How on earth do I get this cat into a carrier

[TheHorneSection]

We have a rescue male tabby who, even after 6 months, is ridiculously skittish. He will accept strokes and cuddles if you sit next to him on the bed when he is comfy, but that's it. You can't bend down to stroke him when he is anywhere else, he'll run away. I've tried picking him up occasionally from when he is comfy next to me but he hates it and scratches like mad. I've tried throwing a blanket over him but he bolts. I've tried keeping him in a room where he has nowhere to hide so I might be able to get closer but that freaks him out (he spent 5 years shut alone in a room, so that's understandable), the one time I tried it in an attempt to get a groomer to cut his nails, he was terrified and had diarrhea for two days afterwards from the stress. He does love food, but so far any attempt to lay a trail of tempting food into a cat carrier hasn't worked either.

I really do need to get him to the vet to get checked out but have absolutely no idea how I can get him there. Any good ideas?

Photo as cat tax...

Elbow length gauntlets, someone else to operate the carrier door. Grab, hold, wrap in towel and stuff in carrier.
Good luck.

Put the cat carrier on its end and lower them in.

Stop freaking him out.

Book a vet appointment for early in the morning in about two weeks time

Get the cat carrier out and feed him in it for the next two weeks.

If he won't go in it after that get a towel and wrap him up while he is on the sofa.

The only thing that has ever worked for us is the towel over head approach. Requires one person to hold cat and other to hold towel. Our cat can sense we’re about to do it, even when I’m careful to keep the cat carrier out of sight!
I almost succeeded once with a catnip toy in the carrier, but she was too quick and jumped away as I tried to close the carrier lid. Have you got a carrier with a lid that opens? Much easier than one with a side door.
Wish I could offer better advice - the least favourite day of my year is having to use the cat carrier!

I normally find gently pinching the loose skin on the back of their neck helps. It seems to make them pretty much freeze, and gives you opportunity to take control of them. It is a reflex that reminds them of their parent picking them up I assume. DONT pick them up like this though, only give it a gentle gathering up with your fingers. I also find a sprinkling of cat nip in the carrier helps keep them mellow during transit. GL

He looks like our bengal. Anyway, dp usually takes him to vet, him covered in bloody scratches. On one occasion dp had to work so I had to take him! I sat for 40mins in the middle of summer with my thickest jacket, a pair of gardening gloves and hat on trying to pluck up the courage to get this tiny cat in carrier.
I had already sat the carrier on its side next to where he was sleeping in his bed. Found my courage crept in wrapped his bed tightly round him and shoved him in. He didn't know what had hit him.
When you get cat to the vet they will give you a mild sedative and syringe for next time.
Good luck😆

You need to learn to grab him by the scruff - that's how their mummies lift them when tiny so there is an instinct to go a bit limp as soon as you grab it.

So if you are alone

1. stand carrier on its end with the door open (if you have this type of carrier) 2) grab scruff firmly with one hand
2. with other hand grab both back legs by the ankles
3. lift cat and stuff the hand holding the back feet as far down into the carrier as you can (probably to armpit level on the cat) while still holding back feet
4. release back feet and use your now free hand to prise the front feet off the sides of the carrier.
5. the moment you get both front feet free stuff the rest of the cat down into carrier
6. release scruff and slam door shut in one smooth motion.

cross posted!

@Didshejustsaythatoutloud Is the sedative for you or the cat?! 😀

Put his snacks in the end of the carrier every time for the next two weeks. Get him used to it and don't give him snacks outside it.

Then don't give him snacks the day before the visit.

Use oven gloves.
Put carrier on one end and gently drop the cat into it.

Just looked and apparently scruffing is controversial now - so if you want to avoid that you could put one hand under the front armpits or holding towel around head - the important point was holding the back feet and using gravity to assist.

Get the carrier out at random times when you're not taking him to the vet. Leave it somewhere where he can see it and smell it. Put his very favourite treats in it and then leave him to explore. We do this with all our cats and it definitely helps, because they don't associate the carrier with going to vet because we get it out even when they're not going.

In terms of putting him in, then I second the idea to tip the carrier on it's end and lower him in; he can't see what's going on if you lower him in bum first :D. Then once he's in, lots of praise and offer treats.

