Getting My Feral To The Vet... Not Sure Who’s More Traumatized Me Or Her

BinxandBlaze

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So about 2 months ago a cat showed up in my yard. I did what any crazy cat lady would do and bought a trap and brought her inside. The weather here at the time was spiking over 110 degrees and storms were getting bad so I knew she needed shelter. Didn’t know about tnr at the time but she is a tnr kitty.
Since being inside it took about a month until I could pet her and boy did she LOVE it!! She gets scared of people moving around her and she tends to hide but she is showing a ton of progress on that and I am able to pet her everyday!
Her first vet visit was hard and ended in her legitimately trying to climb a wall and scratching the crap out of me. She did ok at the vet they’re working with her limits. A week later a rash showed up on her head so had to take her back.. it took 25 minutes of chasing and traumatizing her to catch her and turned into a week of me not being able to pet her. This week is her next vet visit to get her booster shots and be checked for leukemia. They’ve talked about the possibility of having to sedate her. Which is great for them but I can’t give her anything to calm her before the appointment Incase they do have to sedate her which also means no food.
Any ideas on how to calmly get her into the cat carrier? Picking her up seems to be the main issue. I’ve been trying to feed her in a kennel so I could shut her in there the night before and not chase her as much but I’m kinda scared to stick my head into the kennel with her.
 

Jcatbird

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Hey! First, thanks for saving her! Welcome!!
Feeding her in the kennel is great!
As to getting her to the vet, I use a carrier. I don’t know how you are set up but if the kennel is large then putting a small carrier inside would probably lead her to retreat to it to hide. Thick leather gloves and thick sleeved coats help prevent scratches but not trauma.
I use a carrier at all times for the kitties to have as their own private space. Treats are given there, play time and any other thing each cat likes. Doors are always left open on the carrier until vet time. I close and latch as well as covering with a towel. The kitties now use the carriers as the place they run into if scared or just in need of privacy. Each kitty has their own towel too. The scent of home is comforting to carry with them.

In some cases I have put the carrier on end and loaded the cat bum first into the open door.

I also purchased a top loading carrier. I love that thing! If a cat does elude their regular carrier, a top loading one is much easier to get the cat into. It has a door and top that open. For some reason the cats mind less being put into it from the top.

Wrap the kitty in a towel is all else fails.

In future, if they plan to sedate her, see if you can do that before leaving home if you can’t manage her any other way.

Let us know how it goes. :goodluck:
 
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BinxandBlaze

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It is a very large Kennel and I think trying to put her cage in there and her retreat into it herself is a great idea and I’ll definitely try that! Maybe I’ll also start leaving her carrier door open more and do food trails and treats like I have done to get her out of hiding and see if I can desensitize her from seeing the carrier as being scary. We do have a top loading carrier we usually just use the front door but I’ll try and see if the top is any less traumatizing for either of us.

They said if they sedate her they would put her (in her carrier) into basically an incubator to gas her to sleep so unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to administer any sedating meds before the appointment as they would interfere with the sedation theyd do when she got there):
 

Jcatbird

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I understand you can’t double sedate. I was thinking more that you do a mild sedative instead of them doing it. It’s waaaay better for her if she doesn’t have to be sedated at all so hoping she is calmer. I hope the carrier hiding place works. If not this time them keep trying because that has been the thing that has saved me. I deal with a large number of kitties so the easier on them, the better. Top loading carriers seem to be less threatening. Sometimes I have to open top lid and door and let the cat go in , them quick close both. Lol It’s tricky sometimes!
My vet has never had to sedate any I have taken in. Sometimes they face the head of the cat into the carrier and I always keep a towel at hand. I use the towel as carrier cover and as a place for kitty to hide their head under during the exam. It can prevent fear and scratching.

An exam can sometimes be done inside the top loading carriers since the lid opens.
26983F17-558B-47FF-A4ED-22F3E756FA4D.jpeg
C7919DAD-9F83-48FA-B9E3-22E37FE44ABA.jpeg

Some cats feel safe when hidden under the towel even during the exam.
73A4A367-CE7F-4F2B-AD53-FB282B6FC6BA.jpeg

Others use the towel as something to grab onto. Claws into that do no harm but makes the kitty feel like they have some control.
1CCF2803-31BF-41DA-982E-0766C916DE2A.jpeg

Maybe this will give you ideas. Hope it goes easily.
 

shadowsrescue

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Have you asked about trying Gabapentin? I have used it on a feral cat that I now have living inside my house. I can pet this cat, but I cannot pick him up. I have used Gabapentin twice. It made him very loopy (drunk like) and easy to handle. Yet I did need to administer the meds twice. I gave one dose around 10 pm the night before the appointment and another dose in the morning about 3-4 hours before the appointment.

Gabapentin is now being used regularly on cats who have issues getting to the vet. It might be worth a call to the vet.
 

Feral Mom

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I am following this with interest, as I soon will be in your shoes, taking in a feral to be an indoor cat.

one thing you may want to consider, i don't know if this idea would help,
but, where i live? "Mobile vets" are a dime a dozen, (google your area for mobile veterinarians) and they do not charge much more than a vet visit, and less chance of germs from other cats in waiting room, etc.

and usually, I just have to get cat into the bathroom prior to vet arrival. In your case, you may only have to get cat into trap inside your home prior to vet arrival.
Not sure if this is helpful, but maybe...?

good luck and thank you for helping out a cat!
 
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BinxandBlaze

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They unscrew the top of the cage and put a towel over her for the entire exam. When she starts to get stressed the immediately stop and say we’ll continue later. But the main vaccines likes rabies were given.

I’ve asked about giving her a medication to calm her before going to the vet but they said there’s nothing strong enough that I can give her at home that will knock her out enough to not freak while they’re examining her and if they have to end up having to sedate her she can’t have anything else like that in her system.
Hmm I’ve never thought of a mobile vet before. I’ve seen a few around rarely but I do know they at least exist where i live I might have to check into that.
 
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BinxandBlaze

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Also she usually does pretty good at the vet staying calm for a little bit but she lets them know when she’s done. They really need to get blood work from her this time so they need to get a vein which I see not going over well and having a higher likelihood of her needing to be sedated this time around.
 

shadowsrescue

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My feral did just fine at the vet both times. The first time he had to have an abscess drained. He was very calm. The second time he needed an exam and he also did fine. I had told them he might need sedated, but the gabapentin did the trick. I know of others who have brought feral cats inside the house and use it to trim their nails.

I also have used a mobile vet. It was easier than taking the cats to the vet, but I still had to catch them and have them in carriers. Last year I moved and brought 3 feral cats with me. I decided it was time for them to all be inside cats. I used the mobile vet for vaccines and FELV and FIV testing. Two of the feral boys did ok. The 3rd flipped a lid. He literally climbed my bathroom walls. He had to be completely sedated. So while it was easier, it was still stressful.
 

MistyRino

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If she won't calm down, I think you can buy a calming spray? Look it up on Google. (Sorry I don't have TON'S of information about this:disappointed:
 
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BinxandBlaze

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That’s how my cat is she literally tried climbing walls when we tried to catch her. She seems to avoid the areas where we’ve tried to catch her for a very long time so I know it’s pretty traumatic for her
 
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BinxandBlaze

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She does do better with calming drops and we use calming music too hopefully the combination of everything will make it a little easier to catch her next week
 
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