I swore I had the towel wrap just right on a 12 lb tabby at 7:30 a.m. — gentle scruff support, slight chin lift, syringe angled into the cheek pouch with a tidy [redacted] of chicken-flavored suspension — then he reverse-sneezed it back into my eyes like a victory fountain. Anyone else have the “count to three, then geyser” patient, and do you aim more caudal or wait for the first swallow before easing your hold?
Quick tip: a cheap trail cam at the attic hatch saved me a midnight ladder ride — second-best “body cam,” per @jfitzgerald52. Pair a one-way door with a light flour dust at the threshold to verify exit, but cap the chimney right after or the “room service” raccoon will rebook.
I’ve got the ‘count to three, then geyser’ guy too — head slightly down, [redacted] TB syringe parked at the molar ridge, and micro-squirts with a 2–3 second wait. If I prime with a swipe of Churu and warm the chicken-flavored suspension, he swallows instead of reverse-sneezing it into my eyes at 7:30 a.m. Caveat: if it’s metronidazole, I capsule it and skip the splashdown.
I started using a 2x2 gauze ‘sneeze guard’ over the commissure and it saved my eyeballs on a 12 lb tabby — warm the chicken slurry a touch and wait for the first swallow before the next push. If he’s in full ‘victory fountain’ mode, I do a quick dab on the gum with a cotton swab to prime, then finish with the syringe. @rlin57 is right about the molar ridge, but too steep an angle seems to trigger the geyser for me.