No way, Jose!

:confused:

My 1 1/2 y.o. Tippy is a large, strong tuxie. It has always been a huge problem getting him into a carrier for grooming sessions or visits to the vet. I've tried everything I can think of, to no avail. Yesterday was awful.

I tried to lure him in the carrier with treats, then turkey. The carrier has been sitting out in the open for over a month, at the suggestion of my vet, and every so often I will toss treats inside, and he will usually go in, after much scrutiny and suspicion.

We then tried the pillowcase trick, which worked once before; not so yesterday, he shredded the case and bolted.

Now he is edgy and I have no hope that we'll ever be able to get him in again without mortal injury to him or us. As I said, he is VERY strong, plus he is a big cat.

Any suggestions? What can be done? I am at my wits' end. HELP!:confused:

First order of business is a top loading carrier. Another thing you could try is Feliway concentrated calming spray. Put a towel in the carrier and spray it down with the Feliway. It'll calm him.

Put the carrier out and leave the door open a week or so before his appointment. This will allow him to go in it, lay in it and not feel threatened by it.

I'm lucky that my cats don't have "carrier stress". I leave a small carrier out all the time. It's usually Maya Linn that sleeps in it.

Good luck!! Oh, and I also have a 23 lb tuxedo named Spikerdude. Fortunately he's WAY too fat to run away from me.

That has been a problem for me as well as Scrappy Two needs to be needled but she is impossible to catch and take to the Vets.
I too would love to hear ideas about My Stubborn Lady Cat.:love:

How is he to pill? Maybe the vet could give you some mild trannys to keep on hand just for those trips.

I FEEL YOUR PAIN:(
Mine hate the carrier too :confused:
I have the carrier on the floor for a few weeks.
The one sleeps in it but if I walk next to it she fly's out of it.
I have different things I have to do to get each one in.
The one I can pick her up and hold her close to my chest and get her in that way.
The one I have to grab her by the scuff of her neck and she just kind of lays there like shes paralyzed
and i can pick her up and put her right in the carrier.
When I pick them up I have to make sure i support their back paws with one hand or they freak out.

As I type, Cali is having her morning nap in one of the two carriers. Each has a very soft fleece blanket, recently laundered with tide with Downey. My kitties love to sleep in them. In fact Diego was napping in his before I closed the door for our vet appointment on Thursday. I have the carriers out all the time, they're never put away so they're no threat. The blankets smell like my clothes so I think that helps too. I wish you all the best.

If all else fails, clothes basket plunked over the top of him ... would he willingly sit in a clothes basket if it had towels in it? And then be okay being carried in it? Maybe try that, and carrying him around the house for "fun" a few times so he gets used to it, then just figuring out a secure cover for it* - it's larger than a traditional carrier, so he need not feel as trapped ...

*cardboard and a couple bungie cords, it only has to survive one trip to and fro ...

I used to have this problem when I had my semi-feral cat Cirrus. He wouldn't let you even pick him up. The only way to get him into a carrier was to put it near the toilet in the bathroom and then I had to chase him with a broom into the carrier and then quickly latch it shut. It became so stressfeul for both of us that I had to stop taking him to the vet.:(

Now I only use the soft carriers which you can then flatten out to store them away. They all have zippers on the top of them so you can also just open it that way to put the cat in it. I usually don't have a problem putting any of my cats in the carriers. I've learned to close both bedroom doors so they can't hide under the beds though. I do have to chase some of my cats around for a bit. Scruffing their necks will help to keep them still while you put them into a carrier. Feliway will also probably help like Moosmom said earlier. Maybe you could start feeding him in a carrier and see how this goes. Good luck.:)

I have had several feral cats who just wouldn't do a carrier. I did train them to be OK with a harness and leash and while we made quite the sight going into the vets there were no injuries to either one of us or the vet staff, and because the kitty was calm medical tests results were accurate.
Good Luck

Ming is my carrier-phobe kitty, the rest of them have no problem being placed in one. I just use top loaders, scruff him, and drop him in. I just have to be quick to close it up before he bolts. Those soft ones the KAK mentioned might work better for you, also.

i leave my plastic carrier out all the time but disassembled. None of my cats had issues with this because all I did was put the top and door on their "bed" when transporting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by moosmom

First order of business is a top loading carrier. Another thing you could try is Feliway concentrated calming spray. Put a towel in the carrier and spray it down with the Feliway. It'll calm him.

Put the carrier out and leave the door open a week or so before his appointment. This will allow him to go in it, lay in it and not feel threatened by it.

I'm lucky that my cats don't have "carrier stress". I leave a small carrier out all the time. It's usually Maya Linn that sleeps in it.

Good luck!! Oh, and I also have a 23 lb tuxedo named Spikerdude. Fortunately he's WAY too fat to run away from me.

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Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! I never even thought about a top loader (carrier, not washer!) but it makes perfect sense. I read reviews on Feliway and this, too, may be the answer!
I've seen a few carriers online that would work.

Thank you, Donna, and everyone!

I have hope now.:)

Don't just leave the carrier out in sight, go one step further.....FEED him in the carrier. Start by placing the food near the door....then just inside the door....then farther and farther inside until the cat will willingly go inside to eat. (no need to try to close the door right away.)

Also you can make a "top" loader out of a regular plastic carrier by setting it door side up. The lower the cat it butt first.

I just put the carrier on the bed go pick up my cat keeping my hand over his eyes and put him in the carrier. Viola by the time he can see he is in the carrier.

Success!!! I took everyone's advice, bought some Feliway and a new roomier carrier with a top door.

Yesterday I tried to lure Tippy inside, but he still was suspicious, so I just grabbed the scruff of his neck and popped him in. It was surprising how easy it was! He wasn't real happy, but we got it done.

Many thanks to all who replied.:love:

Renate