? How to get cat less scared of injections?

[sprout]

Hi all, Sprout was just diagnosed about 2 weeks ago. He has been a trooper about getting his shots, but he tends to shy away from the needle (30G, 8mm) and struggle a bit when I am trying to get him dosed. Typically he is not a cat that likes to be held or given too much affection except on his terms and on his schedule. We tried the advice of others and watched several videos on perfecting the tenting technique, etc. etc.. Because he is on Novolin 70/30 he needs to eat pretty quick after his injections to balance out the fast acting insulin, so his shots are always at meal time. For the first couple days it worked pretty well - he wasn't crazy about getting stuck with the needle but he was willing to overlook it in exchange for being fed. But now it seems that rather than associating the needles with food (positive), he has outsmarted us and associates the food with needles (negative)! Now when the sound of the can opening comes, he hides under the table and we have to haul him out, give him his shot, and then let him "rest & reset" for 10 minutes or so before he is comfortable to come out and finish eating.

He is still relatively cooperative and fishing him from under the table is certainly better than from under the bed or some other "safe zone." But I am wondering if there is something I can do to break the cycle and give the whole production a more positive vibe?

Thanks for any helpful hints!

 

[JanetNJ]

Feed first... The order is test, feed, shoot.

Since he squirming for shots you could wait until he's halfway through his meal and shoot him right there while he's eating. He may not even notice you've done it.

 

[Sharon14]

You should feed before you give the shot. You want to be sure Sprout will eat before the insulin onsets. For my cat I did like Janet suggested, fed most of his food, shot, then he got the rest of the meal. Also, you can try some desensitization. Several times each day, pet him, tent the shot area and give a treat. Hopefully he will soon associate the tenting with treats not just shots.

 

[sprout]

Several times each day, pet him, tent the shot area and give a treat. Hopefully he will soon associate the tenting with treats not just shots.

Thanks! This sounds like a great idea...will definitely try this. Will also try changing the order of feeding and giving insulin.

 

[sprout]

Update for everybody, we have been trying the positive reinforcement and conditioning and it seems (fingers crossed) to be helping. The last shot we gave midway through the meal and although he still gave a token struggle, he was back in about 30sec. to continue eating . Thanks again for the help.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I'm glad you're getting the knack. The more confident you feel, the less stress will be transmitted to Sprout.