How do I stay calm when trying to put cat in carrier?

[TV Dinner]

Ever since I’ve had Snuffy he has been a terror to put in a cat carrier. Even when I got him from a Petco they had a horrible time getting him in one. As a result I have found that now I too become incredibly stressed when it’s time to get him in his carrier for a vet visit and I think that makes things worse because he can sense my panic.

I’ve tried pretty much every method that exists for getting him in. I can’t do the towel method because he won’t lay on them anymore and I’m not quick enough to surprise him and get him wrapped up before he squirms away. He’s so good at squirming away quickly! I can’t pick him up at all, period, because he now associates that with the cat carrier. There is no teaching him to eat in it, no way. And even trying a new carrier didn’t help because again, just going to pick him up in any manner, he instantly associates it with carrier and escapes.

So there is the baseline problem of how to get him in a carrier, and how do I stay calm during the process to not freak him out further, try too hard to get him in out of panic, etc.

 

[aliceneko]

Don't act stressed because cats pick up on your stress and will act upon it ie they'll play up because they can sense you need them to do something they don't like! I know it's easier said than done but please try to stay calm, and try breathing exercises if you feel anxious. With Toffee we always entice him in with treats and have found that getting a larger carrier with one where he can see out helps him a great deal.

 

[ArtNJ]

If force is required, larger & top loading is easier. A helper is also helpful.

If you leave it out indefinitely, he might eventually learn to get treats out of it.

Its pretty normal to be stressed if it becomes a confrontation. Carrier battles can be legit awful.

 

[daftcat75]

At this point, I think you'll need to start over with him and make the carrier a safe space.

To start, always leave the carrier out and open for him. You may need to start over with a new carrier if he's already associated that one with terror. I would leave it out for him to inspect without trying to stuff him into it. Let it become part of his environment. If you can, get him one that looks inviting. I like this one and so does Betty:


Amazon link: Amazon.com

What you need to do is teach your little guy that the carrier is not the problem. Leave it out. Leave it open. And seed it with treats. You may need to pick up a clicker for clicker training to get his attention. But if you can get him to enter the carrier for treats, that's step two. Step one is leaving it out and open all the time. The next step would be to seed it intermittently and occasionally with a jackpot (two or three treats instead of one.) The intermittent reward schedule with the occasional jackpot will get him to check on this location repeatedly like a gambler playing the lottery. By this point, hopefully he's re-learned that the carrier is not a bad place.

If you haven't been using a clicker to get his attention, now's probably the time to do it. The next steps would be progressively desensitizing him to all the steps that lead to a vet visit. And the first is getting his attention. That's the clicker. Click. Give him a treat. Do that a few times a day until he comes running to you when he hears the click. You will progressively add to this routine over days or weeks. Click. Cat comes running. Put the treat in the carrier. When he goes in for it, click, and give him another treat. You're asking him to perform the task (enter the carrier) and you are rewarding him for it. When he's comfortable entering the carrier, your next step would be to zip him in. Give him another treat through the top. Let him out immediately. Do this for as many days or weeks as it takes for him to be comfortable with going into the carrier and being zipped up. You can practice for longer intervals of having him inside before you let him out.

The next progressions, if you want to keep going and keep desensitizing him would be:

1. Zip him up and lift him. Set him back down. Let him out. Reward him with a treat in the carrier. But don't zip him up again. You're just reinforcing that the carrier is not a bad place.
2. Zip him up, lift him, walk him around. Put him back down, let him out, and reward him with a treat in the carrier.
3. Zip him up, walk him to the car, walk him back, set him down, let him out, and reward in the carrier.
4. All of the previous and take him for a drive around the block.

If you made it this far, he may still freak out at the vet, but he'll be a lot easier to get into his carrier and get him over to the vet. And he should be a lot calmer when he comes home. You can put a treat in his carrier after you've let him out so he can still associate the carrier with positive feelings.

Of course this takes a lot of time and effort, but you should both find it rewarding.

