Any tips on getting ear drops into my cat

Podge52

My cat has ear mites and I need to get ear drops in her ears. She doesn't like being handled and won't sit still while I try to get them in.

She struggles that much that I'm frightened of hurting her or stressing her out too much.

Any ideas?

paddypaws101

Don't some of the flea spot on treatments also cover earmites? Advantage?

Podge52

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Don't some of the flea spot on treatments also cover earmites? Advantage?

Thanks. I never thought of that. she has had them once before and when I took her to the vet she gave me ear drops. The vet put the ear drops in for me and luckily that one application did the trick.

missbiggles1

Wrap her in a large towel.

paddypaws101

Warm the drops prior to application, then sneak up while she is sleeping and try and get one ear done at a time that way. I aim to squeeze the drops in and then kind of massage the base of the ear nearest the head so they get rubbed in and the cat cant shake it's head and throw the liquid out.
Do get the Advantage for follow up though if she is prone to them.

Podge52

paddypaws101 wrote: »

Warm the drops prior to application, then sneak up while she is sleeping and try and get one ear done at a time that way. I aim to squeeze the drops in and then kind of massage the base of the ear nearest the head so they get rubbed in and the cat cant shake it's head and throw the liquid out.
Do get the Advantage for follow up though if she is prone to them.

I have no chance at all of sneaking up on her, she is a very nervy cat, - I have no idea why she is that way because I have had her from being a kitten and I give her no cause for alarm - just her personality I suppose.

I don't know what causes the mites as she is a house cat and has no contact with other cats. Now I know this is going to sound daft but when she first got them I had been giving her fresh fish as a treat and thought that that might be what the cause was so stopped giving it her. My sister gave me some smoked salmon on christmas eve and I gave the cat some, a few days later and I noticed her scratching and shaking her head again. I'm wondering if the fresh fish is causing the reaction.

I'll take to the vets tomorrow and get the vet to put the drops in, somehow she didn't object to her doing it last time.

Thanks for your help.

Podge52

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Wrap her in a large towel.

Tried that missbiggles but she struggles so much I'm frightened of hurting her.

meritaten

Please don't assume that the flea treatments that say they work against ear mites actually do! my vet recently changed Barneys flea spot ons - this one is supposed to protect against ear mites - and for the first time since either Atrix or I had him - he now suffers from ear mites. in fact I have had to start treating him AGAIN this week.
Tip - learned from first cat Timmy - get a large bath towel, swaddle cat making sure paws (and claws) are well tucked in and hold cat comfortably on your lap - you can place a cushion on lap to protect legs. Grip cat at back of neck and use middle fingers to gently push back ear and using the other hand squeeze drops into ear. do the same with other ear, not letting go of swaddled cat. then put swaddled cat on floor and let them work free of towel. by the time they have done that they will feel they have gained a victory and wont always seek revenge!

sgun

Not sure about Advantage but Advocate definitely treats ear mites as well as fleas. It is very effective. We also use something called Logic which is a bit like a cat toothpaste but cats go crazy for the taste and you can pretty much do anything with ours as long as he has a tube of Logic in front of him.

paddypaws101

ah/h, so you have not actually seen ear mites or had them diagnosed by vet? Could be a food intolerance then and she is reacting to fish

Podge52

meritaten wrote: »

Please don't assume that the flea treatments that say they work against ear mites actually do! my vet recently changed Barneys flea spot ons - this one is supposed to protect against ear mites - and for the first time since either Atrix or I had him - he now suffers from ear mites. in fact I have had to start treating him AGAIN this week.
Tip - learned from first cat Timmy - get a large bath towel, swaddle cat making sure paws (and claws) are well tucked in and hold cat comfortably on your lap - you can place a cushion on lap to protect legs. Grip cat at back of neck and use middle fingers to gently push back ear and using the other hand squeeze drops into ear. do the same with other ear, not letting go of swaddled cat. then put swaddled cat on floor and let them work free of towel. by the time they have done that they will feel they have gained a victory and wont always seek revenge!

Although quite nervy she is not in the least aggressive and the only time I see her claws is when we are playing and she accidentally catches me.

She doesn't like being handled and won't even settle on my lap although she will squeeze herself beside me on the chair. If she were human I would say that she was autistic.

My sister is coming down tomorrow so I will see if between the two of us we can manage to get some drops in and if not then a visit to the vet it is.

Thanks for the input.