How to give a cat a shot

So, November has been an interesting month.

After having some "issues" with the litter box. We come to find out that my sweet lovable Rover has diabetes. Yes, for those of you that don't know, cats, and dogs, can get diabetes.

How could I have diabetes?

Now, I know some of you are thinking, duh Zilla, you have a 22lb cat, of course he can get diabetes! While this is true, he is now under 20 lbs (19.8 lbs thank you very much!). We still have to deal with the fact that he has diabetes.

So, how do you deal with a diabetic cat?
1) monitor his food intake. For us this means trying to determine what Rover eats vs what Fido eats. Ummm...that's not going to happen, so we are monitoring what both cats are eating. We split 2/3 of a cup of food between them morning and night.

2) watch his behavior. Watch for more litter "issues"

3) give him shots! Now, if I wanted to pick which of my "kids" I'd want to give a shot to, it would be Rover, he is the easiest going of the bunch. But, it doesn't really mean that I want to have to give him shots.

the necessary equipment

So, for all those who have ever wondered "How do you give a cat a shot?" Here is your tutorial:
(And it is easier then you think)

1) distract the dog, food usually works. you can skip this step if you don't have a dog

and he looks so innocent here

2) get the insulin out of the fridge and roll it gently on the counter to mix.

3) measure out 2 units. This is accomplished by sticking the needle into the top of the vial of insulin. Turning the whole contraption upside down. Pulling the plunger past 2 units and the moving the plunger up to 2 units and forcing out all of the air. uff-da, say that all in one breath

2 units

4) Give the shot to the cat. We do this by putting the cat and his food on the counter, food is a good distraction for cats too. And then while he is distracted, slide the needle under his skin on the outside of his hip. Here is the demo:

Putting the cat on the counter also prevents the dog from nosing you in the eye, because by now he has finished his food and really thinks he want a shot too!

5) reward the cat for behaving well by giving him a pinch of fish flakes. yummy!

And that is all there is to it! Any questions?