Carter wet his carrier...any suggestions?

Carter is now 10 months old and he just went to the vet today for a depo shot because he was so itchy I could tell he was in pain. It's been a little over a month since his last and the vet suggested we try that if the over the counter allergy stuff didn't clear him up. Call me paranoid, I don't want his little liver giving out and I wanted to try other things first before he got another shot.

On the way home, at some point, he wet his carrier. I had to give him a bath (his first) and everything. He's never done this before. I know he's nervous about going to the vet - never been calm ever since he had that URI a few months back and they had to run scratch tests on his eyes - but he's always been good about the litter box and I've never had trouble with him going in the carrier. Since this is a *royal* pain to clean up after, I'd like to know if there's something I can do to keep him from doing it again.

I don't know that there is anything you can do to keep him from going in the carrier if he is nervous/scared. My suggestion would be to line the bottom of the carrier with plastic and then throw an old towel over the plastic next time you have to take him to the vet.

Poor Carter. If you find anything that helps, let me know! Brady does the same thing - he is so scared of being in the car I guess. The vet was nice enough to take the pee-soaked towel I had put in there and replace it with a clean one for me. But I haven't been able to wash the carrier until this week because it is finally warm enough to run water through the hose.
So I think SophieC is right.

The two things that immediately came to my mind were:

(1) Leave the carrier out all the time where he can see it, with the door open. Let him get used to and comfortable with its constant, non-threatening presence. Maybe even throw some treats in there periodically. Most people do not do this, so when the cat suddenly sees the carrier for the first time in months, he/she immediately knows it's vet time, and starts to freak out.

(2) Get some Feliway spray and start spraying the carrier every other day for about a week before the vet appointment. This is one instance where the Feliway spray is preferable to the diffuser. Of course, if you have to bring him in for an emergency visit, this approach won't be possible. But even spraying it one time around, say, half an hour before putting him in the carrier might yield some benefit.

I also suppose that every so often you can put him in the carrier and drive around for a few minutes, then return home and let him out. This way he won't automatically conclude that carrier+him=vet. But the first two ideas are obviously easier.

You could also put in one of those puppy training pads in the carrier. They absorb a lot. I used them when my elderly cat got to the point that her aim was hit or miss in the box. So I think they would also be useful as a pad in the carrier. They have a plastic lining and they are somewhat soft.

Also, get a small pack of those puppy training pads. That way, they absorb the urine and keep your cat from getting soaked. Spot started urinating, and later on defecating, in the carrier on the way to the vet. The puppy pads made it really easy to clean up once I got there.

Mine did this. Well actually it was generally me he got and then the carrier too. I did the pads. They have incontinence pads for humans at WalMart that work good if you have a larger carrier and larger cat and the puppy pads too. He was scared to death any time we got in there. So I hope yours maybe outgrows it. In fact my momma kitty got me on the way out the door to work this morning because she was scared.

Yes, line the bottom with a pee pad, or just shredded newspaper.

It's pretty common for cats to pee in the carrier, particularly when the vet is involved. Sometimes it's nervousness... sometimes they just can't hold it in. It's not like with children, where you can warn them they'll need to use the bathroom before you get in the car.

Vetbed is useful in carriers as it allows liquid to pass through so that the surface remains dry. You do have to put something absorbent under it though! Can help keep kitty dry if accidents happen though.