Eye drops for a cat

WeAreGhosts

does anyone have any tips for getting drops into my cat's eyes? i have googled it but there's pictures of cats being perfectly still and having their eyes held open but my cat's just a horror!

we can't use anything to contain her - like a towel - because she absolutely freaks out, so we're holding her but she is such a wriggle bum and starts lashing out and she fell backwards off a table today.

any ideas?

no1catman

We gave up !!


We noticed that there was a brown small lump - in human terms what I would call 'sleepy dust'.
Moreover the eye seemed a bit weak. Mentioned it to the vet - time for her 'injections', who gave her another one, and gave us a small container of the 'eye-drops' to administer - oh boy!


Seemed pointless trying when she's alert, so tried when she was all curled up, brought the nozzle over her head - so she couldn't see it approaching, a gentle smooth to open the eyes, nozzle down and gentle squeeze. Only problem - supposed to do both.
And, 'next time' impossible - too suspicious!!


Don't know what she'll be like after Monday - having dental work - extractions (the cat not me).

WeAreGhosts

oh no! trouble is the vet can do it alright - albeit with a bit of growling and hissing - but with us she just goes manic. she has conjunctivitis so i'm afraid we can't give up
best of luck on Monday

Revel

We've just finished treating one of our cats for conjunctivitis. We found putting her on a worksurface made her a good height to hold and put the drops in. Plus she can't go backwards because of the wall. I stood at the end of the worksurface and clutched her to me trying to hold body & legs! My OH stood at the front of the worksurface facing the cat, and held her head and kept her eye open with one hand whilst squeezing in the drop with the other. Easier said than done, I know.

She became very wary of us if we were both in the kitchen at the same time!! Sometimes I had to trick her to come in with rattling her food bowl.

chocdonuty

I found it best to give mollies when she was sat like a human inbetween my legs, luckily she doesn't scratch just tries to push her way out so it was over nice and quick, although an extra pair of hands wouls have been helpful, one to hold, one to apply the drops.

ineed

We had to give our previous cat eye drops, not nice . We copied the vet and OH just held the back of her neck while someone else did the drops, it made her go completely still.

Azmataz

Is it a creamy consistency drop medication, like fucithalmic? If so, you could try applying it indirectly via your ring finger and gently wiping it across the affected eye. Sometimes it fools them!

WeAreGhosts

At the moment we're putting her on a table, but will try somewhere higher like the worktop

She isnt a lap cat and won't get on knees at all.

it's completely runny, like water. so it comes out of the tube easily, but then if we do get it anywhere near her eye she shakes and it comes flying out!

we had the vet put some in yesterday and even he said it was difficult, so we are leaving it off in the hope it clears up itself [which i didn't know it could, thought it always needed treating] & we've to keep checking in case it gets worse.

heaven knows what we would do if she ever got something serious. the vets dread her going in cos she goes crazy

ElusiveLucy

I have one cat who only now has one eye but she was as good as gold with eye drops. T

he other one would be a complete nightmare, I can't even really pick her up, so I do sympathise. I think the suggestion of holding her by the scruff of the neck is a good one. It does feel a bit nasty at first but it is instinctive that they freeze as it is how their mother carried them as a kitten. Could be worth a try.