I always wait til the cats are napping, sneak up on them bottle open, pet them a bit like normal, squirt, done, walk away. Cat is always most annoyed but never more so.I think once feral animals are especially sensitive to our intent and our moods, the less tense you are and the less you make a fuss over this the better. Next time dont worry so much about grabbing the cat to apply the bug juice just because you did everyone else right then and there, wait til everyone has settled down - a day or two wont matter and let your cat just think all is good. Wait for him to setlle in, have husband walk by while the cat is on your shoulder, apply the juice and walk away. Done. Cat will give you the evil eye for awhile but it will keep you all out of the ER and you will get on your cats good side alot faster.

Thanks Mazer but I think I'd have my eyes gouged out or my jugular ripped open if husband did that when Henry was on my shoulder. I have no idea why he freaks out. When I took him from his feral mom, I took his brother( they were the only two) and they had a good three months together so he had that interaction. Except for his trip to the vet to get neutered and shots, nothing bad ever happened to him. The dogs are fine with him, and he is a sweetie most of the time. But he is so muscular and strong. I have tried sneaking up on him while he naps and he always wakes up. This has been going on for five years. That's his age and I do it a few times a year.

Some cats are just wired that way;
I have a cat who never has been hurt or traumatized or treated roughly, but clipping her nails is next to impossible.

She seems to think nail trim = death by horrible bloodletting torture.

I don't think I'd be able to sneak up on her while she's sleeping (& if I tried it & she woke up, she'd never trust me again), but I have been able to clip a few nails at a time by waiting until she's asleep on my lap.

I wish you the best.

Some hints:

Don't try to use the spray - the hissing noise really upsets some cats.

1 - Get him accustomed to having you mess with his fur at the application site without applying the medication. Act just as if you are applying it, maybe even have a sealed dose container, but don't use the medication.

2 - Do it a lot, and give him a treat sometimes when you do this.

3 - When he's accustomed to the fur-parting and rubbing and getting a few treats, make sure you do him first, and do him fast, then give him a treat just like always.

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I always go through the "give them a pill" routine a few times a week, but it's just a chin-scratch. That makes it less of a surprise

I have tried all that. Henry has a memory like an elephant. It's been about 5 or 6 months since I've done the frontline. I don't use spray, just the topical. We get him when he's on the kitchen island napping. Thru out the year I do fur part and rub and pet in the area on the back of the neck. He immediately becomes suspicious and gives me the evil eye. Thank God, he has never needed to take any meds. I have not done the treats though except after I've given the Frontline. By then Henry is long gone and in hiding for a few hours. Then he strolls out and sits on my lap. He's a psycho cat for sure. Really wired differently. But he has no history except with me, so go figure.

Could he be sensitive to the chemical?

I had a couple cats who did the same routine and it was only with the topical flea meds. I have no clue why they were so spastic. I found out early that a towel can be your best friend for things like ear treatments and stuff like topical applications. I do a mummy wrap on a cat I think will start turning me into confettii. If done well, it renders them unable to move their extremities, and will not harm them in any way if you tuck their little legs in properly. Do the deed, then just lay the parcel on the floor to loosen and off they shoot to glare at you, medicated. LOL.

Two of my cats will take that with no problem, but one acts like I'm killing him. I think he's sensitive to the chemicals, like Sylvia suggested, because he would run and huddle in the closet and shake and drool. Needless to say, I freaked out, wiped it off as much as I could and never applied it again. Even after that, he still hid for hours with a really spaced out look and he was deathly afraid of me when I walked by for the rest of the night. It was awful. So it could be more than a fear thing and it could actually be hurting him.

I don't think it's hurting him. He has never had a reaction and a few hours later he strolls in and eats...back to normal. This is a cat who is so comfortable in his surroundings with two dogs and four other cats that he'll lay on his back with his big white stomach exposed for rubs. We wore long sleeves yesterday so didn't get injured, but I think I'll give the towel a try next time. I cannot believe the strength this cat has when he's pissed.

My dogs act like I'm coming after them with a hatchet so I understand. The first time it took two days to do Roxy. One day for the neck and one day for the tail.

I smear some peanut butter on the washing machine. While they lick it off I squirt it on their neck. A trick I learned on here.

The peanut butter works well for the dogs, wouldn't work on cats but I wish you luck. Welding gloves? LOL

How are you restraining him? Could he be more upset at being restrained than the actual medication? Can you give him a good tight scruff or is that exactly where the medicine has to go? One of my cats has a full fledged tantrum when it's time to do nails. I make sure she doesn't see me do the other cats before it's her turn. The anticipation gets her more riled up! Cats don't seem to forget that their turn is coming up sooner or later, either! Try doing Henry first, before any of your other animals and don't let him see you getting the medicine bottle ready. Does he like tuna juice or canned food? If you put something enticing down to distract his attention, he might not even notice you applying it.

If it's prophylactic, why not use Program on Henry, and Frontline for everyone else? I can't remember whether it was a treat or a liquid for the cat (one was for the dog and the other for the cat), but I do know they both loved it.