How do you get a cat to the vet WITHOUT a carrier?

fr gregg

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I agree with everyone---get a carrier! They're VERY reasonably priced...even cheap. I used a cardboard type carrier once (when Dulcinea had three kittens...and they were ALL going to the vet---the kittens were in her carrier...hence the box for mommy)---and Dulcinea became VERY upset in the box-carrier (it's much darker in there) and she chewed thru it and got out and ran cazy thru the car...had to stop on the turnpike and try and get her back IN...and hold it shut with one hand and drive with the other (NOT good!) and promised that I'd NEVER ever do that again. Buy a solid carrier! It'll set you back $20-$40 max...and be well worth it. You'll need it from time to time anyway...and when it's not being used...maybe your cat will sleep in it like Dulcinea does. She LOVES her carrier...despite knowing that it will bring her to the vet's from time to time.

Fr. Gregg
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by fr gregg

I agree with everyone---get a carrier! They're VERY reasonably priced...even cheap. I used a cardboard type carrier once (when Dulcinea had three kittens...and they were ALL going to the vet---the kittens were in her carrier...hence the box for mommy)---and Dulcinea became VERY upset in the box-carrier (it's much darker in there) and she chewed thru it and got out and ran cazy thru the car...had to stop on the turnpike and try and get her back IN...and hold it shut with one hand and drive with the other (NOT good!) and promised that I'd NEVER ever do that again. Buy a solid carrier! It'll set you back $20-$40 max...and be well worth it. You'll need it from time to time anyway...and when it's not being used...maybe your cat will sleep in it like Dulcinea does. She LOVES her carrier...despite knowing that it will bring her to the vet's from time to time.

Fr. Gregg
I agree with Fr. Gregg's excellent advice.
 

mzjazz2u

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hmm I don't like the cat bag idea too much. You can get the cardboard carrier at PEtsmart. You can also take a small storage tube with a lid and cut a few holes in it and take the cat in that. Put a nice soft towel or small blanket down so he's comfy.
 

icklemiss21

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Originally Posted by Sicycat

My vets will not even allow a cat to come in without a carrier. If you dont have one they make you buy one of the cardboard ones right there.


I also recommend having one just in case there is ever a fire etc so you can safely take kitty with you
 

jeoanna

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This only applies in emergency situations!!! & WHEN WALKING TO THE VET'S WITH CAT IN HAND!!!

If you have a traveling bag big enough for your cat's size use it like this:

Step one: Get a big enough travel bag for your cat

Step two: Put a cardboard or shoe box inside the traveling bag (helps you cat stay stable!!)

Step three: Cushion the shoe box with old clothes of old blanket to make your cat feel comfortable!

Step four: Put your cat inside and DON'T CLOSE the WHOLE ZIPPER, but leave a big enought space for air to get inside and if you're worried the cat may jump out, put a BODY STRAP  on the cat and tie it to the trave bag; that way if the cat happens to jump out, it's tied to the bag.

GOOD LUCK THEN!!!!
 

orientalslave

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I expect the vet visit is over by now - the previous post was in 2007... 


BTW I don't agree with your advice.  In my view a secure carrier is essential kit if one owns a cat, and buying one for a first-time owner is part of the essential outlay.  The safest ones are the wire top-openers (like all the vets I've been to use) but some cats would need them covering to feel safe, plus they need standing on plastic in the car incase the cat is sick etc.
 

socksy

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Yeah, I don't see why you wouldn't want to just own a cat carrier.  
 

dejolane

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II have no idea where else to post this question, so if it should be somewhere else, feel free to move it there.

Twix is going to get spayed soon. I have no idea how to bring her in. WQith a dog you grab a leash, pop the dog in the car, and whiz off to the vet. With a cat, though, what do you do? I know you're supposed to put them in a carrier, but I don't have one. Is there anything to substitute for one, or should I just grab my cat and hope for the best?
the best place to post a question is in Cat Lounge

dejolane
 

dejolane

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When we moved here last year,I had 1 cat in a carrier and 1 under a coat. Thunder didn't  didn't like to under the coat and so far no one knows or if the neighbors see them in the window no one is talking. There is others cats around here too. So the answer to your question is a box.

dejolane
 

korina

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I carry my cats by hand

{GASP}

All of my cats are bengals, and they all act the same, however my brother's domestic takes the carrier, but we got to take it apart to get her out at the vet (and she is too violent to be carried)

My 11 year old Korina will literally have a nervous breakdown (jaw stuck wide open).

Even carried I need to cover her face with the towel/shirt i hold her in.

Even carried she will scream non stop.

Ask any of my vets that had to hold her (or my kittens during their spay).

They usually have a tech hold them to stop the screaming.

My two kittens have a similar reaction, non stop scream, and biting grate and banging heads.

All three of them are submissive enough to accept being held in car.

Obviously, carrier is the SAFEST way for many reasons, but for me, I just go the extra step, have my brother or dad drive me and I sit shotgun.

If it werent for the screaming fits and nervous breakdowns, I would use the carrier.
 

jschwe

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Carrying by hand is fine, if you know how your cat will act. I had to carry one of my past cats to the vet once, and she hated the car trip and peed all over me.

