKS OUT when I try to give him his ear drops. What should I do?

This is a follow up to this question. I have the ear drops [which are actually goo, not drops]. I'm supposed to give him SIX drops in each ear once a week. First of all, I don't really understand how large a "drop" is when the medicine is about the consistency of shampoo. Also, my cat claws and runs and freaks out. We have tried wrapping him in a towel, but he manages to claw his way out of the towel every time. He is surprisingly strong for a little kitten. It's gotten to a point where I think he might need to be tranquilized just to administer the drops.

As a side note, the vet had the same problem with him. He took a small piece of my belly skin out while trying to kill everyone in the room during his visit. So there doesn't seem to be a vet trick I can use to keep this one still.

Any ideas? The treatment is for ear mites. Should I call the vet and ask for an oral medication instead? Is there such a thing? I don't want my little guy to be miserable, but I don't want him to be demonic, either.

posted by starbaby to pets & animals (16 comments total)

See this vet's recommendations on restraining a cat.

Other ideas on restraint.
or
Get a restraint bag.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 4:42 PM on March 18, 2008

I wrap my cat in a towel. Like a burrito. Sounds odd, but the more snug he/she is, the less likely they are to even try to squirm. Good luck.
posted by Pecinpah at 4:50 PM on March 18, 2008

Have you tried administering them when the cat is sleeping? Also, Feliway makes a spray (Amazon Link) that might help chill your cat out. Good luck!
posted by Craig at 4:55 PM on March 18, 2008

Your cat won't get out of the towel if you wrap it tightly enough. Also, use the buddy system, one person wraps the cat (quickly), holds the cat down (quickly), and the other squirts the liquid (quickly). Don't spend forever counting...premeasure how much 6 drops is, and mark the dropper. Then you can just load and squirt. If it takes more than 2 seconds per ear, you're being way too picky. Once you get the technique down, you can have both ears done before the cat even realizes it's in a towel.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:55 PM on March 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh.. and are you keeping the drops in the refrigerator? You might want to warm them up first - my dog was much easier to medicate when I wasn't putting ice-cold liquid in his ears.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 4:57 PM on March 18, 2008

Well, I once watched my vet solve this same eardrop freakout problem with a cat of mine.....by taking kitty's rectal temperature at the same time.
So, try sticking a (non-breakable) thermometer in its butt?
Trust me, the expression on its face will be priceless.
(Kidding!)

Scratch kitty well and get it used to having its ears touched/probed without introducing the drops. When it's used to it, then start with the drops. Works the same for claw trimming - kitty ears and feet are sensitive, and they don't trust you messing with them at first. Get them to relax about you messing with those parts, that they're not going to die if you give them a wet willie, and then you can introduce the drops/clippers.
posted by bartleby at 5:01 PM on March 18, 2008

Be sure and give your kitty a treat afterwards -- something he'll really love. It may make him more willing to comply if he knows it's worth it.
posted by MrFongGoesToLunch at 5:07 PM on March 18, 2008

Try grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, too. (NOT picking him up by the scruff of the neck, but just grasping it when he is already on the floor or wrapped in a towel.) Apparently this is what the mother cat does and it calms them down. I did this with my adult cat when I had to give him eyedrops and it worked.
posted by bchaplin at 5:08 PM on March 18, 2008

Feed him his favourite treat every time you're done putting the drops in his ears. Eventually, he'll look forward to the treats and not mind the drops, though by that time the medication may be finished. This would be better for a daily thing than a weekly thing.
posted by Dasein at 5:19 PM on March 18, 2008

Well, I once watched my vet solve this same eardrop freakout problem with a cat of mine.....by taking kitty's rectal temperature at the same time. So, try sticking a (non-breakable) thermometer in its butt?Trust me, the expression on its face will be priceless.

[snarfs hot tea] Thanks, bartleby.

Any way the vet can give you a scrip for the liquidy-er kind? It's easier if it's not goo. Seconding tag-team approach to burritoing the kitten very firmly. She's tougher than she looks, obviously, she can take a little squashing.
posted by desuetude at 6:26 PM on March 18, 2008

Scratch kitty well and get it used to having its ears touched/probed without introducing the drops.

2nding that strongly. Start playing with kitty's ears on a regular basis, scratching them and massaging behind them, rubbing his chin, etc., while loving on him verbally as much as you can. Don't involve the medicine 9/10ths of the times you play with his ears.

This approach worked wonders with my cat when I had to start giving him thyroid medicine in his ears. He always liked getting his ears scratched, but he learned to be ok with the medicine because he knew he'd get lots of ear pleasure along with it.
posted by mediareport at 8:27 PM on March 18, 2008

Cat burrito: drop a towel over the kitten (leaving the head exposed), then pick the cat up and quickly wrap the cat up in the towel. Keep the towel tight and you'll be able to do the drops without any more bloodshed.

Scruffing may also work, but that leaves the claws exposed, and cats aren't as easy to scruff when they are older.
posted by baggers at 9:12 PM on March 18, 2008

Do the towel and the warmer drops, the buddy system if you can, and the treat.

Another good thing is to do it when the cat is in a sleepy or tired out mood, in the mood for petting, especially.

Then take the animal to a secluded corner where he can't really get away. I used a pillow on a box in the closet. Did a bunch of petting. Then the towel was more something complained of rather than violently protested. A kitten is tough because they are tiny and squirmy and flexible.

The towel technique has to be just right and hold on for dear life, especially hold the towel shut around the neck with one hand and hang onto those windmill paws under the towel with the other hand.

Say soothing and loving words, like you're apologizing for what you're doing.
posted by Listener at 10:00 PM on March 18, 2008

Not that this solves the longterm problem, but Revolution gets rid of ear mites. It's available OTC (at least here it is).
posted by unknowncommand at 10:22 PM on March 18, 2008

Nthing the buddy system and having the medicine measured and ready to squirt before even handling the cat. And I think the treat afterwards helps some too.

The only other thing I would suggest is holding the kitten firmly. It was hard for me to learn to do, because you don't want to hurt them. It's unlikely you will. In fact, it's less likely you will than if you don't hold them firmly. If you're hesitant restraining your animal, they will sense that and will not relax. And if they think they can escape, they will try.
posted by mealy-mouthed at 7:31 AM on March 19, 2008

And trim your kittys claws. :)

While he's still little get him used to you patting him and checking everything out while he snoozes. Makes sneaky maintenance a breeze. And it's really fucking handy for detecting ticks and othersuch concerns.

If you're trying to tip him over, don't. Let him stay on his feet.

Try 2 little syringes with pre-measured doses.
Ask for '2ml syringes' (and no you don't want any tips) at the chemist or wherever your local junkies might get them?

Then make note of what 4 drops looks like so from then on you can just suck up what you need rather than dicking around measuring out drops.

(Drop = push plunger in steadily and slowly (I wiggle too much so I would rest my hand in some manner to steady this) When it eventually falls - you gots a drop. The slow and steady is what gives you even, more accurate results.)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 4:50 PM on March 19, 2008