Taking cat to the vet

[Weezil]

I adopted a 3 year old semi-feral cat from a shelter about 4 months ago. After the initial hiding period, she has become a very affectionate cat. She does not approach people, but will sit in the same room with them. Here is the problem-- she is almost impossible to calm down so I can take her to the vet. The first time I took her just for a checkup I threw treats into her carrier a few days before the appointment, so she went in willingly. When it was time for her appointment I just quickly closed the carrier door and was able to take her in with no problem. I would like to take her in again for a skin issue she is having (I spoke to the vet about it and he recommended I use Lotrimin, which I apply when she is sleeping (!) and it is clearing up nicely.)

My problem is this-- I have no idea how to get her into her carrier if we would need to see the vet in the near future, as she is not falling for the treats-in-the-carrier routine anymore. She just looks at me like "Not this time!" She is extremely fast moving (I am, too, but she has me beat!) and I just wonder if anyone has any suggestions to successfully get her into the carrier. I don't want to be one of those people who never take their cats to the vet!

 

[verna davies]

Can you leave the open carrier in a room she spends most of her time in, maybe cover the back and sides with a blanket or towel and place a toy in it. Try feeding her near it. Hopefully in time she will see it as a cave or safe area and go in and out of it without feeling threatened.

 

[kittenmittens84]

Seconding the suggestion to try to acclimate her to the carrier. If that doesn’t work/you need to take her on short notice, I’d put the carrier out of sight in a different room/around the corner (don’t let her hear it either) with the door open. Ideally your carrier has a top loading door, it will be much easier. Get an old bath towel and approach her slowly, then quickly pick her up with the towel, wrap it around her, and drop her into the top door of the carrier.
Once you’re at the vet, if she is extremely hard to wrangle into the carrier, is very stressed out by the experience/car ride, is hard to examine, etc. I would recommend asking your vet if they can prescribe some sort of calming medication for your cat to take prior to future vet visits. For some cats going to the vet is just stressful no matter what we do to help the experience, and something like low dose gabapentin can be potential very helpful for calming a cat without the scary respiratory side effects of other sedating meds like benzos.

 

[Husky44]

We're in the same predicament. A feral or dumped cat started showing up in our back yard two-years ago, skinny and starving.
She would bolt at the sight of us, but we started leaving food out and over 2-years finally now is a 90% house cat. Scared of anybody
other than the wife or me. We would like to have her vaccinated, check-up and see if she's sprayed. But had to cancel the vet appointment because we can't get her into a kennel (have the bloody arms to prove it). I'm just afraid she intact and getting pregnant, we're not interested in dealing with kittens at this point in our lives. Anyway sorry for stepping on the op's thread but I'm at a loss.
Take care

 

[bfls]

I have an ex-feral cat who is also very, very difficult to get into her carrier so I know what you are going through. The only thing that worked for me was to leave her carrier open near her favorite sleeping spot, wait until she was fast asleep, drop a towel over her and stuff her in the box before she has a chance to fully wake up.

This sometimes works, but sometimes she wakes up and bolts. My vet has days/times of day when they are not very busy. They've told me not to bother making appointments for her, but just try to get her into the box at one of those times and then call for an appointment. They are a cat-specific vet so are familiar with the problem and are willing to be flexible. If your vet isn't that flexible, at least try to book a time when your cat is normally napping. You will probably have better luck then.

 

[Weezil]

Thank you! I am going back to throwing treats into her carrier, because she will be due for her yearly checkup/shots in March, so this will give her several months of getting used to the treats in her carrier. The lotrimin is clearing up her skin issue, (which I apply when she is sleeping!) so I will just concentrate on getting her used to the carrier so she will be ready (as she will ever be) when it is time for her checkup. Wish me luck, and thanks for your response!

I have an ex-feral cat who is also very, very difficult to get into her carrier so I know what you are going through. The only thing that worked for me was to leave her carrier open near her favorite sleeping spot, wait until she was fast asleep, drop a towel over her and stuff her in the box before she has a chance to fully wake up.

This sometimes works, but sometimes she wakes up and bolts. My vet has days/times of day when they are not very busy. They've told me not to bother making appointments for her, but just try to get her into the box at one of those times and then call for an appointment. They are a cat-specific vet so are familiar with the problem and are willing to be flexible. If your vet isn't that flexible, at least try to book a time when your cat is normally napping. You will probably have better luck then.

 

[Weezil]

Hi, I'm back! Well, about a week ago I was able to check Mama's (my feral cat) teeth while she was sleeping next to me on the couch, and although her teeth (that was I able to see) were fine, I noticed her gums were very red (probably gingivitis, but she has no problem eating dry food) so I made an appointment for a dental cleaning. She wiggled away from me and ran into the bedroom, under the bed (of course). I had been keeping her carrier sitting out in the bedroom, even though the treats-in-the-carrier routine does not work for her anymore. She hissed at me about 50 times, howled like a wild animal and I could not get her out to take her to the vet and had to cancel. I went to the vet the next day (without Mama) and he gave me acepromazine pills and said to either mix it with food or mix it with water in a syringe and give it to her. I was wondering, has anyone tried this? I thought I could mix it in with some meat and gravy and heat it up in the microwave before I give it to her. Just wondering if she would be able to taste this? If not, I will have to resort to the syringe. And I am locking the bedroom door!! Thanks for any advice!