Beware- The Dreaded Cat Carrier

At The Vet's

Arriving with your cat to the vet, you want to keep your cat as calm as possible and try to minimize any traumatic effect. Here are a few tips -

• Before you get out of the car to go in the office, place a small dab of vanilla extract under the cat's nose. (Do this through the wire; don't take the cat out of the carrier to do this) Or put this under her chin prior to her being placed in the carrier.
• Keep the cat covered with the cloth while in the waiting room to help reduce the stress and minimize the odors/noise she will encounter there.
• I always carry a can of spray cheese with me. The vet uses this cheese to give my cats a treat or two so they don't view him as the enemy. I always wear an older long-sleeved shirt over my clothes, because most cats stress shed enough to sculpt out three cats during a vet exam.

By following the above tips, you will allow your cat to be as relaxed as possible under the circumstances, and show her that fearing the carrier is unnecessary. I have a total of six carriers in my home at all times, all with the doors off and nice padding inside and most of the time you can find one or more of my crew inside catching naps.

I also use a carrier for after-care for my cats, draping the sides to create a nice dark den where they can sleep if they are ill. The doors are taken off so the cat doesn't become upset thinking she is being confined.

You can have a pleasant vet experience with your cat, as well as cut down on the time that some spend chasing their cat all over the house just to get them to go inside the dreaded carrier. Because for some cats, that are unaccustomed to seeing the carrier except right before a vet visit, all you will see during the crucial time of getting them into the carrier, is the tip of their tail as they dive under the bed to get away from "the dreaded carrier."

Mary Anne Miller is a free-lance writer, and member of the Cat Writers' Association. She is a web copy writer, and passionate about feral cats/kittens and bottle babies. You can read more by Mary Anne at her Feral Cat Behavior Blog.