How to give an injection to a cat in the withers correctly

Where is the withers located in cats?

Let’s figure out where to look for the withers of a cat. The withers are the area where the back and neck meet. Most of it is located just above the shoulder blades, the skin in this place is easily folded, and a “pocket” is created where an injection can be made.

Why are injections made at the withers?

To quickly administer the drug and reduce pain, an injection is given to the cat at the withers. The place above the shoulder blades is insensitive, and when injected under the skin, the pet practically does not experience uncomfortable sensations. The loose structure of the subcutaneous tissue, if necessary, allows you to enter large volumes of solutions, thus conducting infusion therapy (droppers).

Other sites for subcutaneous injections in a cat

In addition to the withers, you can choose other places for subcutaneous injections. For example, the inguinal fold or the front of the thigh. The loose structure of the skin in these places allows the injection to be almost painless. Some drugs even recommend putting it in the inguinal fold. It is recommended to administer vaccines to the inguinal fold area, because this makes it easier to remove the post-vaccination sarcoma if a complication occurs.

Preparation for injection

To put an injection in the withers of a cat, you must be fully armed. Choose a syringe, prepare the preparation and place for the procedure. If the pet is cowardly or aggressive, find an assistant for insurance and fix the animal. So that the cat does not have additional stress, carry out the procedure in a quiet and calm atmosphere. Talk to her, pet her, calm her down. To distract the cat from manipulation, you can offer her treats.

Choosing a syringe and needle

The choice of syringe and needle depends on the size of the animal and the consistency of the preparation. If the drug is oily, it is better to choose a needle with a thicker diameter. The thin needle will become clogged and the injection will fail. Also, if the drug is oily or in the form of a suspension, the procedure will cause more discomfort. The pet may twitch, causing the thin needle to bend. Therefore, for adult cats, for the introduction of such drugs, you can use a needle from syringes of 5-10 ml, for kittens – 2-3 ml. If the drug is liquid, then we look at the size of the pet, the thickness of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. For kittens and very thin animals, a needle from an insulin syringe (1 ml) is enough, for more well-fed cats – a needle from a syringe of 2-3 ml. That is, if you put an oil preparation on a kitten, you can take a large needle and an insulin syringe – it will be more convenient to take a small dose of the solution and inject it without any problems.

Preference is always given to short needles up to 3 cm – this way we reduce the risk of piercing the skin through, injecting the drug into the muscle or trauma to the skin.

Each syringe has a scale. Depending on its volume, you can collect 1,0 ml, 2,0 ml, 3,0 ml, 5,0 ml, 10 or 20 ml of solution. Most often, 1-5 ml syringes are used for animals. The division features depend on the volume of the syringe, the volume is measured in cubes, one cube is equal to 1 ml .:

• in a 1 ml syringe, large divisions are 0,1 ml, small divisions are 0,01 ml;

• in a 2,0 ml syringe, the large division is 1,0 ml, the small division is 0,1 ml;

• in a 5,0 ml syringe, large ones are equal to 1,0 ml, and small ones are 0,2 ml, etc.

Preparation of the medicine

Be sure to read the instructions for the drug. Requirements for its storage may differ in temperature – room or in the refrigerator, in access to light – some drugs should be stored in dark places or in dark dishes.

Before the injection, it is necessary to warm the drug to body temperature, but not higher than 37 C. To do this, just hold the syringe with the drug in your hand for several minutes. Most solutions, when administered cold, cause discomfort in cats.

Prepare the syringe and ampoule. Remove the syringe from the sterile package, check that the needle is firmly seated on the cannula. If the ampoule is glass, open it along the marked line by simply pressing on it through a cotton pad. Some of them do not have such a mark, in this case, in the thinnest place, draw the blade several times (it is usually included in the drug package) and press down in the same way. If this is a vial, and there is a rubber stopper on it, then it does not need to be opened. We insert a needle into its center and collect the drug. If there is protection on the cork – plastic or metal, it must be removed.

