Injection Sites For Cats

[Bluebell]

My 10 yr old imported cat is due first booster shots since arriving in Thailand. Previously lived in HK and there the vets always use the back of neck area which cat tolerates well and doesn't seem to notice. My experience here with a Thai cat I adopted was that the vet insisted on doing the shots in top of thigh which cat definately noticed and yelped with pain!

Also note that here shots are given every year but in HK was every three years. Anyone any advice or recommendations?

[elfe]

don't know which vet you went to...

i give vaccinations to my cats myself, never a problem and hardly felt by the cats. i use the neck place

you can buy the vaccine and give by yourself if you want to be sure or even give it at the vet. i can recommend the animal hospital in chaweng on ring road.

[BambinA]

I would say there are many factors for example,

1) Medicines types

- Vaccine - can give either IM or s/c and s/c is painless

- Contraception drug - IM is not that pain but more rapid of route of administration

-some medicines is too pain such as Vit C and acetyl cysteine

-oily base drug such as tetracycline is quite pain for injection

2)needles' guage

-lesser number of it mean bigger size of needle

3) administrated site

- s/c is painless

- i/v is a bit pain

- i/m is more pain

- i/c --can guesss awwwwww

[sfokevin]

With my cat the least painful site would be one where she does not see me coming

[bina]

under the skin usually by the neck, but really anywhere along the side of the cat also, but under the skin for injections... only anesthesia is given im (muscle) or vein...

unfortunately i am having to do lots of cats in my new job... and i really hate cats to tell the truth... and they are the first thing i check for when coming in to work... if there is a cat in a carrier box (after a spay/neuter, or urinary tract thing) which are the three reasons that most cats are at the vets... i am learning to do the hit and run method of injection: grab the cat by the scruff, lifted, and jabbing the needle in and pushing with the same hand . an in and out procedure to be finished before the cat has discovered me, with its claws or teeth... a 21 guage short needle is used and about 1.5 of the vaccine which includes the four cat things they have to get every year.

the 'when to give a vaccine' thing is that the titres stay pretty high for about three years in rabies for instance BUT to make sure about compliance, every year is the given... that way, no one forgets to do it once a year same month every time...

recently treated a kitten that died from some cat virus he was an indoor only cat but had been exposed and by the time the lady brought him in he was already with no real body temperature... he got some saline and dextrose sq and some antibiotics and anti emetics but it was too late... poor thing...

important to vaccinate....

bambi/elfe or any other cat people: if u have any method of teaching me how to force feed cats those awful a/d and c/d diet foods, im all ears... apart from putting bits on the nose. prying a dog's jaw open is easy... i cant seem to get a grip on cats and this vet is a maniac (israeli version meaning 'bastard/a...hole' ) who thinks u only learn from experience w/o explanation... and obviously all sick cats need to be force fed or they wouldnt be at a vet's clinic over nite in the first place... illustrations or diagrams would be good too.....

bina

bina

[elfe]

hi bina, haven't had to forcefeed a cat yet only the odd tablet which i throw deep into the throat and then the cat cannot spit it out anymore.

with forcefeeding i would imagine to use a syringe and almost liquid food. or a tiny spoon and put little pieces very far into their throats. if a cat is a bit wild you would not manage to do that alone as you hold the cat firmly by the neck with one hand and the other trying to open the mouth with syringe or spoon... so another person would be needed to hold the cats feet firmly. good luck

[BambinA]

bambi/elfe or any other cat people: if u have any method of teaching me how to force feed cats those awful a/d and c/d diet foods,

I use syringe as 5-10 cc in size. a/d is easy to fill in the syringe because it's too soft as tofu.

Edited February 19, 2008 by BambinA

[bina]

thanx,,, not sure my vet likes me to use syringe but usually hes not around for feeding time: just shouts " feed quarter can of a/d cat must finish can today.... yuck..... but am improving with my handling of cats.... elfe, there is no other person, i am the other person and the vet does what he thinks are 'vet' things, not 'vet helper' things like feeding the cats.... but i am improving...

i found that taking a few deep breathes and relaxing deeply before hand seems to help the cat feel calmer also; definately cant rush cats... and i stop the session after 15 minutes and try again later... i'm a quick learner with the cat reinforcing my bad or inappropriate behavior...

my vets call themselves 'vaccinarians' since most of their work is spay/neuter or vaccines...