Also some of the things you're doing aren't helping; throwing a blanket over him, picking him up when he doesn't like it, shutting him a room - these are NOT helping. The best way to help a shy cat is to leave them alone. Let them come to you in their own time. If you really must push him then sit in the same room as him (DON'T shut him in) and sit somewhere and ignore him. Read a book, play on your phone, just ignore him. He'll eventually get curious about you and start coming closer. You can also have treats on hand to reassure him and even stay near him when he's eating (although don't hover over him and make him nervous). It can take a LONG time to get a cat to gain your trust, the key is time, patience and consistency.

Both. The vet referred me to GP😉

Spray lots and lots of Feliway - the strongest kind. He'll relax. or try catnip

I had similar fun with my rescue boy. It was a stressful nightmare and I didn't used to sleep the night before a vets appointment. He knew, he just knew no matter how calm I seemed.

Could you phone your vets and explain the situation. Ask them if they are willing to prescribe a mild sedative that can be put in his food on the morning of the appointment? They might suggest other things as well.

He's got to get to the vets to have his booster if nothing else.

Leave carrier in kitchen, spray it with Feliway every day and only feed him in the carrier.

Alternatively wear gardening gloves and long sleeves, pick up cat and lower him in it.

Amazingly my rescue boy walks in to the carrier by himself totally a stealth boast sorry, not sorry

I'd try to get some drugs for him.

There's a Turkish vet on Instagram who is forever dealing with vicious, mad, pissed off cats. He mainly approaches them with elbow high gauntlets and an open Lick-E-Lix. Mind you, this is when the cat has been got to the vet. You never see the state of the cat's owner

I'm not sure getting the cat carrier out weeks before would work - my cat once chased a mouse into the cupboard under the stairs, but when I opened the door he saw the mouse sitting in front of cat carrier and immediately ran away, at pace. If a nice juicy mouse can't persuade a cat...

I've had to do the scruff before to get him inside when he got out and was too freaked out to get back in, but I don't really want to do that again.

Appreciate all the suggestions about just grabbing and going but he really isn't that kind of boy and the few times we have tried it he's nearly hurt himself with the attempts at wriggling and sprinting.

Will bring the cat carrier in the try only feeding him in there for the next week or two and see if I can get him to willingly enter the damn thing 😂

It's hard to explain quite how much we can't get near him. We have some trust from him but not a huge amount, he's been very traumatised, poor boy. So shutting him in one room might be traumatising, but in any other space in the house he can hide and we just won't be able to pick him up.

I will phone to vet though and ask, maybe we can sedate him first...

I managed with scaredy Tobias because his "safe place" was his igloo bed. I just grabbed the opening & held it tightly closed, with a squirming yelling cat inside. Then tipped it out through the top opening of the carrier. Wondering if he will be any better next time.....

I agree that leaving the carrier out all the time somewhere your cat goes is a good idea, as is feeding them in it and/or putting favorite treats in. "Part of the furniture" and a place where nice things happen means you won't have an obvious clue to the immanent vet visit by bringing the carrier out.

"It's hard to explain quite how much we can't get near him. We have some trust from him but not a huge amount, he's been very traumatised, poor boy. So shutting him in one room might be traumatising, but in any other space in the house he can hide and we just won't be able to pick him up."

Honestly? If you don't need to pick him up to take him to the vet; let him do this. Let him hide. Give him a quiet place to hide and leave him alone. Don't feed him in that spot though, keep feeding him in a set spot but other than that if he wants to hide away then let him.

You can also try the Feliway plug ins - they don't work for every cat but they're non invasive and worth a try. You can also get spray or wipes for the carrier that have calming pheromones on them, might also help him calm down a bit.

Mums cat is skittish and will attempt to bite if stessed. The only person who can pick her up for the carrier. is dh. When taking her to the ver mum blocks off areas tge cat will try to hude in. Dh just confidently, swiftly picks her uo, holds hrr at armd length and puts her straight into the carrier. We zip it up. We jokingly call him the cat whisperer but its really important to be swift, calm and confident when getting your cat into a carrier otherwise it will become more and more stressed.

We have a mobile vet locally - is that an option?

I’ll look for a mobile vet, that would be amazing.

He’s not stressed day to day. He has a lovely life and get all the cuddles he wants when he wants them, and the peace he wants when he wants that. He’s come a really long way since we’ve had him. He just isn’t ready to be picked up yet.