How to Give a Cat an Injection

Reviewed by Natalie Punt, DVM

Last Updated: September 7, 2023 Approved

Anyone who has taken their cat to the vet may have been given certain medications to administer at home. But the thought of injecting medication may make some cat owners squeamish. Some medications come in pill form, but other medications, such as insulin, must be administered via injection.^{[1]
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Research source} The technical term for this category of medicine is subcutaneous medication, meaning it is administered under (sub-) the skin (cutaneous).^{[2]
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Research source} Some subcutaneous medications are simply administered under the skin, while other types of subcutaneous medications must be administered into a muscle (called an intramuscular injection), and the required location of the injection will determine how you administer the medication. Knowing how to safely administer subcutaneous medicine to your cat can help reduce your stress levels and keep your cat happy and healthy.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Cat for an Injection

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If you're administering subcutaneous injections to your cat, it is imperative that your cat remain hydrated prior to and following the injection. If your cat is severely dehydrated, the medication you administer may not be fully absorbed. This should not be a problem for most healthy cats, but if you suspect your cat may be dehydrated you should talk to your veterinarian about keeping her well-hydrated.
You may wish to hold the cat in your lap to comfort her during the injection, but this increases the chances that your cat may scratch or injure you, and it may cause her to associate being in your lap with receiving injections. If you do decide to hold the cat in your lap, it's best to put a thick towel down to cover your legs. However, the best location is a flat surface, like a table top.^{[3]
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Choose an appropriate site of injection. The site of injection will vary, depending on whether you're giving a simple subcutaneous injection or an intramuscular injection. But even within those parameters, giving your cat too many injections in the same spot can create problems for your cat. That's because a cat's body takes between six to eight hours to fully absorb the fluids administered by injection. Giving too much medication in one spot before it is absorbed can cause a fluid buildup, called an edema. This can cause discomfort for your cat, and could prevent a lot of the medicine you're giving from running its course in your cat's body.
- You should be able to administer about five to ten milliliters of medicine per pound of body weight (or about 10 to 20 ml of medicine per kg of body weight) before you'll need choose a new injection site.
- Check your cat to ensure that fluid injections are being adequately absorbed. You can do this by feeling along the injection site, as well as along the belly below the site of injection, as fluids tend to pool along the cat's underside.
Most cats won't need this step unless they are suffering from a compromised immune system. But killing bacteria isn't the only benefit of an alcohol swab; rubbing alcohol can also help keep your cat's thick coat down flat, making it easier to see the skin when you give her an injection.
Right before you administer an injection, give your cat a treat she really enjoys, like canned cat food or tuna fish. As soon as she starts to eat the food, gently pinch her skin where you will be giving the injection. After about five seconds you should stop pinching and remove the food. Return the food, and pinch a little harder this time. Repeat this until your cat becomes tolerant of the pinching and remains focused on the food. This will help prep her for the injection, and reduce the pain and stress she experiences when you give her the shot.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Administering a Subcutaneous Injection

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Generally, on a cat, the area of skin between the neck and the back are the loosest and most flexible patches of skin. Gently pinch the skin where it's loosest and hold it between your thumb and forefinger while distracting your cat with food. This is called "tenting" the skin, as it should somewhat resemble an erected pup tent (also known as a shelter-half).
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Insert the needle. Once you've got the loose skin firmly between your fingertips, you should see a narrow strip of skin between your thumb and index finger. Insert the needle into that strip of skin.
- The needle should be kept parallel to the skin along your cat's back at all times. Angling the needle could cause it to pierce through the skin and stab your finger.
- Do not hold your thumb over the plunger until you're certain that the needle is correctly inserted. Holding the plunger while inserting the needle could cause a premature injection, if the cat flinches or if you've incorrectly inserted the needle.^{[4]
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Pull back on the plunger before injecting. Before you inject the medicine, it's important that you slightly pull back on the plunger. This is to ensure that you've hit an acceptable site for the injection.
- If blood enters the syringe when you pull back the plunger, it means you've hit a blood vessel. You'll need to remove the needle and try again in a different spot.
- If air bubbles enter the syringe, it means you've stuck the needle all the way through the pinched skin and have drawn in air from the room. You'll need to remove the needle and try again, perhaps in a different spot.
- If no blood or air bubbles enter the syringe, you've hit an acceptable location, and may proceed with the injection.
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Inject the medication. Be sure that you inject all of the medicine in the syringe. Once the syringe is completely empty, carefully remove the needle, moving along the same path you used to insert the needle.^{[5]
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- Hold the syringe between your index and middle fingers, and use your thumb (on the same hand) to press down the plunger.
Once you've completed the injection, you'll need to check the site of injection, looking for blood or for any medicine leaking out of the needle hole. If you detect either blood or medicine emerging from the site of injection, use a clean cotton ball or tissue to apply pressure to the site until the secretion stops. This should only take a minute or so, but may take longer if your cat is moving around too much.^{[6]
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Do not dispose of a syringe in your household trash, as needles are considered biohazardous waste. Contact your vet's office to find out if they collect used needles for disposal. Never put an uncapped needle in the trash, as this could cause injury or infection to the refuse collector or anyone else who handles your garbage.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Administering an Intramuscular Injection

