Help needed- cat will not let me give him insulin whatsoever

[Emily Lavin]

Hi there,

My 10 year old male tabby, Ozzy, was diagnosed with diabetes last month. We’ve changed to a high protein diet and diabetic wet food and start with the shots about 2 weeks ago. Only problem is that he will not let me near him with a the needle whatsoever.

I’ve been back and forth to the vets to practice with water injections and this is a totally different story. When he’s at the vets he will let me or the vet give him an injection no problem but when he’s at home he goes crazy. It’s so distressing for him and I can’t bare to see him in that way.

Luckily I’ve been in contact with a cat carer near my area who has experience in injecting cats and she’s been coming round to give him a shots in the morning which she can do and at night, however it’s more difficult at night.

If anyone has any tips on calming him down before an injection I would be so grateful. It’s so frustrating and I don’t want to lose my best friend.

 

[Nan & Amber (GA)]

Oh my! As if the diabetes diagnosis wasn't stressful enough, having to struggle just to get the insulin in the cat!

Most of us here home test our cat's blood glucose, which involves poking an ear or paw pad for a blood sample. As you can imagine, even cats who are fine with the insulin shots can be skeptical of this process, so we have lots of tips for getting started. So, here are some possible approaches you can try:

First, it's important for you to be calm and relaxed. Your cat will pick up on your stress, and decide that "something bad is about to happen" just for that reason. Easier said than done to be calm and relaxed, I know, but one trick that can be helpful is to sing while setting up and giving the shot. Seems silly, but that's kinda the point-- hard to be stressed out when you're being silly!

Next, have a designated area for the shots (and, later, BG tests). Start off by just calling Ozzy over, petting him a few times, then (this is the really important part!) give him a treat and let him go. Work up to the shot process in stages-- tenting the skin, tenting the skin and miming doing the shot, etc. However slowly you have to do it to keep him from freaking out and bailing on the process.

Throughout, lots of treats! And, a treat can be anything-- a low carb snack is easy, but if he's not food-motivated, anything he loves (brushing, playing, just extra pets). Just so he associates the "shot spot" and you doing certain things with good stuff.

Like I said, most of us test BG at home, and do it multiple times a day. Even the most resistant cats eventually come around with the positive reinforcement, and most of them will even come running for their tests! Hopefully, your Ozzy will have the same kind of turnaround when it comes to his shots, very soon.

Good luck!

 

[Emily Lavin]

Thank you so much for your reply. I think my main problem is my stress levels so I’ll need to work on that.

He’s always been a stubborn cat, he hates having the flea stuff put on him so I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.

He is due his next round at 7 am tomorrow so I’ll try your tip and hopefully it might work. Thank you for the support.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

What insulin and dose are you giving? Depending on the insulin you could give the shot while he is eating.

One thing to try doing is singing while giving the shot. It sounds silly but it is hard to be stressed when you are singing, especially if it is a silly song.

 

[jt and trouble (GA)]

Trouble absolutely HATED his testing. The shot part was easy. I'm wondering if your insulin came right out of the fridge. That may have a bit of a sting. More likely its your stress level. Stress gets transferred SO easily. Try deep breathing and quiet time with Ozzie. I use to lay on the bed and give Trouble lovins and maybe a treat (just one). It made the test easier but he still hated it.
Good luck with Ozzie. I'm sending calming positives his way

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Where are you giving him the shoots?

Maybe change the place some cats hate some specific areas and are ok on others , Babu will not allow the soot in the scruff but is perfectly ok if I give it in the side of the chest

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Only problem is that he will not let me near him with a the needle whatsoever.

Hi Emily,

Many of us give our kitties their insulin shots while they have their face in a bowl of food. And this may well work for your kitty too. But if he has got a bit spooked by the shots for some reason then it may be that this is going to take a wee bit more work to win him over.
The shots should not hurt the kitty. So, it 'may' be something else about the way you're giving the shots that has bothered him (a common example is that cats pick up on our own stress about the situation). Or it may be that you've pushed the needle a wee bit too deep on one occasion and maybe pricked some muscle (many of us have done that at some time or other...). Or it may be, as has been suggested above, that the insulin was a bit cold. (Rolling the barrel of the syringe in your fingers can warm up the insulin a bit.)

It can help to change the routine somehow, so the kitty doesn't get so easily triggered. So, some people may give the shots using a different method, or use a different location in the house.

It's also very possible to get the kitty used to the sensations involved in giving a shot at other times of day when you are not actually giving the shot... If that makes sense...? ...So, at other times of day when you're relaxed, and the kitty is relaxed, you can have a little cuddle session, and then just stroke the back of the neck and reward the kitty with a yummy treat. If the kitty is OK with that, then the next time you could try just pulling up a little bit of loose skin, and then rewarding with a treat. If that's OK, you can pull up some skin, and then push lightly against that with the tip of your little finger, and reward with a treat. And if that's OK you can do the same with a capped syringe. Just go slowly with it, and don't let the kitty get stressed. The object of the exercise is to introduce the new stimulus but get the kitty to immediately associate it with something positive, a reward.

You may be interested to see the little video below where a vet is getting a cat used to injections. She uses two simple techniques that have rather long-winded names, 'de-sensitisation' and 'counter-conditioning'.
I'm sure you will find a way to give the shots. But do be patient with yourself.