How can I get Timmy in the carrier so he can go to the vet?

jil05

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Hi everybody,

My cat Timmy has to go to the vet due to blood in his feces and some discomfort in his mouth when he eats. My sister and I tried for an hour to get him in the carrier with no luck and my sister got very scratched up. Timmy is a very nervous cat and once he heard the carrier coming (despite sneaking up on him), he was a total mess. He has never much cared to be picked up but he does lay on people to get pet. It's odd because he is not even a former feral!

What can I do to get him in the carrier? It seems impossible. He needs a check-up and I just don't know what to do...

Also, my sister put neosporin on the scratches right away. Anything else she should do to make sure she doesn't get sick? How often do scratches amount to anything? I have always read that it is more the bites that are dangerous... She currently has no health insurance.

As usual, Thank you all for any help and advice!
 

cjh27

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Hi Jil,

would you mind telling us exactly how you go about getting Timmy into the carrier?

How does this carrier open? Carriers that open from the top rather then the side are usually easier because you can pick your cat up and then place him down again in the carrier, closing the lid.

I don't sneak up on my cats when I need them to get in the carrier- I simply pace it on the floor in another room, then go to my cat, pick him up and walk to the other room holding him. There I simply put him down into the carrier and close the lid. He hasn't got a clue as to what I'm up to (I carry him now and again, he's use to it) untill I am putting him down inside the carrier.

Cats know when you are trying to sneak up on them- so don't even try. Act normally when you've got to put him in a carrier.

Don't know if this has helped you at all, sorry.

regards,

christine
 
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jil05

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Hi Christine,

Thank you for your response. I have the carrier that has a front door and the top comes off. We had the carrier on it's bottom with the door open. I was trying toput the cat in the door. He freaked out and I couldn't hold onto him. We tried twice. This has always worked with any of the other cats that I have had to take to the vet so I just didn't think about putting him in without the top on. I really don't know if he would let me do it that way either, but I am going to try.

I can't understand why he is acting so terribly about it all. He is a nervous sort, like I said in my first post, but this nervous?

Thank you!
 

cjh27

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Originally Posted by JIL05

I can't understand why he is acting so terribly about it all. He is a nervous sort, like I said in my first post, but this nervous?

Thank you!
Maybe he is responding to your nervousness? He doesn't know whats up- but he might be getting vibes from you because you're nervous about getting him into the carrier or about what the vet might diagnose.

Christine
 

momofmany

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I've got 2 cats like that. For a front opening carrier, place it on the floor so the door is facing skyward and open the door. Pick up the cat and hold onto his scruff firmly (don't pinch or squeeze, just be firm) while your other hand is holding up his legs. Drop him into the carrier from the top and quickly close the door. Chances are he will try his best to stretch out his arms and legs to prevent going into the carrier, but that is how the scruff hold will help you - if done right, they normally curl into a ball like a kitten. DO NOT pick him up by the scruff, just use it to relax him.

With the door closed, gently lower it back to its normal position. Some people use feliway spray in the carrier to help them remain calm.

And take a deep breath to relax and repeat to yourself: it's for his own good, it's for his own good. I know how hard it is to get these scaredy cats into a carrier.
 

cd1515

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also you have to keep the carrier out in the open as if it's a normal piece of furniture.
put a towel or old t-shirt in there.... feed the cat treats in there.... drop catnip in there... anything you can do to make it less intimidating.

previous poster who said stand it up and drop the cat in was right.

I've also found a towel helps.... pick up the cat in a towel first so you don't get scratched.... but be quick, before it realizes what you're up to.

also, it helps to do the towel thing a few days before... rub its back with a towel, pick it up with a towel, then talk nice to it, give it treats, etc.... so that on the actual day you have to do it, the towel isn't a shock.
 
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jil05

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Great advice! I am going to try again in a couple of days. In the meantime I got a stool sample to her so that's a plus.

The vet said I could just call the day I get him in the carrier. In the meantime I've got the bottom part of the carrier on the floor with a towel and catnip. In a day or so I am going to put the top back on. So far Timmy won't go near it even with the catnip and the other cats playing and sleeping there, but hopefully soon.

As for the nervousness, yes he could be picking up a bit from me. I'm always nervous any time they have to go to the vet for sickness. I'll try to approach it with more confidence.

I was so happy he didn't hold a grudge after our little tussle. When I lay down to go to sleep he came running and climbed on top of me purring
away.


Thank you again! I will keep you posted.
 

darlili

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If he doesn't have to fast for the appointment, this is what worked for me - left the carriers out for a few days, and put treats in them....they ended up sleeping in them. Did that for a few days. My girl absolutely adores chicken and turkey - I put a little piece of turkey in the carrier, she flew in to eat it, I shut the door right away and ran to the car!

Otherwise, carrier with door facing the sky, and the scruff and 'plop' approach....and neosporin.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by JIL05

I was so happy he didn't hold a grudge after our little tussle. When I lay down to go to sleep he came running and climbed on top of me purring
And this gave me another suggestion for you!!!

Eightball is one of my cats that I have a really hard time getting into a carrier. The trick with him is that he won't let me pick him up if there is a carrier out - regardless of how long its been sitting out. But there is one thing I can count on him doing - coming to lay on top of me if I stretch out of the sofa and start calling the names of the other cats. He doesn't want to be left out so leaps on top of me. The last 2 times I took him to the vet, he fell for this little trick - once on me, I simply carry him to the carrier and plop him in as I described earlier.

So lay down on your bed and let him come to you. And if he falls for it, you'll be chuckling about it and more relaxed.
 

zane's pal

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How many times bigger and stronger are you than him? If he won't get in, PUT him in! (Of course, don't hurt him doing so, but any reasonably fit human should be able to manage one cat.)
 

furryfriends50

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Something i do and it works really well, may sound 'mean' but doesn't hurt a cat at all and keeps them calm.

Take a pillowcase and put it over your cat then put the cat all the way into it so that he can't see out. Put the pillowcase with cat into the carrier. Let cat get out of pillowcase and just pull it through the openings in the carrier (the pillowcase not the cat out of the carrier
). Cat has no clue what just happened, and you don't get scratched.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

How many times bigger and stronger are you than him? If he won't get in, PUT him in! (Of course, don't hurt him doing so, but any reasonably fit human should be able to manage one cat.)
You've never had a cat that won't go into a carrier, eh? I've been able to pill feral cats, yet I've come across cats that I couldn't get into a carrier (and have scars to prove it).
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

You've never had a cat that won't go into a carrier, eh? I've been able to pill feral cats, yet I've come across cats that I couldn't get into a carrier (and have scars to prove it).
Yes, I have. I put on a long-sleeved shirt and heavy gloves, threw a bath towel over him, wrapped him up like an Egyptian mummy, and shoved him in the carrier.
 
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