Well, I just completed my first successful feline subcutaneous fluid administration. I only managed to spill a little of the solution all over the place, and didn’t have to poke more than five holes in the poor cat. I felt weird setting up the rig, like I was performing illicit scientific experiments on my cat, but she didn’t even flinch when I poked her, and she lay mostly still while it was dripping. However, once the dose was done and the needle removed, Squeaky retired to sit under the table where I have my cable box. She’s curled up on the cable wires right now. Attempts to make her more “comfortable” (that is, get her off my coaxials) met with growls. I don’t think she liked being a pincushion. Well, the vet advised me to give her some every day for a week, so she’d better get used to it. I screwed a cup hook into the wall above where she likes to sleep and hung the solution bag from it.
6 Responses to “Needles and Pins”
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December 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Wow!
We’ve had four cats and given them all kinds of pills, cleaned out their ears, cut their nails, taken ticks off them, etc., but don’t think we would have had the guts to try what you did.
May she live long and you all prosper.
December 22nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Ew, ticks, I don’t think I could handle that. ::shudder::
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
You did much better than my wife and I the first time we had to hydrate our cat Max. I held him so he wouldn’t move too much, but the needle didn’t quite get in right, so the fluid went all over his fur. Then after we did get it in right, we forgot to turn off the spigot-dealie, so when we pulled the needle out, the fluid went spraying all over the place. Fortunately, we got the hang of it after that.
I hope the fluid helps.
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:55 pm
That and heavy lifting are what husbands are for.
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Ain’t got one of those! I have to be my own husband. Oops, that sounded odd. Never mind!
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Bob: when I got home I still didn’t think I had enough info, even though the vet wrote out some instructions for me. Spatnaude had given me a website to go to here, and after hunting around on it for a bit I found a Youtube instructional video on how to administer the fluid that was very helpful. The video even had the vet showing the fluid spraying out of the needle and saying not to worry if that happens, or if the needle goes through the skin and comes out on the other side (and gets fluid all over), and telling you what to do. Which is good, because both things happened to me today! My poor cat! She’s still giving me dirty looks. Well, I did also have to give her her thyroid pill and spoon some food into her mouth — she’d not eating on her own yet. (Also it’s the prescription food, which she doesn’t like.)