Here’s my latest worry in the continuing saga of the cat I’m babysitting. Devotees will remember me completely losing my s**t when she briefly escaped a few months ago. So anyway…
How do I get her into her carrier if I have to take her to the vet? She’s been with me three months now and sooner or later I’m going to have to take her someplace for some reason.
I’ve read about leaving it out and letting her use it as a hangout spot to make it non-threatening, but she never goes near it. She will let me pick her up, but not for long. I’m doubtful I could shove her in without her cooperation.
She likes to drink out of the bathroom faucet - what if I shut the door and trapped her in there. At least I’d have her in a small-ish area. Then what?
I pick up my cat and carry her to the open carrier (holding her in such a way that she cannot see the carrier), scratching her ears and speaking to her lovingly.
Then I put my hand over her eyes and put her headfirst into the carrier. By the time I take my hand away from her eyes, she is more than 1/2 way into the carrier, and I can use the hand that was covering her eyes to push her backside into the carrier if need be.
[ol]
[li]Lock Cat2 in bathroom, approach Cat1 quietly.[/li][li]Pick up Cat1 with towel, bring to hidden cat carrier, and attempt to shove him in.[/li][li]Curse, try again.[/li][li]Unscrew lid of cat carrier, put 20 lb cat in bottom half, and screw lid back on, using your elbows to shove cat’s limbs back under shell while you attempt to fasten screws.[/li][li]Repeat with other cat.[/li][li]Chase cat around house after he escapes from bathroom when you open the door.[/li][li]30 minutes later, repeat steps 1-4.[/li][li]Apply bactine.[/li][li]Change hair-encrusted clothes.[/li][/ol]
I had to get a carrier that opens from the top (this one, to be exact), which is much easier to put the cat into than trying to get it in through one that only opens from the front. Good luck!
I had to take our poor kitty to the vet’s today to get her spayed. The first time I tried to get her into the cat carrier she escaped in five seconds. The second time I propped the cat carrier against a wall in a corner on its side, dumped a few kitty treats in, grabbed the cat and shoved her in quickly head first and then slammed the kitty carrier door. The second time worked.
The poor thing’s lying on the sofa right now all decked out with a can’t scratch collar and a shaved belly. She’s alternatively purring and glaring at me. The real fun part was giving her pain pills and antibiotics. The even more fun part is that she has a touch of gingivitis and now I have to clean her teeth twice a day.
It’s a good thing I adore her beautiful Maine Coon brown tabby and white butt because she’s a lot of work. But she’s also a lap cat with fur so soft the vet compared her to a bunny, huge golden eyes, a tail a peacock would envy and four perfect white socks on her feet. She’s definitely worth every penny of the $601.70 she cost me today.
My own method is to bring down the cat carrier a day or two before the appointment, which gets them more easy about the sight of it. Then, the day of the appointment, systematically close off all doors until the offending cat is trapped, and gently pick it up like nothing is wrong. Insert cat quickly and firmly into carrier, and zip up the top.
Stop feeding kitty 24 hours before you need her to go in the carrier. Then drap the carrier with a towel, open the door and put something yummy like tuna fish in the carrier. Kitty won’t be able to get into the carrier fast enough.
My cat hates the carrier and does nothing but cry when I put her in it, but lately we’ve had it in the living room (she has to go back to the vet on Saturday), and she’s been going in there and just sitting there comfortably.
But when we want her in there, nothing short of a general anesthetic could get her in.
Everytime I put my cat in one of those things he wont have ANYTHING to do with me afterwords for at least two days. He’ll just hide under the bed and not come out. I have to put his food and water under the bed also so the little bastard doen’t have to come out if he doesn’t want to.
Carlyjay’s method works best for me, too, except I tip the front opening carrier onto it’s back end so that I’m lowering the cat in from above. I put the kitty into the TabbyTote back-end first, quickly let go of the front-end paws as soon as they are past the opening, and slam that little gate shut. It’s funny how they always zoom back into the carrier on their own once the vet is finished with them at the vet’s office.
But she’s also a lap cat with fur so soft the vet compared her to a bunny, huge golden eyes, a tail a peacock would envy and four perfect white socks on her feet. She’s definitely worth every penny of the $601.70 she cost me today.
on the last post!