Gosh I never thought of bringing out the vacuum cleaner. That probably would have worked! It always takes two of us to 'load' the cats into the carriers once we have managed to get them into the bathroom. We turn the carrier on its end and my husband holds the top part of the cat, just behind the front legs, and I grab both rear legs, which are flailing at this point with claws fully extended, along with the tail and gently guide rear legs and tail into the carrier with the cat going in rear end first. Without a second person I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to do it at all.