Tilt the ampoule slightly to one side, remove the cap from the needle and draw the required amount of the drug into the syringe.

After you have taken the drug, raise the syringe with the needle up and release the air until the first drop of solution comes out of the needle. Put the cap back on. Check the dialed dose, it should be equal to what the doctor prescribed for your cat. Warm the drug in your hand. If it is not possible to remove air from the syringe, the drug is foaming or thick, lightly tapping the syringe with your fingers, move the piston up and down until all the bubbles come out. Also, at first you can collect the drug and warm it, and only after that – remove the air. So, most foamy bubbles will burst themselves.

How to keep a pet?

If you have never given your cat injections before, you should play it safe regardless of the nature of the pet.

There are special bags-fixers. This bag is a kind of cocoon with locks or Velcro on different parts of the animal’s body. It allows you to isolated some part of the animal for the procedure – paw, tail, back. A soft clip is fastened around the head, and it remains outside. However, as practice shows, such a bag is not ideal. Many cats get nervous and angry even at the stage of putting them in a bag. Also, inside the bag, the cat’s paws are free, and animals can stick them into the head hole or tear them with their claws.

In addition to paws with claws, teeth also pose a threat. Use a muzzle to protect yourself from them. There are special muzzles for cats made of dense fabric, they completely cover the muzzle and eyes, and are fixed with Velcro behind the ears.

To keep you safe from cat teeth, a plastic bottle muzzle is the best hack. To make it, you need a bottle that is the right size for your pet. If you have a kitten, then you need a 0,5 liter bottle, if you have a large British one, we take a wide bottle of 1,5–2,0 liters. In the place where the neck, depending on the size of your cat’s head, cut off a part of the bottle 10–15 cm long. Remove sharp edges by pasting the cut with tape or plaster if the cut was uneven. Further on its wide part, at an equal distance from each other, we make holes. Insert ties into them. We unscrew the cork, put it on the head and tie it tightly behind the ears.

Swaddling a cat is an excellent method of fixation, which will help not only to give an injection, but also to give a pill if necessary. Take a large and thick towel-sheet-shirt and put it on top of the cat so that the head remains open. Pull the right edge of the towel to the left, firmly fixing the paw at the chest, the left edge to the right. The ends of the towel should be on the back. Keep them tight. Fix the front paws, fold the remaining free part of the towel under the belly from the side of the tail and firmly press the resulting cocoon with the cat to a horizontal surface. The denser the resulting cocoon, the less the ability and desire for the cat to move. Or, if you have an assistant, you can throw a towel over the cat from above. Press it to a horizontal surface with your chest, and hold your front paws with your hands. The second person injects.

It is always important to calm your pet. If he is very frightened, it is better to stop the procedure and give him time to calm down.

General recommendations

Do not panic. The more afraid you are, the more you will make unnecessary movements and sounds that can frighten the cat. Your pet may sense something is wrong and start to panic even before you start fixing it.

In order not to be distracted by the search, prepare everything you need in advance and put it within reach.

Perform procedures at rest. For example, when the cat has just woken up or started its normal daily activities. Do not perform the procedure when she is angry, played out, or is completely in no mood to contact you.

Calm your pet, talk to him throughout the manipulations.

If at the time of the injection you saw that the wool became wet, then you pierced the skin through and through, and the solution began to flow out. It is necessary to stop the procedure.

Making the right injection to the cat in the withers – step by step instructions

Consider the points on how to properly inject a cat in the withers subcutaneously.

• Open the ampoule. Dial the drug in the right dose and release the air. Warm it up in your hand. Remove the cap from the needle just before delivering the injection.

• Grab the cat’s skin with your fingers between the shoulder blades to form a small “pocket”. This will be the injection site. Lightly massage the skin with your fingers, this will divert the attention of the cat from the sensation of the injection.