My Betty likes her carrier because I always leave it out and I did seed it with treats when I first got it for her. Now she doesn't need treats. She will occasionally spend time in the carrier just because. With her, I do just pick her up and drop her in the top and zip her in. She's pretty easy that way. Probably because she doesn't see the carrier as the problem but what's at the end of the trip. Not a whole lot I can do to make that easier on her.

 

[daftcat75]

And if all this fails, you can ask your vet for gabapentin to knock him over and make him easier to deal with. But some cats can freak out right through the gabapentin. I recommend trying the desensitization training first.

 

[Kflowers]

I suspect part of your stress is that you know you are going to be hurt. I've gotten long scratches from this, the thought remains. It's difficult to not stress when you are anticipating being hurt. I've included an addy and a picture of rose gloves that are suppose to keep the thorns away from you. The ones I got did not have the glove part just the sleeves, but, of course, I can't find them again on Amazon. Cat claws don't go through these gloves and they aren't clumsy like oven mitts. They aren't that expensive and they might help. If you can't work them, cut the hand part off and try them. Because you are right your cat is picking up on your stress -- you are afraid, therefore there is something he should fear.

Amazon.com: Gastody™ Long Sleeve Gardening Gloves Women and Men Size L- Long Cuff Garden Gloves, Multipurpose Heavy Duty Outdoor and Indoor-Thorn Proof Gardening Gloves Protective Work Rose Pruning Gloves : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[TV Dinner]

At this point, I think you'll need to start over with him and make the carrier a safe space.

To start, always leave the carrier out and open for him. You may need to start over with a new carrier if he's already associated that one with terror. I would leave it out for him to inspect without trying to stuff him into it. Let it become part of his environment. If you can, get him one that looks inviting. I like this one and so does Betty:
View attachment 484813

Amazon link: Amazon.com

What you need to do is teach your little guy that the carrier is not the problem. Leave it out. Leave it open. And seed it with treats. You may need to pick up a clicker for clicker training to get his attention. But if you can get him to enter the carrier for treats, that's step two. Step one is leaving it out and open all the time. The next step would be to seed it intermittently and occasionally with a jackpot (two or three treats instead of one.) The intermittent reward schedule with the occasional jackpot will get him to check on this location repeatedly like a gambler playing the lottery. By this point, hopefully he's re-learned that the carrier is not a bad place.

If you haven't been using a clicker to get his attention, now's probably the time to do it. The next steps would be progressively desensitizing him to all the steps that lead to a vet visit. And the first is getting his attention. That's the clicker. Click. Give him a treat. Do that a few times a day until he comes running to you when he hears the click. You will progressively add to this routine over days or weeks. Click. Cat comes running. Put the treat in the carrier. When he goes in for it, click, and give him another treat. You're asking him to perform the task (enter the carrier) and you are rewarding him for it. When he's comfortable entering the carrier, your next step would be to zip him in. Give him another treat through the top. Let him out immediately. Do this for as many days or weeks as it takes for him to be comfortable with going into the carrier and being zipped up. You can practice for longer intervals of having him inside before you let him out.

The next progressions, if you want to keep going and keep desensitizing him would be:

1. Zip him up and lift him. Set him back down. Let him out. Reward him with a treat in the carrier. But don't zip him up again. You're just reinforcing that the carrier is not a bad place.
2. Zip him up, lift him, walk him around. Put him back down, let him out, and reward him with a treat in the carrier.
3. Zip him up, walk him to the car, walk him back, set him down, let him out, and reward in the carrier.
4. All of the previous and take him for a drive around the block.

If you made it this far, he may still freak out at the vet, but he'll be a lot easier to get into his carrier and get him over to the vet. And he should be a lot calmer when he comes home. You can put a treat in his carrier after you've let him out so he can still associate the carrier with positive feelings.

Of course this takes a lot of time and effort, but you should both find it rewarding.

