Smart little buggers are aluding me......

It's annual vaccination and exam time for my household. Somehow I've managed to have 9 cats due for their shots at the same time each year. I've made a series of appointments for today and tomorrow, explained to the vet's office that, "no, I can't tell you who I will bring up with each visit", then are grabbing 2 cats at a time to bring up there. They laugh as I walk in and they ask which 2 I managed to catch.

2 of the 9 cats are impossible to catch (Eightball and Oscar) and 1 is rather sly (Pinky). It didn't help that I brought out the carriers and put them in the bedroom where they hang out last week. They are telepathic little buggers. The minute I walked into the room (which I do dozens of times a day on a regular basis), the 3 of them jump off the bed and hide under it. It's a king bed and once under it, there is no grabbing them.

I managed to trick one of them this afternoon. I sat down in Eightball's favorite lap sitting chair and he jumped up on me. As I put my arm over him to hold him, he starts to fight me but I grab his scruff with one hand and hold him firmly with the other, walk to the carrier, open it up, turn it skyward and drop him in. I see Pinky on the dining room chair - he takes one look at me and slinks away. Oscar is no where to be seen.

So tomorrow I have Oscar and Pinky to catch. I've already warned the vet that I may not be able to make all the appointments if I can't get them. They told me to come up at anytime if I can catch them.

Dakota, Sage, Spanky and Eightball done. Oscar, Pinky, Muddy, Koko, and Bob to go. The last 3 are easy to catch.

They are too smart for their good. They have this telepathic knack of knowing when you want to put them in a carrier and disappear from you.

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Oh Amy i really sympathise with you because just trying to get Rosie into the carrier is bad enough

Lots of lucky tomorrow

Oh gosh! Good luck!

I feel sorry for you! Yikes 9 kitties all at once! Nazumi is the hardest cat to get into a carrier it takes John and me. I really need to get one of those huge ones. So he cant brace himself as easily!

Yeah they can be little terrors to catch. I've been teaching Bean not to fear the crate while he's young so hopefully it'll be easy to put him in as he gets older.

OMG! Poor you!

I don't usually have a problem in catching. Chynna will let me catch her and put her into the carrier without an issue. Abby on the other hand... I can manage to catch her once but I can't get her into the carrier because her legs go in all directions and then she somehow manages to slip away from me and run and hide. Then there is no catching her after that. I had to evacuate my apartment when there was a fire 4 floors down. I managed to get Chynna into a carrier, but Abby wasn't having any part of it. I ended up leaving her in the apartment and hoping she would be ok. I told the firefighters who said that if it was needed, they would go in and get her but said that she should be safe where she was.

I hope you manage to catch them without too much issue.

How funny!!!! Cats KNOW when it's vet time don't they???

I didn't get back online last night but here's another example on how smart they are: The vet office closed at 5:30 and it's a 15 minute drive. At exactly 5:20, both Pinky and Oscar came out strutting. Ha ha mom - you can't take us now!!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Abby on the other hand... I can manage to catch her once but I can't get her into the carrier because her legs go in all directions and then she somehow manages to slip away from me and run and hide.

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All 3 of my scared boys do this and there is an easy way around it. Either buy a top loading carrier, or turn your front loading carrier up so that the opening faces the ceiling and open the door. Hold them firmly by their scruff so that their legs & tail curls under them, but also support them underneath (never pick up an adult cat by the scruff). When you drop them into the carrier, they are typically curled up and while they may reach out their front paws, it's easy to pull their claws out of the opening then close the door behind them. Then gently ease the carrier flat on the floor. Any blanket inside the carrier will be messed up, but the alternative of not getting them in the carrier outweighs the messed bedding.

Originally Posted by Jean44

Yes, I know how you feel.

They seem to know when I want to pick them up for the vet and not for a cuddle. I have both carriers sitting out on a table in "their" room all the time so they are desensitized to the carriers. I still get resistance when it's vet time, though.

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They can read your minds, can't they!!

Then there are the rest of my cats. I call their names, they come running to me, I pick them up and place them in the carriers.

Let's see how the day goes. First appointment is at 9:30 but the vet did tell me that if I catch any of the scared ones at other times to just bring them up and she will accommodate me.

that is so funny..... ***knocks on wood***I guess I consider myself lucky with my 2....the worst I ever get is a few kitty curse words....but they don't fight me at all.....

You know what's really an ego boost? Being evaded by a blind cat! I can never catch Damita to get her to the vet, so I bought a harness & leash for her. Obviously, being blind, she cannot walk anywhere, but I can contain her. I drive & someone else holds her on vet trips....unless I can get her into the XL or L dog porter!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

You know what's really an ego boost? Being evaded by a blind cat!

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NO KIDDING!!! Wow - she's a smart one isn't she!!

So the good news - I got every last one of them up to the vets today. Steve came home for lunch and I asked him to help me catch Pinky and Oscar. We shut the bedroom door and had the carriers waiting. They were deep under the king sized bed. He got on one side and tried to scare them out towards me. No way jose. So we did what I absolutely hate to do. I gave Steve a broom and had him sweep the cats out from under the bed. I hid around the corner and grabbed them as they came running out.

Good thing I got them. Oscar's gingivitis is acting up again (after a 2-1/2 year remission) and Pinky's food dish allergy has spread to his gums and he needed a depo shot. He normally gets a fat lip from unsterilized bowls and we've never seen it in his gums before. I haven't been able to sterilize the food bowls with the kitchen remodel underway (no dishwasher) and even though I use stainless and ceramic, I still have to sterilize them on a regular basis to keep his allergies down. So I need to start bleaching them until the dishwasher is back in service.

The vet gave me a big "hmmmmmm" when I told her that Pinky is related to Stumpy, who has plasmacytic stomatitis, an allergic reaction that shows up in his gums. She thinks Pinky is showing early signs of getting the disease.

They were relatively behaved at the vet's, and Oscar, my little car ride pooper, waited until the trip home to poop in his carrier. I guess that calls for a "good boy Oscar"!!!

Oh yeah - and this is just another example of TCS vibes coming thru!!

Well, I'm glad Oscar waited until the ride home to poop! Was he kind enough to sit in it for you, too?

Damita's got a vet visit on Tuesday, care to come to Minnesota to haul here there for me? I've got no one to hold her, so somehow or another I've got to get her into a carrier. You should get a job wrangling cats for vet trips!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Well, I'm glad Oscar waited until the ride home to poop!

Was he kind enough to sit in it for you, too?

Damita's got a vet visit on Tuesday, care to come to Minnesota to haul here there for me? I've got no one to hold her, so somehow or another I've got to get her into a carrier.

You should get a job wrangling cats for vet trips!

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Of course he was kind enough to sit in it!! Oscar is a very thoughtful kitty that way.

Get a carrier that opens at the top, or put your front loading carriers with the door towards the ceiling and drop them it. It is sooooooo much easier that way. I learned this from wrangling cats!!