The cardboard box is fine, but when we moved (with two cats) recently we only had one carrier and so one went in a box--he freaked. It was a 15 minute drive but he spent the whole thing yowling and scrambling around and desperately trying to get out. In a carrier, he is completely fine.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it depends more on the cat than anything else. The carrier is best because ANY cat will be safe (and safely contained!!) in one.
 

korina

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Quote:
Carrying by hand is fine, if you know how your cat will act. I had to carry one of my past cats to the vet once, and she hated the car trip and peed all over me.

The cardboard box is fine, but when we moved (with two cats) recently we only had one carrier and so one went in a box--he freaked. It was a 15 minute drive but he spent the whole thing yowling and scrambling around and desperately trying to get out. In a carrier, he is completely fine.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it depends more on the cat than anything else. The carrier is best because ANY cat will be safe (and safely contained!!) in one.
Yes VERY important, Korina was a very special cat (she is still with us), she is a bengal, white, looks just like a siamese, but I am convinced she has a dab of ragdoll genes (they were introduced to bengal stock early in 80's)

Korina litterally could be carried anywhere, she would go almost catanoic when I held her.

To the poster, get this carrier, it is the best, I got it for my two kittens.  The best thing is it is roomy and humane, compared to the carriers marketed for cats, the other thing is the top loader, 5000% easier to get them in and out.

My brothers cat required taking the whole thing apart to get her out at the vet



I have the second bigger one
 

brabiz

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i have been using a large mesh washing bag for years.  you can soothe the cat easily through the mesh and they can lie on the seat next to you for comfort.  my vet love this since he can administer a shot if necessary and i can cuddle at the same time. 
 

brabiz

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i forgot to add that i have two carriers and never use them now...the bag is the bomb!!!
 

tammy martin

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Cat's, unlike dogs and people have fight, flight, hide! Pillow cases allow your pet to do just that & to put them in your lap and comfort them & getting a stressed out kitty out of a carrier is a trick in it self. The laundry bags with the drawstring are wonderful & for safety then put them in a carrier while driving.

I have seen many cats come out of the top of the cardboard carriers and rush past as soon as the carrier door 

opens and trying to slam it shut results in pain for the kitty.

 Here are a couple of ideas  :)

1. if your using a cardboard carrier, secure the bottom with plenty of duck tape. It's best to not risk a wet mess 

that's going to destroy the bottom (unless its given an opportunity to dry) the tape will help with both.

2.A~ Get 4 paint stirrers & drill holes large enough for shoe strings spacing at 1 1/2" to 2" inch's then use the drilled starers to mark the top of the cardboard carrier & after applying a layer of good tape, drill matching holes. Secure the stirrers with glue or tape ( it makes the lacing a lot quicker when kitty is trying to get out. take two laces tie big knots in one end then starting on the outside lace your way to the middle and tie a bow.

 B~ NOT CHIP CLIPS* but something like that but from a hardware store if you have the hand strength works really well.

3. Please put a towel in the box so they don't slide all over.

4. DON'T put the carrier in the floor because of the temperature

5. Use common sense, if you get car sick are you going to eat before getting in the car? Cat's will feel embarrassed if they get messy too
 

cristiana

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I honestly suggest a strong carrier AND a harness. 

Pruie is going to the vet's soon to be neutered (He's two and a half and I just got him from a friend who told me he has never had his shots or even seen a vet) and I got him a harness, leash and a new carrier. The vets here will not allow a cat into their facility unless they are in a carrier and they strongly recommend a harness with a leash just in case the door of the carrier opens and the cat escapes. 

A cardboard box would be suitable for little kittens, not for ones who are about to get fixed. Carriers at walmart are around $25 and this way, you're prepared in case of emergency.
 

thunderbella

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CAT IN THE BAG WORKS!  We call it the "Cat-Bag Express" 

It's a breathable cotton bag with a zip closure and the cat freaks for all of 10 seconds and is cool, calm and collected during transport and perfectly fine afterwards (no cat-PTSD).   My vet told me about this a long time ago--  if they don't see where they are going, yet you are holding them (this obviously means one person is driving and the other holding--- a TWO person job)...  the cat is just FINE.  

In fact --   When transported in a carrier, she MEOW'ed her lungs out.   Transporting in the bag while holding her and talking to her sweetly and petting her through the bag, she is to the point that if we get the bag out she literally looks at us like "Again?  I better be getting extra cat nip for this one".   (We went through a rough period when we had to live in motels and she had to get moved every week, but that is behind us and she is just as happy as she ever was).   Before I get people all over me-- we agreed that if the constant moving was affecting her at all that we would consider a different home for her, but in hind sight, that would have traumatized her 10 times over because she is a part of the family. 

My 2 cents.

The Old Cat/Bag Lady
 

brabiz

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i have found that is is easier and so much less stressful to carry the cats in a large mesh laundry bag and to keep their little heads out for petting and peeking.  easy to administer a shot when needed and easy for me to carry into the office without banging on door jambs.  
 
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