How can I get my cats in pet carriers?

[Polarthief]

Here's a bit of an odd dilemma I have. My house has 3 cats, 1 of which is incredibly easy to handle, scared of nothing, doesn't give a fuck, basically a dog in a cat's body, but this thread has nothing to do with that one... The other 2 are by far the most skittish and petrified cats we've ever known, and we've had a ton of cats through our lives. Tomorrow, we have a vet appt for the 2 skittish cats; last week we took one of them to the vet (she has to go back tomorrow) and it not only took THREE of us to get her in, but it was painful for pretty much everyone involved (both physically and mentally). We didn't injure the cat, but we weren't gentle with her (as she almost ran away and we'd have never found her in time). That said, it's next to impossible to get these cats in the carriers without them flipping their shit.

That said, does anyone have any suggestions to make this painful experience a bit easier? The only things I've come up with is blinding them with a shirt or something, as they'd be less scared of the shirt than the carrier.


PS: Before you ask, no. We can't get them to eat any drugged food (they simply won't), and things like treats/toys will not coax them to go in.

[Sinndra]

stand the carrier up on its end, and lower the cat into it from above. its much easier doing it that way than trying to shove them into it horizontally. can also wrap a towel around them (like swaddling a baby) if they tend to flail their legs around.

[Reticence]

stand the carrier up on its end, and lower the cat into it from above ... wrap a towel around them

This is really the best way.

[Polarthief]

stand the carrier up on its end, and lower the cat into it from above. its much easier doing it that way than trying to shove them into horizontally. can also wrap a towel around them (like swaddling a baby) if they tend to flail their legs around.

This is really the best way.

The specific carrier we used last week opens from the top as well, which we did eventually manage to get her in, but she still hopped out of it once or twice. Trust me when I say, it wasn't exactly more/less optimal.

[muppetpilot]

What Sinandra said is very good, I will add to it just a bit. I have 5 cats, ages 16 months to 14 years, and recently I flew all five of them 1,200 miles since we are moving. They had to each be in their own carrier, etc. due to airline rules so this was a pretty straightforward thing.

First thing I would say is, don't put them into tiny carriers. I guess if it's just a vet appt in town that's fine, but in the future, if the carrier is big enough for the cat to stand up, turn around, etc. they tend to be a bit easier. I have found that if you put the carrier(s) out, say in the living room, the night before, and put one of your old shirts or something with your scent inside the carrier, the cats will explore it slowly, and thus be less likely to go into attack mode when the time comes to put them in.

But yeah, if you stand it on its end and pick the cat up and lower them inside, that is a good way to do it. We pretty much had to do that with our 16 month old male because he is too strong and quick to be forced in from the front, lol.

Oh and on drugging them: our vet said this is not a good idea for a cat's first travel trip. In fact, she said she does not prescribe sedatives for an animal's first trip in a carrier, that it is better to see how they react that first time. If the cat is a real problem and/or you have some distance to go, you can generally get a sedative to give to it before travel, but the vet said be careful of the dosage and make sure you get an accurate weight on the cat before giving it any meds. And just so you know, all 5 of mine flew 1,200 miles with no problems, and no medications. They all made it to our new home just fine.

[Calfredd]

If you pull on the scruff on the back of their necks, they will stiffen which should help get them to hold still for a while.

[Dys]

If you pull on the scruff on the back of their necks, they will stiffen which should help get them to hold still for a while.

To add to this, support the cat by grabbing both of its back legs and letting its butt rest on your arm to avoid any unnecessary harm. You want to hold the scruff, but not hold the cat up entirely by it. If the front paws are an issue, have another person hold those as you put the cat in. Keep hold of the scruff of the neck until you are ready to close the cage, like one arm in holding, and the door resting on the upper part of that arm so when you pull your hand out, you can easily keep it shut.

Unless it's one of those crazy type of skittish cats. Those types like to fight back as hard as they can, even if you have a grasp on their scruff. They will hurt themselves to maim you. If it is one of them, you'll need some thick work gloves, a death grip and some balls of steel.

[Polarthief]

Alright, thanks everyone for the tips. Hoping for a lot less scratches for us and mental trauma for them tomorrow

[Shadowmelded]

Another vote for this.
Drop a large towel on top of the cat and grab her, swaddle her and move her into the carrier.

Yeah towels are great for this kinda thing, also if you need to give them flea drops. We'd usually wait until the cat sat down on one of us then just bundle them in a towel to keep their legs together.

[the game]

point a laser pointer inside the carrier, when they run in to chase it close the door

[Polarthief]

point a laser pointer inside the carrier, when they run in to chase it close the door

I wish this would work but they'd see it coming a mile away, and would run away before we even got relatively close.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Walk over to your cat, and place him on a chair across from you, then explain to him or her, your well thought out plans for them for when they are in the pet carrier.

[boomkinhero]

What has worked for me: the carrier usually can let you take the 'roof' off. Do so and coax the cat to get inside (not been hard in my experience).. then put the roof back on while keeping them there.

[Bluesftw]

easy, you're welcome! ;>

[Rhine101]

Open the top. Place the carrier top up (open side).

Wait for cat to sit inside


It will go much faster if the "box" is clearly too small for the cat

[Super Friendly Kitty Cat]

Can't you get the cat accustomed to the carrier by putting treats in it so they go in their to get them, or storing catnip and cat toys in there as well?

[glo]

Just man up, pick the cat up and dump it in. I've heard so many stories about how people struggle with this and it's just silly. Will you get scratched? Maybe. It's not the end of the world and certainly isn't rocket science.

[announced]

best advice was already given. stand the carrier up so the cat can be dropped into it. make sure u have a towel on or around it so u dont get scratched to pieces. then close the carrier. make sure its locked tight. the bigger the carrier the better, long as its not too huge. cats like lots of room to move around. less room makes them feel claustrophobic.

putting treats near the cat carrier wouldnt work. they'd catch on real fast btw.

[Prokne]

That said, does anyone have any suggestions to make this painful experience a bit easier? The only things I've come up with is blinding them with a shirt or something, as they'd be less scared of the shirt than the carrier.

When our cats didn't want to go to the vet, we covered them up with a blanket and either held them the whole way there or put them in the carrier wrapped up in the blanket. I would think it works better than a shirt because it will be harder to scratch through and absorb urine better.

[Polarthief]

Just man up, pick the cat up and dump it in. I've heard so many stories about how people struggle with this and it's just silly. Will you get scratched? Maybe. It's not the end of the world and certainly isn't rocket science.

Scratches are the least of my concern. It's getting the cat in the carrier. "Dump it in" doesn't work when they have their claws DUG INTO THE CARRIER.

Again though, thank you everyone for your advice. We've got some solid ideas for backup plans now should anything go wrong, thanks!