• Take the syringe with the other hand, tilt the needle in relation to the cat’s body at an angle of 40-45 °, insert the needle about 1 cm. When you pierce the skin, you will feel how the needle has failed, and there is no resistance. This means that the puncture is performed correctly, and that is enough.

• Start injecting the solution. Don’t do it too hard, but don’t overdo it either. If the drug is liquid, inject it quickly, and a little more slowly if it is a suspension or oily solution. If you inject the solution too quickly, you may experience pain, and if you inject it too slowly, your cat may run out of patience and start to resist.

• Gently withdraw the needle and release the skin. The injection site does not need to be treated, as the hair will interfere. If you have a sphinx, or you have chosen a place for an injection, then treat the skin with chlorhexidine before and after the procedure.

• Release your pet. If he doesn’t mind, you can pet him and put him to rest.

An injection in the withers of a kitten

There are several features of how to inject a kitten at the withers. Basically, they are related to its size and thickness of the skin. During the injection, insulin syringes are used and a 0,5–0,7 cm needle is inserted.

Also, if the volume of the solution is too large, then it is better to inject it into several places.

Be careful with the fixation of the animal. If the kitten is small, you can use its innate reflex. Your assistant takes the kitten by the scruff of the neck – as if his mother was wearing it, and he instinctively relaxes, tightening his hind legs and tail. This way you can deliver the injection safely and without resistance.

Is it possible to put an injection wrong?

In this article, we have analyzed in detail how to properly inject a cat into the withers subcutaneously. Everything is quite simple, and if you follow the instructions of the doctor and the drug, it is almost impossible to perform the procedure incorrectly.

The main thing is to fix the pet well and choose the right syringe with a needle.

If the syringe is inserted too deep, the solution will enter the muscle. It can also leak out due to the fact that you pierced the skin through. If the needle is not inserted deep enough, then the injection will be intradermal, which is quite painful and can cause some complications.

Complications after an injection

Always pay attention to the doctor’s recommendations. Subcutaneously or at the withers – drugs are always placed only as directed by a doctor. If the drug, according to the instructions, should not be administered subcutaneously, but only intramuscularly or intravenously, local reactions may occur – inflammation, pain, necrosis, abscesses. At the same time, after a few hours, swelling, a hot seal will occur at the injection site, and the pet will feel bad. Itching may appear, and pus may be released from the injection site.

In case of damage to blood vessels bleeding usually minor and resolves quickly on its own. You can apply ice to speed up this process.

After any injection, and subcutaneous is no exception, there may be hematoma.

Sealing at the injection site – a common complication with subcutaneous administration of drugs, especially if they are thick. It should be non-hot, non-painful, and should not disturb the cat. Otherwise, it is better to contact a veterinarian.

In animals it is possible individual response to the drug. Unfortunately, it is not possible to find out in advance about its availability. With a general reaction, the symptoms will be: itching, shortness of breath, redness of the mucous membranes, confusion. With local – extensive swelling in the injection area, usually painful and mild.

Phlegmons – a rare, but still occurring complication after an injection. This is a condition in which purulent inflammation of the soft tissues occurs at the injection site as a result of the ingestion of microorganisms. It can occur if you do not follow the basic rules of hygiene and antiseptics. It is necessary to use disposable syringes and needles, wash hands before procedures, use sterile preparations and, if there is no coat, treat with antiseptics.

Are you afraid to give injections to a cat?

Worrying about your pet when giving an injection on your own is natural. But, as we can see, everything is quite simple. A subcutaneous injection cannot critically harm your pet.

To overcome your fear, you can ask the doctor to show you how to perform the procedure correctly and practice on plush toys.

Invite a support group, the two of you are never so scared to start something new.

Remind yourself that this is for the good of your pet. If not you, then who?

To visually understand how to perform this procedure, we suggest watching a video on how to inject a cat in the withers.

Answers to frequently asked questions to veterinarians