My Betty likes her carrier because I always leave it out and I did seed it with treats when I first got it for her. Now she doesn't need treats. She will occasionally spend time in the carrier just because. With her, I do just pick her up and drop her in the top and zip her in. She's pretty easy that way. Probably because she doesn't see the carrier as the problem but what's at the end of the trip. Not a whole lot I can do to make that easier on her.

Super helpful, thank you very much I’m going to do this!

 

[Kflowers]

SG uses her carrier for naps, but she's been put in a carrier since kittenhood to take naps. Imagine, if you will, a toddler with claws who doesn't want to take naps. Yep, it happens, she was that toddler. However, the taking naps in the carrier stuck. She still fights being put in the carrier. But using TV dinner's suggestion, sort of, I'd been taking her her little car trips where we just ride to a place to park for awhile then return home. No getting out of the carrier until we are back home. She still fights but less. It's possible the fear of ending up lost away from home is part of the fight.

 

[Kwik]

Ever since I’ve had Snuffy he has been a terror to put in a cat carrier. Even when I got him from a Petco they had a horrible time getting him in one. As a result I have found that now I too become incredibly stressed when it’s time to get him in his carrier for a vet visit and I think that makes things worse because he can sense my panic.

I’ve tried pretty much every method that exists for getting him in. I can’t do the towel method because he won’t lay on them anymore and I’m not quick enough to surprise him and get him wrapped up before he squirms away. He’s so good at squirming away quickly! I can’t pick him up at all, period, because he now associates that with the cat carrier. There is no teaching him to eat in it, no way. And even trying a new carrier didn’t help because again, just going to pick him up in any manner, he instantly associates it with carrier and escapes.

So there is the baseline problem of how to get him in a carrier, and how do I stay calm during the process to not freak him out further, try too hard to get him in out of panic, etc.

Well firstly you've gotten a lot of good advice so far but I have to ask- is Snuffy a cubby cat,a vertical space cat or stay in the open to see 360 cat?

So depending on Snuffys preferred safe spaces knowing this will be easier to give you suggestions- for example,a cat that does not like cubbies ( because of limited visual and no escape route would be much easier to start him off getting used to some fun cubes or tunnels and encourage them to go " through " in play on command For cats that do like cubbies going into a carrier is easy to get them used to( choose a size closest to their usual cubby size)

One thing I will add is when you start to " pick up" carrier with cat inside always return them to the exact spot you started in at first- a big reason cats do not like being in a carrier and carried around is because they ard disorientated and wind up in an unfamiliar place- they quickly associate the carrier will leaving their territory...


It is for the same reasons many cats do not like being picked up,besides feeling insecure without solid footing
.When getting cats or kittens used to being picked up off the ground it's very reassuring to them to return them to the exact spot you picked them up from at first(and facing in the same direction)..... cats falling have a natural ability to " right themselves" -people will often pick kitty up,hold them like a child and turn them facing another way,it goes against their natural instinctive righting reflex which develops at around 3- 4 wks old..... seeing the world from a cats perspective is highly beneficial to modifying behavior

Go slow,baby steps- earn Snuffys trust with a carrier but first let it just be a familiar " thing" and part of his territory- I used to move them from time to time from one room to another so it is not any big deal or signal that anythings going to happen thst involves them lol......

 

[di and bob]

There will always be cats that put up horrific fights going into a carrier. And i always get stressed when it is time to put them in, no matter how many times I have done it. I have found that a top loading carrier, or a side loading that the whole side comes down is much easier. although I have propped a front load upright so the door is facing up. If the cat is difficult, I always scruff them, grabbing the loose skin on the back of the neck, it sometimes is the ONLY way to control and calm them. Supporting their behinds and their weight, (NEVER pick up a cat by the skin, believe it or not the skin can be torn away from the underlying tissue if the cat is heavy enough, ) lower them into the carrier, much easier than trying to stuff them into the front, gravity is your friend. Sometimes it helps to have the carrier hidden in another room until you get them under control, so they can't start struggling prematurely. I have had great success using this method, sometimes it really is the only way. I don't think I have ever had a cat that enjoys being stuffed into a carrier!

