Suggestions for poking?

[Heather&Dagron]

At this point, Dagron has been getting poked at least twice a day for the past two months. He has not gotten used to it, and in fact, his reactions are getting worse and worse. He likes to roll onto his side as soon as I get the insulin needle in and try to bite me as I try to inject it. I've tried different areas, but it doesn't seem to matter. Today, he bumped the syringe before I inserted it and got me with it instead.

Does anyone have suggestions other than "he will get used to it"? He's a weird cat and doesn't tend to get used to things. On at least one occasion in the past, he learned to associate treats with pain instead of associating the crappy thing I had to do to him with something good (I don't remember exactly what that was).

 

[FurBabiesMama]

Does anyone have suggestions other than "he will get used to it"?

I keep looking for ways to make testing easier, so I may not be the best one to give advice, but I can share what works for me.. for what it's worth. Each cat is different (like us). Mia does not care for the shots either, though she does not do anything as drastic as the things you described with Dagron. Usually, it is easiest if I give the shot while she is still focused on eating her food. I try to be fairly quick about it, no hesitation at all. That way I am in and out before she can protest too much.

he learned to associate treats with pain instead of associating the crappy thing I had to do to him with something good

I know what you mean on this. I have a bit of a fear of this when it comes to testing, but so far, her love of tuna (the ONLY thing she considers a treat) is winning out by a hair. Actually, when I first started the shots, she quickly began to associate them with eating her wet food, and she started to be hesitant to eat. She wanted to really bad, so she would get in there for a couple of bites, but then she would go away hoping to skip out on the after eating ritual of going to the shot spot and doing the deed. That is why I started giving her the shot when she has first started eating, while she is eating. It seems that she is then able to relax and enjoy the rest of her meal.

 

[JanetNJ]

At this point, Dagron has been getting poked at least twice a day for the past two months. He has not gotten used to it, and in fact, his reactions are getting worse and worse. He likes to roll onto his side as soon as I get the insulin needle in and try to bite me as I try to inject it. I've tried different areas, but it doesn't seem to matter. Today, he bumped the syringe before I inserted it and got me with it instead.

Does anyone have suggestions other than "he will get used to it"? He's a weird cat and doesn't tend to get used to things. On at least one occasion in the past, he learned to associate treats with pain instead of associating the crappy thing I had to do to him with something good (I don't remember exactly what that was).

Shoot while he's eating.

 

[Heather&Dagron]

Thanks yall, I'll try that.