Best cat crates for difficult to crate cats

[alana0011]

I've had this problem before with the same cat, but I always get great ideas when I come here.
I'm trying to get my cat to a vet, and I tried today and it was a disaster. I had the cage turned upside down, but she got out of my arms.
I'm looking into other cat crates and wondered about your ideas. I will need to get sneaky and creative, and if I can get her interested enough in a crate, I could close the door behind her. I don't know about a soft sided crate with zippers. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to close it fast enough.
Any ideas are appreciated! She will probably not come close to me for weeks now.

 

[game misconduct]

we use a top opening one for graycie i grab her place her in kepp my hand above her head to prevent escape while gf zips it closed.we also leave it out at all times so she can nap in it if she wants but she is smart and reads/feels gf's anxietyand knows when somthings going on i have graycies trust gf doesnt. we have started using gabbapentin to now (vet wont see her if shehasnt been dosed to calm her prior)

 

[alana0011]

That's a wonderful idea. So you have the soft sided one, right?

 

[game misconduct]

That's a wonderful idea. So you have the soft sided one, right?

yes graycie likes it has no issues with it if its in my hand gf its a different story . but its really helpful if you have an extra set of hands there to help you if possible.its important tolet your cat get used to it though so it doesnt freak out soon as it sees you have it out

 

[KittyFriday]

I have a hard sided collapsible one, I think the brand is SportPet? I like it because it's pretty roomy - and my guy is pretty big - and the door is on the side so there's a lot of room to get him in without feeling like I'm smashing him into a tiny hole. I mainly got it because it was collapsible though, because at the time I needed something that saved space.

 

[artiemom]

I have a combination top and side entry hard sided carrier. It heavy, but very sturdy.

With Geoffrey, I just pick him up, point him head first into the side opening. The top opening comes in handy for taking him out. Geoffrey kind of just freezes up..

Artie was a different story. He was a huge fighter! I ended up putting him in backward, with the carrier on end. Yes, it was a mess. The top side came in handy to straighten out the towel I keep in there.

I did try a soft sided carrier. I did not feel it was safe in the car. Artie also pooped in it one time. The soft sider was a real pain to clean. The mess was all over Artie. The hard carrier is better for washing down---if need be.

 

[LTS3]

A carrier? A two door carrier makes getting a cat to the vet easy. I have one similar to this:

Just open the top door, put cat in, and while holding the cat down gently, quickly close the top door and remove your hand out of the carrier and slide the latches shut.

Some soft sided carries have a top entry flap.Open the top flap, insert cat and hold down, then flip the flap back over and zip close.

There are additional tips here:

Getting Your Cat to the Veterinarian | The Cat Community

 

[alana0011]

Thank you for all of the replies! Mocha has been to the vet four times in the past five years, and I'm glad she doesn't need to go more than that.
For awhile now, she will not come close enough to me for me to pick her up, but we'll get it soon, I hope!