Veterinarians use insulin to treat diabetes in cats, so if your cat has been diagnosed with this health problem, it is very important that you learn to give the cat an insulin injection correctly.
Procedure to Give Insulin to a Cat
Follow the instructions below, and if you have any further questions about insulin for diabetes cats, speak with your pet’s veterinarian.
- Feed your diabetes cat.
- Gently roll the insulin vial between your palms to warm and mix the product. Do not shake the insulin vial.
- Draw up the appropriate amount of insulin.
- Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe. If there are air bubbles, try pushing the insulin back into the bottle and drawing it up again.
- Double check that you have drawn up the correct insulin dose.
- Collect your diabetes cats.
- Pinch an area of skin behind one of your cat’s shoulder blades to create a skin tent.
- Position the needle with the bevel up, and insert it into the tent. You should direct the needle so that it is almost parallel to the skin tent.
- Make sure the needle is under the skin rather than in the skin or the muscle.
- Check to make sure the tip of the needle is not sticking out of the cat’s skin.
- Pull back on the plunger of the syringe. If you get air or blood in the syringe, withdraw the needle and restart.
- If there is no air or blood in the syringe, push the plunger to inject the insulin.
- Praise your cat, and give it a small treat.
- Dispose of the syringe according to your veterinarian’s directions.
Tips About Insulin for Cats with Diabetes
Things to keep in mind when you give a cat insulin shots include the following:
- Try to vary the location of the shots. Giving injections in the same place each time could result in local irritation and the development of injection-site granulomas.
- Never use syringes other than those provided by your veterinarian to be used with your cat’s insulin. Not all syringes are the same, and using the wrong syringe could result in a life-threatening insulin overdose.
- Even if you think you did not correctly administer an insulin dose, do not give any more insulin until your cat is scheduled to receive its next dose.
- If your cat with diabetes is not eating, do not give insulin to a cat without talking to your veterinarian. Doing so could cause a severe and potentially fatal reaction.
- Consider asking your veterinarian if he or she will watch you give an insulin injection to your cat with diabetes. This will ensure you are doing it correctly.
Learn more about diabetes in cats.
