Help Getting A Cat In A Carrier For A Trip To The Vet!

[jivasaktipearl]

I am at my absolute wits end about how to get my cat in a carrier for an upcoming vet trip.

Small backstory.....a year ago I adopted/found a small black female cat on my patio during an ice storm. She had been doused in water and was freezing cold and I couldn't just leave her out to die. I brought her in and even though had every intention of finding her a home, ended up falling in love with her and keeping her.

Fast forward to the first vet visit; it was horrible. It took me forever to get her into the carrier and actually to the vet. At first I chalked it up to just being new and unfamiliar with everything going on and figured I could work on it. Well now it has been a year and absolutely nothing has changed.

I have tried 3 different types of carriers, ranging in sizes, materials, and types with no luck. Feliway spray in the carrier/around it. Wrapping her in various materials/covering her head/putting her in a pillowcase/etc. She has absolutely no interest in food or toys being placed in it and instead just avoids them. I have even cut up her favorite bath mat to fit inside the carrier, since she spends most of her days laying on it, but she won't go near it. She has been perscribed benadryl and an anxiety med with hopes of sedating her a little but I can't get her to take those either.

I am just at a total loss on what else to do. The carriers are all kept open and available in the living room of my apartment so she can get used to them. She has had 2 recent appointments that i have ended up having to cancel because she has fought me so hard that instead I have ended up having to go to the ER for stitches. So any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

(And just for the record, regardless if I have to go the ER every time she has go to the vet, she is my baby and I love her and will not under any circumstances be giving her up. Any other time she is sweet and loving, except involving anything having to do with being put in a carrier. I just am trying to find a way to make the whole process a little easier.)

 

[Furballsmom]

You are fantastic pure and simple! Try the method called scruffing, with an adult cat you need to be a bit more careful than with kittens but there are videos. I have the exact same issue, but this works. It doesn't eliminate the stress of course but it gets him in the carrier, with much feline cussing thereafter. I'm also going to try a chew/treat called compose to try and address the anxiety.

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh , and a thought, just me, but I've always figured most of our feline buddies are smart enough not to be lulled into complacency if a carrier is left out all the time. Anyway, Bless your heart for hanging in there with her!

 

[Kieka]

Scruffing is not recommended for adult cats. The extra skin Mom cats use fades as kittens age. Scruffing an adult can be harmful.

Is It OK to
How to Restrain a Cat the Right Way
Breaking the myth on cat scruffing by cat behaviourist Anita Kelsey

In general, on adult cats a scruff should only be used as a grip point out of range of claws and teeth in a short term situation. Not to pick them up and not to hold any longer then absolutely needed. I'd only use it in extreme situations when I didn't have anything nearby to use instead.

For a cat who doesn't want to go in the carrier try training to go in the carrier for meals. Start by feeding in front of the carrier and slowly move the food dish into the carrier over the course of several days or weeks. Once the cat is eating in the carrier start closing the door for a few moments while eating. If the cat gets nervous immediately open the door again and don't close again. The goal being to get the carrier to be a good place and the door closing not a scary thing.

If you don't have time then my favorite method is to wear long sleeves and gloves with a towel nearby. Sit on the floor and wait for the cat to get close. I tend to toss treats around me and wait until the cat has her back to me. Then grab the cat very quickly. A second person can help wrap the cat in a towel and put the bundle in the carrier. If no second person, use the towel to grab the cat.

I also have a top load carrier with helps greatly in getting squirming cats in the carrier.

 

[susanm9006]

If you have a top loading carrier it is much easier. My method is to grab the cat around their middle with one arm and drop them feet first into the carrier leaving the other arm free to quick shut the carrier. By putting them in feet first the cat is less able to brace themselves with four paws at the opening. If you only have a front opening carrier, then tip it on end and drop the cat in.

 

[LTS3]

Do you have a carrier with two doors, the typical door on the front as well as a top door? Like this one. It's a lot easier to put a cat in through the top door than through the front door.

Sometimes it helps to put the cat into the bathroom and close the door. Then get the carrier ready with the door open and place it near the closed door but out of sight when the door is opened. Slowly open the door making sure the cat isn't trying to sneak past your feet as soon as the door is open wide enough. Use a pillow or something to try to keep the cat from sneaking around the door. One you're in the bathroom, close the door, pick the cat up, open the door, and quickly put the cat into the carrier and close the door. Having a double door carrier reallyhelps since most single door carriers can't be balanced on end with the door facing up.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I am at my absolute wits end about how to get my cat in a carrier for an upcoming vet trip.

