Listen, I am a very experienced cat mover, since I used to breed siamese cats. I raised 19 beautiful and smart and mellow litters before the last prospective momma declined to have sex with the poppa cat. She was at the breeders for one and one-half days before the lady called me and said that I should come and get “shy” kitty- she spent the whole time sitting in the litter box, staring up at breeder with great big eyes and not saying a word-not eating- not doing anything except mentally willing said breeder to RETURN ME TO MY HOME, PLEASE! I DO NOT BELONG HERE, AND I DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH STRANGE POPPA CATS, or any other cats, as it turns out.
Anyway, the thing to do is to always transport cats and dogs in a carrier. Having said that, I need to tell you that this is only easy the first time you use a carrier. After that, if you have a smart animal, when you try to do it again you have MAJOR problems. The thing is , they are never as dumb as you might think.
So, it is time to go somewhere (the vet, the breeder, across town to your new place of residence. Easy, right?) Not if pussy has been transported before. This time, you bring out the carrier and place it in the living room, with the door open so it is easily accessible. Once you do that, you look around for the cat, who is usually twining around your legs whenever you are home. Where is the cat? Could she/he have gotten out the door while you were moving boxes? No, you were really careful with the door. So where the Sam Hill is the cat? Well, okay. Check the whole house. Every nook and cranny. No cat. Well, beloved pussy HAS to be here SOMEWHERE, right? Okay, lets fool kitty. It isn’t a person, so it can’t REASON, can it? There is no way it can understand what you are trying to do.
Now you sit down and ostentatiously watch the Mariners game on Fox Sports. (Cat knows you love the Mariners, stands to reason that he/she will be lulled into believing that you would NEVER EVER abandon a Mariners game to chase a cat-even a PERFECT CAT, A WONDROUS CAT, ie:this cat.) Now, this is where you can triumph. Keep watching the game, (you need good side vision for this, trust me). When sweetykat ( I realise that at this point you are not calling them that, but I’d like to keep this PG) pussyfoots somewhere near where you are, and you are keeping a discreet eye out for the cat’s whereabouts, you need to pounce with the speed of light and grab said beloved kitty and attempt to stuff her/it/he into the carrier. I wish I could tell you that your trials are over, but alas, now you are going to learn about how experienced cats feel about being put into the cat carrier.
THEY DON’T WANT TO BE THERE!
So, now you have to deal with the fact that a normal, loving cat with four legs turns into a vicious animal with eight legs when you are trying to stuff them into a carrier. Here is the deal-they may love you, they probably DO love you, but from the cat’s point of view, you are trying to do something horrible to them. They aren’t even sure what it is, but they are of the opinion that whatever it is, it is WRONG, and you have betrayed them. Therefore, they will fight like fire, and splay all four limbs (which seem like eight, for some reason) so that in order to stuff them into the carrier, you have to be CRUEL. Now, how many cat owners feel good about being CRUEL to their beloved pet?
Okay, now you have stuffed your guilt feelings, grabbed limbs and stuffed them into the carrier. PHEW! the bad stuff is over, right? NOT ON YOUR LIFE!
Now, you have to drive them to wherever you need to drive them. Be prepared for them to TELL you, at top volume or plaintive "ik, ik, ik"s what a HORRIBLE mom/dad you are for forcing them to go through this undignified experience.
IMHO, cats are the ultimate guilt trip loved ones. They are even worse than mothers. Even Scottish or Jewish or Italian ones. And definately more so than dogs, who seem to need approval enough to just take whatever you want to give them. IMHO, good for cats! Guess that is part of their mystique, they are just so UP FRONT! They are who they are, and they don’t take any nonsense. Good for them.
I don’t imagine you wanted a ramble in your thread, sorry. I had fun, anyway.
Hugs,
Scotti
My family’s cat was just like that. Eventually I worked out a system: before getting out the pet carrier, close all doors leading to good hiding places. Then, grab the carrier and remove the lid, and don protective clothing (a buttoned up jean jacket and heavy winter gloves). Find and grab the cat, who invariably has figured out what’s up and found a hiding spot anyway. Stick the cat in the carrier bottom, and hold her there while at the same time putting the lid on and fastening it (MUCH easier than trying to get all four (eight?) limbs through the door). I won’t say it’s easy, but at least it minimizes the effort involved and number of scratches received.