Training my Cookie to not hate her carrier!

When she was young, Cookie had no problem with her carrier. But when the time came to get her spayed... the carrier became a reminder of an unpleasant experience. Since then, Cookie will have nothing to do with the carrier, and this has made transporting her anywhere extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, this means I've been really dumb and have been avoiding taking her to regular vet visits. Enough is enough! I've been trying to train her to enter her carrier without too much fuss, because she has a vet appointment for April 5th. She needs to go. She's an outdoor/indoor cat, so she definitely needs her updated vaccines and regular check-up. I'm not being a good mommy if I don't get this done!

So far, the process has been simple. With some cat treats I've gotten her to step into the bottom section of the carrier, and eventually even with the top on!

Here are some pictures of her progress:



I'm so proud of her! Hopefully, this means she'll be ready for her appointment when the time comes to get going.

The next step is to keep this pattern going, add the door, and eventually close the door.

If anybody can share some tips or similar experience, I would really appreciate it   

Sounds like you know what your're doing!
I've read these tips/tricks; unfortunately for Ritz, they don't work (the main problem is, she freaks out when I pick her up), but here goes:
Leave the cat carrier out 24x7 so it becomes part of the furniture.
Feed your cat ONLY in the cat carrier. You can progressively move the food further back into the cc. You're doing that with the treats, now try food.
Spray spray spray the cat carrier with Feliway spray or similar calming agent.
Good luck!

Thanks!

If you can get her into the carrier with the door closed, that is a great thing. 

BUT you don't want to undo all your hard work when you surprise her with a vet visit!

Some other steps you might want to consider:

  - carry her to another room and let her out.  Do this between several rooms.

  - carry her to the car, sit in the car for a minute or two, then back into the house.  extend the car time incrementally.

  - DRIVE the car down the block and back to the house.  When you are heading home, tell her "We're going home now."  repeatedly.  This will hopefully help her associate the phrase with home... no matter where you've been in the meantime.

  - of course, always give treats after a successful step. 

I don't know if you'll be able to get all that in before your vet deadline, but  if you continue the routine, future vet visits will hopefully go a bit smoother.

Good Luck!

I think most cats don't like carriers, because of the confined space, with little visability. I would suggest buying a larger carrier that is screened-in. Instead of a traditional small carrier, I went to walmart and picked up one for jazzy, that was large enough for her to sit up in, and had screening all around it, so she could see what was going on outside the carrier, along with a removable fleece floor liner for comfort. She was much more relaxed and comfortable on the ride to the vet. Mine was designed for a dog, but worked really well for her. Hope this helps.

 This is awesome progress!  One thing I can tell you is that she has out grown that carrier. She needs a larger carrier, where she can turn around, lie down, sit, stand, stretch out in..............................

    Just imagine if you were locked in a box that was 3'x4', how confined you would feel. That carrier is maybe 1/4th her height and 1/2 her length...................You are asking her to feel safe locked up and confined in such a small space.........

   Here is Maia sitting in her carrier in living room.......


   Any time I bring down carrier she is immediately inside it, completely relaxed......even though she has had a few stressful vet visits, she doesn't associate them directly with carrier.

   My best friends kitty, 'Bear', who was basically a feral kitten he brought home at 4 months old, wasn't spayed till she was 3 years old. When we first tried to place her in a carrier the size of yours, even though she is a small kitty, she freaked!  I brought over Maia's carrier which is basically a small dog crate, and Bear was much more relaxed......

cheylink said:

 
 One thing I can tell you is that she has out grown that carrier. She needs a larger carrier, where she can turn around, lie down, sit, stand, stretch out in..............................

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I wondered about this as well, but my cats do like their smaller carriers as much as they like the larger dog crate.  So... 

Oh wow, I actually hadn't thought about the carrier size being a problem. I'll definitely look into getting her a new, larger carrier. It makes sense that she would want something less confining. But wow a lot of carriers are pretty pricey, I would hate to have to buy a new one, but I'll definitely consider it because I want Cookie to be as comfortable as possible.

My next step is getting her in with the door closed, which I'm scared might be really difficult 

raquelmaria15 said:

 
Oh wow, I actually hadn't thought about the carrier size being a problem. I'll definitely look into getting her a new, larger carrier. It makes sense that she would want something less confining. But wow a lot of carriers are pretty pricey, I would hate to have to buy a new one, but I'll definitely consider it because I want Cookie to be as comfortable as possible.