 

[Kwik]

There will always be cats that put up horrific fights going into a carrier. And i always get stressed when it is time to put them in, no matter how many times I have done it. I have found that a top loading carrier, or a side loading that the whole side comes down is much easier. although I have propped a front load upright so the door is facing up. If the cat is difficult, I always scruff them, grabbing the loose skin on the back of the neck, it sometimes is the ONLY way to control and calm them. Supporting their behinds and their weight, (NEVER pick up a cat by the skin, believe it or not the skin can be torn away from the underlying tissue if the cat is heavy enough, ) lower them into the carrier, much easier than trying to stuff them into the front, gravity is your friend. Sometimes it helps to have the carrier hidden in another room until you get them under control, so they can't start struggling prematurely. I have had great success using this method, sometimes it really is the only way. I don't think I have ever had a cat that enjoys being stuffed into a carrier!

Absolutely- especially when adopting older cats or transitioning outdoor adult strays & ferals.....it's often much harder than loading a bull into a chute!lol

I have a very good friend that has a cat that goes absolutely ballistic if he sees a carrier or a cage/crate----- she takes him to the Vet with the greatest of ease- she uses cardboard boxes ,I kid you not

Taz loves boxes,she puts a box on the ground and he jumps right in!She closes the flaps and duct tapes- he is quiet as a little mouse in a box..... after the Vet( which he always requires gas or extremely brave techs btw) back in the box and sometimes he just stays in the box long after she takes him back home and the tops opened..... funny guy,no cubbies,I've gotten 3cubbies from her because Taz won't use them

This thread has reminded me to get back to working with Timmy,I've taken off from " everything " for the summer ,lol......

 

[di and bob]

That’s a great idea!

 

[Kwik]

That’s a great idea!

She goes to a place called U Store it and buys a dozen boxes at a time-flat to store,heavy duty and the sides have to cut outs for carrying do no need to punch in holes for breathing.....

 

[Alldara]

Ever since I’ve had Snuffy he has been a terror to put in a cat carrier. Even when I got him from a Petco they had a horrible time getting him in one. As a result I have found that now I too become incredibly stressed when it’s time to get him in his carrier for a vet visit and I think that makes things worse because he can sense my panic.

I’ve tried pretty much every method that exists for getting him in. I can’t do the towel method because he won’t lay on them anymore and I’m not quick enough to surprise him and get him wrapped up before he squirms away. He’s so good at squirming away quickly! I can’t pick him up at all, period, because he now associates that with the cat carrier. There is no teaching him to eat in it, no way. And even trying a new carrier didn’t help because again, just going to pick him up in any manner, he instantly associates it with carrier and escapes.

So there is the baseline problem of how to get him in a carrier, and how do I stay calm during the process to not freak him out further, try too hard to get him in out of panic, etc.

What about just switching to a harness?

What size is your carrier? Is it a regular hard-shell cat carrier?

I got this one, in 24 inches (med dog sized) and it is the ONLY way we got Calcifer into the carrier. https://www.petvalu.ca/product/essentials-two-door-top-load-plastic-carrier/SCM05508

I practice with them. Just picking them up, placing them inside and walking away. Tossing a treat in, and walking away so they have to eventually walk in and grab it. Do this on non-vet days to teach both yourself and your cat that the carrier, isn't that big of a deal. Your anticipating the fight, which makes you nervous, and he's sensing your nerves and its a bad cycle. So the way to stop that cycle is to create some neutral and positive associations.

 

[Cat McCannon]

How to remain calm takes practice.

As suggested in other posts, Leave the carrier out where your cat can explore it on it’s own time. Feed your cat in the carrier. Do not just use the carrier for trips to the vet. Use the carrier for fun things, like trips outside. Most of the time your cat bites it’s not to hurt you (although the bites can be painful), it’s to protest what it perceives as mistreatment. When your cat bites to hurt, it’ll sink its teeth down to the bone.

When I want Belle in the carrier, I’ll feed her inside and gently close the door. Sometimes it’s at random to take her outside to watch the world go by.