Friday, September 28, 2018

The tools I use to make giving my cat fluids easier


a twisty hook hanger, a sweat band and canned food

What does a hanger with a twisty hook, a sweatband headband, and a bunch of canned food have in common? They all help me give fluids to my cat without a lot of complaints.

Muffin started developing kidney issues a while back and we want to make her as stable as we can so I have recently started giving her fluids. She has never been a fan of the building fluid bulb when getting subq fluids in the past, so I wanted a way to distract her.  The easiest way to distract her is with food, but the feeling of the fluids would get her walking around to get away from it and it would dislodge the needle. This would result in contamination of the needle and fluids all over the place.

The solution?  A headband. I don't remember where I got it but it was the perfect size to fit around Muffin's middle. I've used it on a few of my cats and it works well for the smaller members as well as the larger ones.


I then take the fluid line and fresh needle and feed it under the sweatband to get her used to it. She walks around while I put a can of food on a plate for her.



Tiny Tiger canned food Turkey and Giblets on a white plate


I am able to slip the needle into her and start the fluids flowing while she was eating. She gobbled the food down so quickly she was done before the fluids were. Fortunately, she is able to walk around and still receive the rest without risk. The pressure of the headband distracts her from the bulb of fluid forming under her skin so she doesn't try to remove the needle or lick her back.

The hanger? It makes it easy to hang the fluids from a high point so that gravity helps the fluids flow faster. I can put it on the door, or the curtain rod, even on the curtain rod or the cat tree, whatever is convenient and it keeps the front of the bag visible to me so I can see how much fluid she is getting.


I hope my tricks help you if you ever have to give fluids to your cats..






10 comments:

  1. Haven’t yet had to give fluids, but it’s inevitable, right? Thanks for the tips!

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  2. She must need a lot of fluids or you must use a tiny needle for it to take so long. We use a good-sized needle to speed things up, and our cats don't seem to notice the larger prick in their skin. We warm the bag in hot water in the kitchen sink so it feels closer to body temperature going in, and then hang it on a cabinet knob above. And, of course, sometimes we prick through the skin and make a fountain on the floor . . .

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    Replies
    1. Muffin eats canned food very quickly.. think teenage boy with pizza.. I've started using larger needles to help it go faster, because when I use the smaller needle we end up doing the "I want to rub up against your ankles but I have this fluid line attached to me" dance..

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  3. that headband is kind of brilliant. have you thought about a slow feeder process to maybe slow her down and buy yourself some time?

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  4. The headband is a great idea! It's been many years since I've given fluids but this would make it go a little smoother.

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  5. Such a good idea! I have mine hanging on my pot rack over the island that I use as a vet table.

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  6. My human loves the headband idea - she will have to remember that.

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  7. These are some good tips. The mom uses the hanger...hasn't had to use a headband thing though. She likes giving fluids by the syringe method. Goes really quick and easy.

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  8. These are good ideas. It's been a few years since we've had to give fluids, and we sure hope it won't be anytime soon. The hug of the headband might be soothing - isn't that the theory behind thunder shirts?

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  9. The headband is a great idea! I may pick one of those up when I run across it to tuck into my bag of cat care gadgetry, because it's the kind of thing I wouldn't have time to find when I need it.

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