Help...have to catch Mack to take him to the vet

[Randi]

Tracy, John and I have had to chase Fister out in the kitchen or bathroom too - with a broom. Sometimes the vacuum cleaner would have him running out there - if it got close enough. LOL! He's really not that scared of it anymore. One time when John managed to catch Fister and hold on to him, he peed down his shirt.

Helen, I guess the best way to get Mack, is to lie down with him when he is relaxed, from behind, put your hands around his chest and cuddle for a while. Stroke him along the whiskers (Fister loves that). Then grab him and hold on to him. Lower his back into the carrier and quickly close the door. He will surely yowl for while, but unless you can get a pill to give him, this may be the best option.

If you can get him to run in to a small closed space, like the bathroom, that may be also be a good way to get him. Of course, it will be best if you can get him when he's relaxed.

Oh dear, I remember what nervous wrecks we were back then. Cats' can sense that, of course.

Any chance you could put some yummy shrimps (or whatever he loves) in the cage and he would go into it? I guess not.

Good luck!

[happylabs]

Tracy, John and I have had to chase Fister out in the kitchen or bathroom too - with a broom. Sometimes the vacuum cleaner would have him running out there - if it got close enough. LOL! He's really not that scared of it anymore. One time when John managed to catch Fister and hold on to him, he peed down his shirt.

Helen, I guess the best way to get Mack, is to lie down with him when he is relaxed, from behind, put your hands around his chest and cuddle for a while. Stroke him along the whiskers (Fister loves that). Then grab him and hold on to him. Lower his back into the carrier and quickly close the door. He will surely yowl for while, but unless you can get a pill to give him, this may be the best option.

If you can get him to run in to a small closed space, like the bathroom, that may be also be a good way to get him. Of course, it will be best if you can get him when he's relaxed.

Oh dear, I remember what nervous wrecks we were back then. Cats' can sense that, of course.

Any chance you could put some yummy shrimps (or whatever he loves) in the cage and he would go into it? I guess not.

Good luck!

I don't think he will lay down with me. I can tell he does not feel well but also he does not trust me after almost catching him on Friday. All of the suggestions here sound good but I have no one else to help me get him. It is just me.

He did let me pick him up and hold him while I was sitting on the floor last night. He is very big/heavy. I would not be able to get him by the scruff, I do not think.

I just hate conflict so much and he can clearly sense that. I just couldn't believe how upset he got when I put him in the carrier on Friday. I wasn't expecting him to go that crazy. He is a very mild mannered cat and very shy.

This whole thing has me so upset. The vet was closed yesterday. I am going to call today again to see if they will give me something to calm him down.

Thanks all.

[Queen of Poop]

When Cali took to hiding under the bed I used food as a lure. Laying out a line of Whiskas Temptations from her position to a spot where I could grab her and put her into her kennel. She is highly food motiviated though. Good luck.

[Randi]

I know exatcly how you feel. The vet simply has to give you something to calm him - you could probably need something, too.

I remember one time I went to the vet hospital - sat there and waited for two hours, to try to get a tranquiliser for Fister (I think it was), so we could get him into the box and take him there! The vet refused to give me one, "he had to see the cat first" I can't remember what happened after that, but somehow we got it sorted out. I really you will, too!

[Cataholic]

One of my cats, Gus'sers, hasn't been to the vet but one time in years for this very reason. That one time resulted in such significant bites to the vet that the vet was MIA for 20 minutes cleaning up. I don't think people understand the magnitude of terror/fear involved with this type of cat unless they have one themselves.

I was able to get Gus'sers into the carrier by 'trick'. We have a cat hole in the door leading to the basement steps, and I stood on the closed side, with the carrier flat up against the hole. J then chased the cat into the carrier. OK, what then. As the trip to the vet was so God awful I would never do it again. Gus'sers literally climbed the walls, thrashed about, I was asked to leave the room, bit the vet and all the while he couldn't be examined anyhow.

If this vet won't do a sedative, find one that will. There isn't, IMO, any other way.

[lizbud]

I don't think he will lay down with me. I can tell he does not feel well but also he does not trust me after almost catching him on Friday. All of the suggestions here sound good but I have no one else to help me get him. It is just me.

He did let me pick him up and hold him while I was sitting on the floor last night. He is very big/heavy. I would not be able to get him by the scruff, I do not think.

I just hate conflict so much and he can clearly sense that. I just couldn't believe how upset he got when I put him in the carrier on Friday. I wasn't expecting him to go that crazy. He is a very mild mannered cat and very shy.

This whole thing has me so upset. The vet was closed yesterday. I am going to call today again to see if they will give me something to calm him down.

Thanks all.

When reading your post, I thought ,that was just how I felt when I was
trying to catch Mama Kitty. My Vet wouldn't give a tranquilizer for her either,
not without seeing her first.

The first thing I would do is try to get him into one room and then work
from there. Scruffing & then dropping him, back feet first, into the carrier
should work best. (easy to say, I know) Good luck with this.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Will your vet do house calls or could one of the vet techs come to your home to at least help you get him in the carrier? Maybe you could ask a friend or a neighbor to help you with him. Hopefully you'll be able to get him into the carrier some how and he'll then be able to be seen by your vet and then hopefully the vet will realize that he's the kind of cat that must have some kind of a tranquilizer. Good luck.

[happylabs]

Good news! I called the vet that originally neutered Mack and they still had his records from 5 years ago. Anyway they agreed to give me 2 pills which are called acepromazine, 10 mg. Tomorrow morning I am going to take off work and try to give him one of the pills. They said to crush it up and put it in wet food. The pill is supposed to make him drowsy, calm but not knock him out. PLEASE, everybody say a prayer that I get him to take the pill and get him to the vet.

Putting a pic at the bottom of this message so you can all see how handsome he is.

[Queen of Poop]

Prayers and fingers crossed that you can get the meds into him and get him to the vet without incident.

[Randi]

That's great news that you got a few pills for him. Wow, he is BIG! One piece of advice... he may smell the medicine in the food and won't touch it, so keep the other pill in case you have to stuff it down his throat.

Best of luck!!

Oh, and do a search here on "how to pill a cat" there are numerous and some have very good advice.