Dreading getting my cats into carriers to take to the vet tomorrow

[SunnyAgain]

It's 4 days since the cats arrived here, and I need to take them to the vet tomorrow to get their stitches out (from being spayed), have vaccinations and microchips. They are both pretty timid, but getting bolder, and not hiding under my bed all the time as they were on arrival. One will now sometimes come towards me for a stroke, and has started to roll over for a tummy rub, but was not at all happy when I tried to pick her up. (I have wounds to show for that!). The other has let me stroke her once but is very wary. I am expecting it to be a struggle getting them into the carriers, and worried we'll be back to square one, or even worse, after getting back from the vet, just as they have been starting to relax a bit. Any tips or advice please?

I scoop asbo cat, he is too strong to bundle in any other way.

We go into the en suite (or any other small room so they cant run too far) and I take the door off the box and basically force him into a corner so he has to get in. Then I put the door on so he cant escape.

It's less stressful for both of us.

It's easier to put them in bottom first. I also take him into a room where he can't get behind any furniture. Wear long sleeves too so you don't get scratched.

I'm rubbish- I rarely get it right first hand and once you're on the second or third attempt you're screwed as you've lost the element of surprise. Everyone says oh just wrap them in a blanket and bung them in, but I never can!

For this reason I focus on the art of luring in to the basket with food. I trained our particularly nervous rescue cat over several weeks to have meals fully in the basket (I know that doesn't help you tomorrow tho!)

Bottom first here too - carrier perched on end

My cats are confident enough & generally calm but the presence of carriers freaks them out so it's the only way.

Having someone else here to hold the carrier & quickly close the flap helps enormously

But having said that, they are less freaked when the carriers have been a presence for a few days beforehand

I wrap cake cat in a hand towel with a quick scoop and pop him in the top loading carrier we bought. This was to replace the one that he smashed the door off escaping, on his way home from the vets!!!

I only have to rattle the handle and my two go hiding. What I do is get them first into the conservatory that has no hiding or escape route. I put the carrier in there first thing in the morning so they sort of forget it's there. Then feed them, shut the door and in one swift movement grab cat and dump her in the box. I have to be quick or I lose the element of surprise and lose some blood in the process!!

Thank you for the ideas.... Sounds as though it's always a tricky process! Both carriers have been left out, with doors open, since picking the cats up last week, and the more timid cat was actually sitting in one this afternoon which was encouraging! Yes, I had thought about long sleeves, and gloves. I will have to work out which room to do the manoeuvring in, as my room, which is their "base" would be too risky with the space under the bed.

I will report back on how it goes!

As an optimistic experiment I just put a couple of Dreamies (bought after reading of them here, and thinking they may be useful tomorrow) in each cat carrier and managed to get a cat in each with no reluctance! (Didn't attempt door closing though in case this resulted in refusal to go in next time). I think this may be the way forward.

I used bribery in the form of cooked chicken with my particularly timid boy the first time we went to the vet - he wasn't even letting me touch him at the time, so picking up wasn't going to go well! Not to demoralise you but while it was great for that first trip, it only worked the once. By the time it came to visit two, he'd learnt his lesson and refused to go in the box even for the lovely tasty chicken. I'd left the box out like people suggest and everything, but the minute I shut the kitchen door behind us he knew something was up and got panicky. He's much more bold now and loves strokes but still doesn't like being picked up so I just have to scruff and scoop now if boxes are required - there's much yowling and hissing and the odd scratch, but I just try to do it as quickly as possible and he forgives me pretty soon afterwards when it's all over. If you get to that point having the box at waist height on a chair helps with the smooth scooping - otherwise it turns into a wrestling match on the floor for me. Top opening carriers versus front-loading are another thing to experiment with - ostensibly dropping a cat into a top one is easier, but I find shoving in the front style works better for us.

Hopefully if it ends up being a struggle, it will be a quick one!

A trail of dreamies into cat box?

If it makes you feel better, my cat left me with massive gouges after getting her into the carrier. I told the vet I wasn't looking forward to putting her back in after the examination. The vet said there wasn't usually a problem, and she was right. Obviously the cat carrier seemed to be a better prospect than being with the vet any longer.

I can't get bottom first to work! Cats just splay legs on the edge of the carrier and look at me as if to say 'you know you're gonna have to break me to get me in here, don't you?'

I have the sweetest small cat you could ever imagine, she lets my carry her like a baby.

I need help to get her in the carrier for the vets.

Don't worry about being back to square 1, it is a necessary evil.

It's a two-man job to get ours in their carrier!

1. Open carrier, take off lid. Put in their favourite blanket/toy.
2. Person 1 picks up cat, normally by the scruff. Person 2 picks up the lid.
3. Put cat in the carrier, hold them down.
4. Person 3 puts the lid on, person 1 swiftly removes arm from the death trap and both people battle to put lid/door on without cat bolting for the nearest shelf/box/back of sofa.

Once they're in and secure, we give them some dreamies and generally they're okay. The girl yowls constantly until you get her home again though!

My cat is ridiculous... It's a real struggle to get him in the box to go to the vet, back end first, hissing and scratching. But he sleeps in the box every night, through choice, there are lovely cushions and sofas in the room he stays in at night but he always goes in the box!

Sounds awful but I have to use a pillow case to get Frodo into a carrier. I leave it loose once he is inside and he just wriggles out and sits on it.
He has to have a metal cage type too as he's broken every other sort.

We use bottom first with aid of a Towel. Drop towel over head of cat who then backs into waiting carrier in attempt to get away from towel. Works every time with ours and I love our friend for sharing this technique with us :-)

Get a curver cat basket . They are fab. Getting even the most reluctant moggie in is dead easy as the lid is hinged and opens wide. Easy to secure and looks like a child's carry seat when closed . Can't provide a link , sorry. No more wrangling with metal grilles!

Ooh, thanks for towel hint, jammiecat - will try that next time

It all went ok! Dreamies as bait worked for us, and the cats a are quite happy now they are back home. They have both been in and out of the carriers since, and one actually had a snooze in one! Phew! Return visit for the next round of jabs in 3 weeks so we will see how they are then (but I won't worry about it til the time comes).

Pleased it went well. My friend has always left the carrier open so her cat can wander in and out. He's done it since he was a kitten and often sleeps inside it! She has no issues at all getting him to the vets.