How to Restrain a Cat for a Spot-On Flea Treatment
Restraining a domestic housecat is always tricky business. Cats are agile and quick, and unless they've been declawed, they come well armed with four paws of slicing fury. A Spot On flea treatment is not painful, so if you are prepared and quick, the process of restraining your cat can be minimally stressful for both of you. Preparation is the key, especially with an uncooperative cat.
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Instructions
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Corner the cat with as little aggression as possible.
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Throw the bath towel over the cat.
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Move in quickly to pick up the cat and the towel together. Wrap the towel around the cat as you pick the cat and the towel up.
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Confine the cat's paws inside the towel, keeping the towel wrapped tightly enough to keep the paws trapped. Allow the cat's head to protrude from the wrapped towel.
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Hold the cat wrapped in the towel as you pull the towel down enough to expose the base of the cat's head and the top of its shoulders.
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Apply the flea treatment according to the manufacturer's directions. Squeeze the treatment tube to release the flea treatment at the base of the cat's head and then between its shoulder blades.
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Give the cat an avenue of escape, then loosen the towel enough to let the cat free itself after the flea treatment is over.
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Tips & Warnings
Restrain the cat as little as possible. If your cat won't lay still in your lap for the flea treatment application, use only enough restraint and for only as long as is absolutely necessary to apply the flea treatment. The harder you try to restrain your cat and the longer you try to restrain the cat, the more vigorously the cat will resist.
Wash scratches from the cat's claws or bite wounds from the cat's teeth with soap and water, then apply an antibiotic cream to the wounds. Deep wounds, especially puncture wounds, should be treated by a physician.
If the cat will bite, prepare a muzzle ahead it time. Cut the bottom out of a Dixie cup, then attach two strings--one on each side of the rim. Once the cat has been scooped up in the towel, have a helper put the Dixie cup over the cat's face and tie the strings behind its head to keep it in place. Untie or cut the strings, then remove the muzzle immediately prior to releasing the cat from the towel.
