Frequently, your
veterinarian prescribes medication after an eye examination. Administering these
medications can sometimes be difficult. Some cats, especially if their eyes are
painful, are resistant to the administration of medication. Diligence and
patience are necessary to give the medication successfully, which will help
resolve the eye problem. There are several techniques that may facilitate giving
eye medication (drops or ointment) to your pet.
Administering Eye Drops
Have someone restrain your cat by holding her front
legs and chest, or wrap your cat firmly in a blanket or towel. Let your cat sit
on the counter or table and hold the cat closely against your body.
Place the medication in your dominant hand with the
lid off.
If you are right-handed and the right eye needs
medication, rest your right hand on top of the head in order to stabilize your
hand. Your hand should be near the inner side of the eye closest to the nose.
With your left hand, place the thumb near the lower eyelid and the forefinger
near the upper eyelid. This also works if you are left-handed and the cat needs
medication in his left eye.
If you are right-handed and the left eye needs
medication, stand on the right side of the cat, facing the same direction as the
cat. With the medication in your right hand, rest this hand on top of the head
to stabilize. Reach across the cat and place the index finger of your left hand
near the lower eyelid and your left thumb near the upper eyelid. This also works
if you are left-handed and the right eye needs medication.
Spread the eyelids apart using your thumb and
forefinger.
Apply the medication directly on the surface of the
eye or into the small gap between the lower eyelid and the surface of the eye.
Be very careful not to touch the surface of the eye with the tip of the
medication container.
Once the medication has been administered, open and
close the eyelid one or two times with your thumb and forefinger in order to
spread the medication over the entire surface of the eye.
Administering Eye Ointment
If the eye medication is ointment, gently squeeze
about 1/8” out the end of the tube. Hold the cat’s head with your free hand, and
with the other hand, touch the crease in the eyelids closest to the nose with
the tube of medication. The spot to aim for is the point where the two eyelids
meet. The cat will blink the exposed ointment off the tip of the tube.
The third eyelid sits in this same area and will move
upward when the eyelid crease is touched and will prevent the tube from touching
the cornea.
The same method can be used at the outside corner of
the eyelids, but there is no third eyelid in this area, so you must be careful
not to touch the cornea with the tube.
After administering the ointment, wipe the tip of the
tube with a fresh Kleenex or piece of cotton and replace the cap.
Following Administration of the Medications
Most likely your cat will be somewhat disgruntled from the
treatment and the restraint. To keep the experience from being too negative (and
to keep your cat from hiding the next time he sees the eye medication), speak
soothingly to your cat and give him plenty of praise and petting. Also consider
giving him a treat or some catnip after the session.
