Squeaky vs. the Cat Carrier - Again!

[mary louise]

Once again, our little orange kitty Squeaky has out-foxed us when it comes to taking him to the vet!    He needs his rabies and feline distemper shots, but getting him to the carrier is next to impossible!  The very thought of going in sends him to the nearest hidey-hole, where he is JUST out of reach!   We've tried to get him out with food and treats but he's become too smart for that.  This morning, we tried to pick him up - just pick him up - and he hissed at us and ran for the hidey-hole.   When he got him out of that hole, he just scooted into another place.  Fortunately, our other cat,  Bella, had to go, so we took her instead, and she was an unhappy camper!   (Neither cat likes to leave the house!)  

What do we do when all else has failed?  How do we out-smart an obviously smart kitty such as Squeaky?  We are trying to do it painlessly!  

 

[Columbine]

Can you shut yourselves and him in a room with nowhere easy for him to hide? A friend of mine always shuts her cats in the kitchen if she needs to get them in a carrier.

I'm a little sneakier. I set the carrier up in the room adjacent to where the cat is. I then go and pick up the cat, acting like I just want a cuddle, and take them through and pop them in before they've realised what's going on. If they do get away from me, I scruff them and pull them towards me until I can pick them up properly. It sometimes takes a few minutes of chasing, but I've never had a major issue (barring a few obligatory claw wounds ).

Of course, there is the other method, where you only feed the cat in the carrier, and even play games with retrieving treats thrown into the carrier. It takes a long time, but you end up with a cat that thinks it's carrier is great I have to say, though, that as I've never had a cat that's scared of the carrier (they're usually just cross :lol3: ), and I've never had serious issues getting my cats in, I've never felt the need to do the extended carrier training I've just described.

 

[jcat]

Do you have a hardcase top-loading carrier? IME, they're the easiest to get cats into. There are some rather difficult cats at the shelter (in rooms, not cages), so we work in teams of two. One person goes into the room and picks up the cat, if necessary in a blanket The other then runs in with the carrier, sets it on the floor and is responsible for stuffing the cat's tail in the carrier while the first person puts the cat in and quickly shuts the lid.