Need Advice: Taking BG Solo

Does anyone have experience in taking bg from their cat with no help? I can't get him to stay still. I feel like I need a hand to hold him scruffed and two other hands to take the blood from his ear. It's been really frustrating. Does anyone have a tip or two?

 

I take Lola's readings in the sink in my master bath (as pictured in her avatar). It's at a comfortable height for me, the bowl helps to keep her in place, and there's that lovely ledge immediately to hand where I place her testing supplies. Being right-handed I hold her ear with my left hand and poke with my right. Then I continue to hold her ear with my left hand while reaching for the meter with my right. If she gets squirmy I can (sort of) restrain her using my right forearm as I'm reaching for the meter. I could also lean over her with my body if it came to that (but, fortunately, it hasn't).

Here are 2 other tips that may be helpful. 1) use a thin smear of petroleum jelly over the ear. That helps to keep the blood from diffusing into the fur and you'll get a nice bead of blood sooner. 2) If you've got a good bead of blood on the ear but kitty is really squirmy, scrape the blood onto your (clean) thumbnail. You can then let kitty go and test from the blood on your nail.

Welcome to the Forum!

Enid

 

Hey Enid! Wow! That is perfect advice. I am not sure why that didn't even cross my mind. I am definitely going to try that for the +3 review. Thank you so much I am so lucky to have found you all.

 

I start with sitting cross-legged on the floor and put the cat in my lap. I can use my forearms to help control the cat so my hands can do the testing. At the beginning some of my cat have due blood during testing.