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She's only been in her pet carrier a total of 3 times in her 3 years of life, but she remembers it. She saw me reaching for it on the shelf of the closet yesterday and ran and hid. I opened it up, took the lid off, and placed it among her toys, hoping she would acclimate to it by this morning, when I needed to put her in it to go get her annual rabies shot. No way.
Then, this morning, she heard me pick up the metal door piece and she ran upstairs again and was on top of the bed. I carried her downstairs, and tried to put her in the bottom portion of the carrier and quickly put the lid on top... oh she was throwing a fit with all 4 legs out, claws out, and hissing and screaming in complaint. I tried, but she got out and yep, is under the bed. She's so far under there is no reaching her.
I've already placed an order for a larger carrier and one that also has a top loading feature in addition to the one side door. She is still under the bed. Fortunately there's another rabies clinic in my town next Saturday and I should have the new carrier by then.
She is a hellion though. She is not social and wants no part of being taken anywhere or seeing anyone, or having anyone else but me in her house.
I have a Petmate softside with both side and top entries. I put it in the bathtub. I call her into the bathroom and then shut the door.
I stand the carrier on end, scruff her and then lower her into the side entry which is now on top of the carrier since I stood it up. She goes end in first.. so she can't tell what I'm doing... then quickly shut the flap, lower the carrier and zip. I've had to lock the zippers on the top entry as she discovered if she kept hitting the top.. she could force the zipper open enough whereby she could get her paw out.. open it further.. and escape!
It's a constant battle with her. Once she's in, she's okay until we go outside.. then she hollars until I get her in the car. Then she settles down. She is quite opposed to being outside.
The new furkid, Charcoal, is a dream. I throw his stuffed snake in the carrier and he goes right in.
When I bring the carrier in from the garage, some of my cats run and hide from it.
But, some rush to get in it, and some don't pay any attention at all.
My cat Smudge loved her carrier and loved to go for a ride in the car and she actually slept in the carrier at home. Cailleach, our current kitty does not mind it and she loves to ride in the car as well but only if she is out of her carrier in the vehicle while it is moving. The outdoor kitty Snoozy Suze Quze doesn't mind the carrier but is not real fond of the car ride but does fine overall.
OMG lottimoxie you just described my cats, LOL. I am at the point where I have to cover up both carriers with towels and dare not to let the sound of the metal top be heard. As soon as they, especially pickles, hears that sound it's a quick like lightening swoosh to under the bed. If I'm lucky I can get my boy in first and I have to because he's so strong I know once he's under the bed I'll never get him out. Pickles is not nearly as strong so I have some chance of getting her once, or, er, um, if I can get her out from under the bed.
They now both know when they see those two big unknown things covered up with the towels it means Ahh shots!!! vet!!! run!! run like your life depends on it!!! It was so much easier when they were kittens but now it's a challenge I won't give up on.
I am going to call their Vet today and find out about getting some kind of kitty downer I could purchase and use on them so I won't have to run, jump, crawl all over the bed and sometimes every room to get them. This time I will try to get them both in the bathroom together at the same time if possible.
What I don't understand though is why do they have to get rabie shots when they are indoors 24/7?
I didn't bother getting my cat her rabies booster last year, so it's actually been 2 years since she had one. My concern is in order to take her to a vet or even just to have her rear end shaved (which I've never had done but would really like to), you have to show proof of rabies vaccine. And yes, it's the law as well.
She apparently was so traumatized from her 2 prior vet visits (they have to wear falcon gloves to deal with her) that any mere hint of a carrier had her running for her life. How she remembered I don't know, but she did and does. I think this carrier is too small for her anyway. It was fine when she was a little kitten but she's a 10 or 11 lb bruiser, so I just ordered the medium size (24" long) which is for pets up to 20 lbs.
My golden (RIP) was so easy to deal with. Any car ride (yeah!). Vet visit (hey they have treats, yeah!) Take pills? (dip 'em in PB and it's the best treat ever, yeah!)
This cat is like dealing directly with Lucifer. She's probably a bit feral as well, though I've had her since she was 5 weeks old (mother abandoned). She became bonded to the golden and to me and that's it. Everyone else is evil. And if I try to put her in a carrier, well then I'm evil too.
I gave up, went out to brunch with a friend for the last 3 hrs, came home, and she is still hiding under the bed. sigh... I purchased some calming spray--I may have to use it myself. I hope the new crate arrives before next Sat. so I can try to get her in there for the next rabies clinic. If not...well...at some point she'll get it. She literally never goes outside and comes into contact with no other being than me. But at some point she'll eventually have to see a vet and she will have to deal with the agony of a crate.
I've always had the carriers out in the open so my cats got used to them being there .... now I have the soft-side ones with a zippered top and they use it to 'hide' from each other and make it a game ... I call them their 'condos' and they love them
I've not tried this myself, but some folks swear by it. That Feliway stuff, the one you plug into the wall that dispenses calming influences over a four-week period, also comes in spray bottles. I've talked to people who spray the inside of the carrier about 10 minutes before putting their cat inside, and they swear it keeps a nervous cat much more calm.
I am enough of a skeptic that part of me wonders how much "more calm" is reality and how much is wishful thinking, but I suppose it could work. For a real hellion, it might help at least a little.
Years ago, with a whole different gang.....I used to take the doors off of the carriers and put blankets in them for the cats to sleep in.
Fast forward.....somewhere along the way.....someone decided to use them as a litter box......so the carriers went into the basement until needed for a trip to the vet.
Now, several days before "going to the vet" day, I bring a carrier upstairs, unlatch the door and put it somewhere hard to escape from, usually the bathroom. {If they hear me unlatch the door, most of them disappear.}
Life goes on.....until I snatch up the victim and force them into the carrier.
I have two {a brother and sister} that one of the vet techs captured {and talked me into taking} that are practically semi feral. After 3 years, they will not let me pick them up.....they will, however, sit on my lap or lay with me on the couch when they feel like it......everyday. {Ironically, they are the only ones I have that LOVE to have their tummies rubbed.} Sooooo.....I can't even make a vet appointment, because I can never predict when they will come to sit with me.
Thank goodness I got these two from one of the vet techs. I call and tell them I will try to catch one of them say, in the next few days......and when I do.....I call and tell them I am on my way and they sqeeze me in without an appointment.
I just did this earlier this week.....I caught the girl.....next week is her brother's turn.
The vet asked me what I am going to do if one of them ever needs to take meds. Believe me, I have thought about that......and I just pray that by the time they get older and are more likely to need meds, they will have learned to allow me seek them out and pick them up.
They are less skitish than when I got them, they get better and better as time goes on......baby steps.....teeny, tiny, baby steps. {{{sigh}}}
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