Small backstory.....a year ago I adopted/found a small black female cat on my patio during an ice storm. She had been doused in water and was freezing cold and I couldn't just leave her out to die. I brought her in and even though had every intention of finding her a home, ended up falling in love with her and keeping her.

Fast forward to the first vet visit; it was horrible. It took me forever to get her into the carrier and actually to the vet. At first I chalked it up to just being new and unfamiliar with everything going on and figured I could work on it. Well now it has been a year and absolutely nothing has changed.

I have tried 3 different types of carriers, ranging in sizes, materials, and types with no luck. Feliway spray in the carrier/around it. Wrapping her in various materials/covering her head/putting her in a pillowcase/etc. She has absolutely no interest in food or toys being placed in it and instead just avoids them. I have even cut up her favorite bath mat to fit inside the carrier, since she spends most of her days laying on it, but she won't go near it. She has been perscribed benadryl and an anxiety med with hopes of sedating her a little but I can't get her to take those either.

I am just at a total loss on what else to do. The carriers are all kept open and available in the living room of my apartment so she can get used to them. She has had 2 recent appointments that i have ended up having to cancel because she has fought me so hard that instead I have ended up having to go to the ER for stitches. So any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

(And just for the record, regardless if I have to go the ER every time she has go to the vet, she is my baby and I love her and will not under any circumstances be giving her up. Any other time she is sweet and loving, except involving anything having to do with being put in a carrier. I just am trying to find a way to make the whole process a little easier.)

J jivasaktipearl - An honest answer for cases like this: home visits. Most communities have a veterinarian who makes house calls, and they're cheaper than even just a few stitches in the ER.

I have eleven cats; I wouldn't even consider going to the vet, when the vet will come here.

Will you also get better, more thorough service in-home? Generally speaking, yes - that's an added bonus.
.
.

 

[Furballsmom]

For everyone but 1CatOverTheLine you may have missed the OPs emergency room visits. Scruffing can be done without harming the cat. On the flip side, if a home visiting vet is in the area, sometimes that works except my guy was just as freaked out due to the sound of zippers and nylon bags. Anyway we've given the OP options which is what she requested. Over n out.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ I always keep a carrier in the house so the cats are used to it. Eventually they all go in and out and sometimes sleep in it ! Sometimes I just pick up a cat and put them inside for a few minutes. It's like a game we play.
Maybe this will work with your kitty ? Good luck ...

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

~ I always keep a carrier in the house so the cats are used to it. Eventually they all go in and out and sometimes sleep in it ! Sometimes I just pick up a cat and put them inside for a few minutes. It's like a game we play.
Maybe this will work with your kitty ? Good luck ...

JamesCalifornia - The OP noted that, "I have tried 3 different types of carriers, ranging in sizes, materials, and types with no luck. Feliway spray in the carrier/around it. Wrapping her in various materials/covering her head/putting her in a pillowcase/etc. She has absolutely no interest in food or toys being placed in it and instead just avoids them. I have even cut up her favorite bath mat to fit inside the carrier, since she spends most of her days laying on it, but she won't go near it. She has been perscribed benadryl and an anxiety med with hopes of sedating her a little but I can't get her to take those either.

I am just at a total loss on what else to do. The carriers are all kept open and available in the living room of my apartment so she can get used to them."

Still no dice. Some cats are just anti-carrier.
.

 

[Furballsmom]

Anti carrier, anti vet, --which is not a knock on vets by any means. We love em to pieces but boy oh boy can they present challenges to us!

 

[jivasaktipearl]

Thanks to everyone's thoughts so far. Just some more information for everyone that's already posted (and I have been reading everyone's trying to get new ideas).

1. All 3 of the carriers I own are top loading and 2 out of the 3 have doors on both ends in edition to the top opening. I have tried all 3 in terms of finding one that she likes/will use easier than the others, but it doesn't seem to matter.
2. I have looked into home vet visits, but unfortunately at this time in my life, it's just simply not feasible. There are only a couple of vets in my area that will even do that, but frankly it's far too expensive (upwards of $200) for my budget currently.
3. Feeding in the carrier doesn't work (tried it on multiple occasions and the end result is she just won't eat/or she will only go near the food bowl when I am at work ... in fact she really isn't a very food motivated cat in general it seems)

I realize that this whole thing is sort of a lose/lose scenario right now, and that no matter what happens the end result is going to leave her extremely mad at me. I had some high hopes that being able to spend the last year working on this would have created a better time with the whole thing, but so far no luck and I am not at the point where I can't put off this trip any longer. She has to get her yearly vaccines and at some point in the near future she has to get spayed which will require another trip.