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1
Find the injection site. Your veterinarian should have given you specific instructions on where to administer intramuscular medication, and you should follow those instructions carefully. As a general rule, most vets recommend administering intramuscular injections in the quadricep muscles (cranial thigh) or the lumbar spinal epaxial muscles (dorsal muscles along the spine).^{[7]
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- Be extremely cautious while administering intramuscular injections. A misplaced needle could cause serious damage to your cat's nerves.^{[8]
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  Research source} For this reason, it's best to follow any and all instructions given by your veterinarian. If you're uncertain about any part of your vet's instructions, or if you can't find the recommended site of injection at home, call or visit your vet for more thorough guidance.
2
Insert the needle. The needle should be angled between 45 and 90 degrees, depending on the site chosen for injection.^{[9]
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Research source} It may be helpful to hold your cat's muscle flat, to prevent movement and ensure that the needle enters the muscle correctly.
- Ensure that you insert the needle at the proper angle your vet demonstrated to you. Inserting the needle at too shallow an angle could prevent the injection from reaching the intended depth and penetrating the muscle.^{[10]
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- Do not hold your thumb over the plunger of the syringe until you're certain that the needle is inserted correctly. Touching the plunger while inserting the needle could result in a premature injection, should the cat flinch or the needle go in wrong.^{[11]
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Much like administering a subcutaneous injection, you'll want to slightly pull back on the plunger before injecting the medicine. Air bubbles shouldn't be a problem with intramuscular injections, but if you see blood you'll need to withdraw the needle and try again, as this can indicate that a blood vessel has been hit.^{[12]
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Inject the medication. It's important to ensure that all of the medication dosage in the syringe has been injected. Once the syringe is completely emptied, withdraw the needle along the same path you used to insert the needle.^{[13]
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- While holding the syringe between your index and middle fingers, use your thumb (on the same hand) to press the plunger down.
Once you've completed the injection, check the site of injection for blood or leaked medicine. If you see signs of blood or leaking medicine, use a clean cotton ball or tissue to apply pressure at the site of injection. It should only take about one minute for the bleeding or leakage to stop, with proper pressure.^{[14]
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Used syringes are considered a biohazard, and as such they should never be disposed of in household trash or left uncapped in the garbage. Ask your vet's office about whether they collect used needles for disposal.

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Tips

The best way to recap a needle is to lay the cap on the ground or on a counter and scoop the cap up with the needle. This prevents you from sticking yourself while recapping it.

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Helpful 35 Not Helpful 5
Remember, if you are not confident enough to give your cat an injection you can always go to your local vet office.

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Prepare the syringe before you are ready to hold your cat in place. Keep the syringe close by on the table or counter so that you can reach it easily when you're ready.

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Warnings

If you are giving an injection of insulin, make sure you do not shake the vial before drawing up the medicine. Instead, gently roll it between the palms of your hands to agitate and warm it.

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Helpful 21 Not Helpful 3
If the cat tries to pull away, whatever you do, DON'T let her get away with the needle still stuck in her skin, it can cause injury if it drops out or she tries to remove it.

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Helpful 17 Not Helpful 9
Use care when handling syringes. Mishandling a syringe could cause you to inadvertently prick yourself or inject the medication into your hand.

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Be sure to properly dispose of used needles. Ask your vet's office if they collect used syringes for disposal. Never throw an uncapped needle in the trash, as this can cause injury and infection to anyone who handles or collects the trash.

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