nightmare putting in eye drops

[wintertimeisfun]

just a moan really. suspected they might be something wrong with one of my cats eyes as not completely open and a bit of gunk coming out so took her to the vets. she has an eye infection and i have to put drops in 6-8 times a day. easier said than done. vet makes it look really easy which it would be to him. go on youtube to look for helpful tips BUT they always use really docile cats that you could do anything with and they wouldn't mind. dh and i have been trying off and on all morning to administer the drops leaving an hour or so gap imbetween each attempt. i managed to get a very small drop in but no idea how i can do it as well as him. i can barely get her eye open more than a slit and as for the plastic bottle with the drops in.....i can't believe they put the drops into such a thick hard plastic container. REALLY hard to quickly administor a drop when you get the odd fleeting moment as by the time i have managed to squeeze a drop out she has either buggered off or shut her eye/turned away. been close to tears about it tbh, ruining my day and it is our 13th wedding anniversary, we are meant to be going out to a special place. really worrying, the vet will think i am crap when i go back next week. no idea how her eye will heal at this rate :-(

[SchroSawMargeryDaw]

Have you tried wrapping him tightly in a towel so he cannot move?

[cozietoesie]

It needs two of you if you're not a professional - for that frequency of drops, anyway. Swaddle her firmly in a towel, get DH to hold her firm on his knee and you pry open the eye gently with one hand and quickly insert drop with the other.

Probably best to keep her in one room with a tray for the duration because she'll hate you for a little bit and will head for the hills (or the loft) when she sees one of you coming.

And yes - those bottles are a pain. Presumably specifically designed to avoid people spilling the lot when dealing with an armful of mog.

[KittensandKids]

I agree with cozietoes it really takes two to do this, I tried with a litter of 8 kittens + mum and it's not possible to do it alone.

I remember almost rocking in a corner before a friend stepped into help.

Also when you put the drops/ointment in the eye make sure you get it in the corner ad along the eyelid as well as just randomly squirting it into the eye. She will detest you for a while but will get over it.

Hope she is better soon

[cozietoesie]

By the way - as with all 'nasties' it's probably also best not to get her with any loving words so that she doesn't come to associate possible cuddles with a procedure of some sort. Just seize her, deal with it matter of factly and get it over with.

Best of luck - and have a great evening tonight! Let her sit and stew at home.

[wintertimeisfun]

thanks ladies. i was going to try the towel option, looked reasonably promising on the internet although i doubt she will stay long enough for us to wrap her up :)

[cozietoesie]

Get the towel ready opened and then as one of you holds her (in some fashion - probably holding her down on a seat or a sofa is good) drape the towel quickly over her body and around her neck like a large shawl, secure it right round her neck and then whoosh wrap it round her body.

Once you've got it round the neck you're away.

[bonzo77]

Grab by scruff of neck. Kneel over cat with her gripped between your thighs / knees. Use last 3 fingers of left hand to hold under chin, finger and thumb to hold eye open. Right hand to put drops in (have bottle open before you start). Follow with a delicious treat.

[wintertimeisfun]

thanks everyone. i am building up to try but she keeps running away, she has lost her trust in me and views me now with great suspicion :D

[JumpingJackSprat]

Definitely use a towel. it is possible to do it on your own, wrap cat in towel as above, pin body of cat under your arm against your side (obviously dont squeeze!) hold the head with one hand and drops in thumb and forefinger of the other hand, use the side/heel of that hand on top of cat head to stop it evading you. tilt the head back and drops in eyes. it sounds brutal but the quicker its done with the better... no force or fuss required you just need to immobilize it. i have a treat ready for my cat when ive finished to give to her immediately.

[wintertimeisfun]

thanks for all the tips. we just did it using a mixture of techniques. picked her up, put her on a table on a towel although tried without the wrapping. dh held her while i did as per bonzo's advice minus the neck scruff thing, didn't want to push my luck :D . i used my thumb to gently open her left eye a little without freaking her out. after a few tries (as the first few she closed her eyes thus i missed) i managed to get a drop in there. nowhere near as thorough as the vets effort all because the bloody bottle is SERIOUSLY hard to squeeze as it is bloody thick/hard but the odd drop in must surely be better than nothing. tbh i think her eye seems better (obviously not completely) as she seems herself (aside from being more pissed off than usual...) and is eating etc. i haven't seen the gunk coming out either. i gave her her favourites after 'CHEESEYS' :-D