Ultimately I just want to do everything I can to make it as easy as possible, and I am just hoping to maybe get some ideas for things I haven't tried yet.

 

[jivasaktipearl]

Anti carrier, anti vet, --which is not a knock on vets by any means. We love em to pieces but boy oh boy can they present challenges to us!

The funniest thing is that she isn't actually really anti vet. In fact, the one that she sees currently, she really seems to like. (might also be the clinic cat they have which I think she has a crush on. ).

Too bad he won't do house calls.

 

[Furballsmom]

You're fortunate in that regard, my big guy hates that part of the experience as well.

 

[Shishkabob]

My cats hate carriers too. I've heard that if you use Rescue Drops, it will usually calm the cat down enough to get into the carrier. It takes a half an hour to kick in and I recommend you try it on the cat before putting them straight into the carrier first because sometimes it works on cats and sometimes it doesn't.

 

[Caspers Human]

Casper doesn't do carriers either.

We use a "Two-Man Scoop and Go" technique.
One person gets the carrier ready but just out of the room, outside the cat's vision.
The other person makes nice with the cat while the first person is getting ready.
When everybody is ready, throw a towel over the cat, roll him up like a "kitty burrito", scoop him up and drop him into the carrier.

The whole maneuver takes, maybe, fifteen seconds. By the time the cat figures out what the hell just happened, the top is zipped up and he's half way out the door.

It doesn't sound very nice but, sometimes, you gotta' do what you've gotta' do. Right?

 

[rubysmama]

Welcome to The Cat Site. And thank you for rescuing that poor little kitty.

Is she/was she a feral? Can you touch her normally? That will make a difference, to some degree. At least with her being mad at you.

I've had Ruby, my non-feral lap kitty, for just over 4 years, and she still HATES being picked up or restrained in any way. The first time trying to get her into the cat carrier for her vet appointment took many attempts and left both of us stressed. And me scratched, though thankfully no ER required.

When I told the vet about the struggle to get Ruby in the carrier, she suggested a method that miraculously works.

Put the carrier up high, like on a counter. Have it right at the edge, with the end door open. Then (this is the hard part) pick up cat and point it directly into the open door of the carrier. Because they are up high, they have nowhere to go except into the carrier to turn around. Once cat is inside, close the door.

I know that sounds easier than it actually is. But it does work! The getting the cat inside part, at least. The hard part for me is picking Ruby up. She squirms and wiggles, with all 4 legs (and claws) flying in different directions! So what I do, is put on a heavy jacket to protect my arms and body from claws. And I put on a pair of sunglasses to protect my eyes. Course I do hold her out as far from my body as I can.

This method really works. Instead of chasing her around the house trying to a) catch her and b) then get her in the carrier, and then doing it again and again, the shock of being picked up and pointed towards the carrier opening results in getting her in the carrier in less than a minute. Last appointment we arrived early!

It may not work for you, but it's definitely worth a try. Good luck.

 

[maggiedemi]

My cats love their carrier. What I did was put them in a room and train them that getting in the carrier meant that they could leave that room and go somewhere more exciting. You know cats, they hate being in a room with the door shut. I'd say "Hurry, get in your cage." Now they will get in the cage on command anytime they are in a room with the door closed. They don't associate it with going to the vet at all, just with going somewhere different than that room that they don't want to be in.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, both Caspers Human and rubysmama have very good ideas. Something I don't know whether it's been mentioned or not, and I always have good intentions but never get it done, is to do the carrier/car ride on multiple occasions aside/apart from an actual vet visit. Down the street, around the block etc, and one major thing here is that if you do this, you're naturally going to be a lot less stressed since there's no time deadline of an appointment looming over you. This might work for you-all considering you commented that she doesn't actually mind the vet visit itself. Best of luck!

 

[orange&white]

Maybe...
Cat-in-the-bag Cozy Comfort Cat Carrier