Yes, I was so frustrated!!
The hardest part is getting Chucky to stay still (he doesn't stay where you put him) and finding a good place to stick him.
When they showed me how to do it at the shelter, he sat in their lap and it was easy as pie. But at home, uh uh. He gets the heck out of there.
He's also lost a pound since I adopted him and I wear longer acrylic nails, so between those two, it's been a bit more challenging to get the loose skin on top of his body.
But it's helped to just meet him where he is. He likes to lie down after he eats, so when he does, I sit beside him, pet him, and use that petting time to gently find where I can get a good grip of skin on him that day.
If he gets up and walks away, I leave him alone until he lays down in a new spot. When he does, I go to his new spot and try again. Rinse and repeat until he's finally found the perfect spot and will move no more lol. When he's finally settled in and I know he won't move, I pick up the needle in one hand, take off the cap, grip the skin in my other with an overhand, pincer kind of grip, and then I stick him.
I don't put my finger on the plunger until the needle is in because:
1. There's always a chance he'll get up and leave, and I don't want to shoot until I know I'm in and he'll get the full dose.
2. I want to make sure I'm not in his muscle. I hit it once and he meowed and jumped, so I quickly pulled it out and tried in another spot. If I injected at the same time as entry, the dose would have been wasted.
So I place the needle, give it a beat to make sure the placement is good, and then I push the plunger. Easy like Sunday morning.
Treats don't work for me because he eats them super fast and it makes me feel like we're in a race. That's how I hit his muscle that time, so I don't use them anymore. But if the timing works out that I can get him at his dish, I'll try then.
I also take a minute to make sure that I'm putting in the needle with the sharpest edge down. It goes into the skin easier and makes it even less painful for the cat. My mom is a nurse and gave me that tip and it made a surprisingly big difference.
And lastly, definitely try to keep your energy calm. Initially, I was scared and super stressed because I didn't want to murder him, I didn't want to accidentally stab myself with cat insulin and become a super cat, I wanted to be exactly on time, I couldn't get the skin, he was moving around and didn't want to be on my lap, I was chasing him from place to place....the stress and frustration were rolling off of me, especially in the morning because I'm not a morning person.
Finding flexibility and patience has helped us both be way calmer and every shot has gotten better and easier. So take the time that you need to make sure that you're both relaxed.
There have been a few times when he's been super restless and just won't sit long enough for a shot. In those cases, I just leave him alone so we can both get a breather and then I try again 15 minutes later.
Better to get a late shot than a blown one, in my book.
