How to Give Your Cat Eye Medication

Eye disease, infections and traumas are quite common ailments. Frequently, your veterinarian prescribes medication after an exam. Administering these medications can be confusing and difficult. Some cats, especially if their eyes are painful, are resistant to the administration of medication. Diligence and patience are necessary to help give the medication, which will help resolve the eye problem. A technique used to give eye medication (drops or ointment) is explained below.

• Have someone help restrain your cat by holding her front legs and chest or wrap your cat firmly in a blanket or towel.
• 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. This hand should be near the side of the eye closest to the nose. Using your left hand, place the thumb near the lower eyelid and the forefinger near the upper eyelid. This will also work 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 eyeled. This will also work if you are left handed and the right eye needs medication.
• Spread the eyelids using your thumb and forefinger.
• Start from the inside of the eye and apply the medicine directly across the surface of the eye. Be careful not to touch the surface of the eye with the tip of the dispenser or your finger. Make sure that your friend is still holding firmly as this is the part where your cat will squirm.
• Once you get the medicine in the eye, open and close the eyelid once or twice to spread the medicine over the whole eyeball.
• Most likely your cat will be highly disgruntled. To keep the experience from being too negative (and to keep your next session from becoming angst-ridden), speak soothingly to your cat and give her plenty of praise. It might even be a good time for a treat.