My next step is getting her in with the door closed, which I'm scared might be really difficult 

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 I don't know how you feel about the soft-sided carriers, but my Zoey who is by nature claustrophobic does better in them. And Walmart's larger size is only about $20.

I had no idea there were soft-sided carriers, nifty  

I prefer the smaller ones, just so there's less banging around inside, when toting around in the car. 

edit - On topic, i usually just throw some kibble into the carrier once in awhile. It's gone later so I know he's eating it. Seems to work and he's less neurotic when coaxing him in.

I don't think the Feliway did a heck of a lot, but who knows. 

CatMomma627 said:

 
 I don't know how you feel about the soft-sided carriers, but my Zoey who is by nature claustrophobic does better in them. And Walmart's larger size is only about $20.

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I saw one of these recently at my local clinic and I thought it looked awesome - Want to get one of these for my cats! The one I saw had side flaps that open and stay open when pulled up to allow for venting and cats to see out. The owner said it was very light-weight and practical in that she could fold it up. She also said her cats seemed much more comfortable in it.

@rachelmaria15 : Sounds like you are definitely on the right track. I would just keep on doing what you are doing .. You are making great progress!

Dang, if you ever get the name for that, could you please post here or pm me.   Sounds very easy to place a cat in. 

@Marc999: Here's a link to some samples : http://www.overstock.com/Pet-Suppli...id=213889&kid=130499585361138&track=pspla&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla&gclid=CIjXvuHeuL0CFYFhMgodlxcAYg

Canadian Tire also has one, but it looks like it may be a bit too flimsy : http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0426328P/no-pet-taxi-carrier-soft-sided-reviews/reviews.htm

This is an interesting topic, but I don't think there's a perfect solution. If you know you have to go to the vet's next week with one healthy animal you have a good chance of being able to train your cat to jump into a sturdy plastic or basket carrier by throwing treats regularly into the carrier as a game. Not so sure if it would be so easy with a soft sided transporter though.

 A sick animal (or one needing surgery) may not want or should not eat anything so will have to get in the carrier without any treat. You may have to rely on your own cunning and expertise at handling the patient. In my experience, a cat that could put up a lot of resistance is easier to put into a solid plastic carrier than in anything soft-sided or even a basket. I don't enjoy having to pack my 3 cats for their checkups. I aim to get them all into the kitchen (fewer hiding spaces) pick them up one at a time from behind  and deposit them quickly into their 3 carriers, placed on the working surfaces, with as little fuss as possible - one quick movement "up and in" so they have little time to realize what is going on. Of course, cat number 3 is always the most difficult. But I haven't had to cancel an appointment yet.

A normal, friendly cat when handled in a secure and positive way will not resist too much to being put into a carrier so you should make the whole process as short as possible. After treatment she will be only too glad to crawl back inside for the journey home.

 I prefer the smaller ones, just so there's less banging around inside, when toting around in the car.

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I agree that a small carrier is much better for a long car journey. I felt very sorry for my foster who had to be transported in a large dog carrier (the treat trick to get him in) because there was no way I could touch him without getting bitten. He skidded about for a whole hour on the journey to his new home.

This is the carrier that I'm currently using. It is the medium size from walmart, so it's a bit big for Zoey and Luna. I'm borrowing it from my mom and her cats are big boys. It's very sturdy, my moms biggest is 21lbs. I originally bought a hard shell carrier before realizing how claustrophobic Zoey is. The Oxgord one linked above is probably what I will be buying once I can decide on color

The sides and front are mesh so the cat can see out at all time. And there's a padded bottom.

My babies have not developed any dislike for the carriers for some reason. They like to go in and sleep in it. I have 2 small carriers, one hard and one soft. My cats seem to feel safe in small spaces. They are not very large cats, so they work fine.

raquelmaria15 said:

 
Oh wow, I actually hadn't thought about the carrier size being a problem. I'll definitely look into getting her a new, larger carrier. It makes sense that she would want something less confining. But wow a lot of carriers are pretty pricey, I would hate to have to buy a new one, but I'll definitely consider it because I want Cookie to be as comfortable as possible.

My next step is getting her in with the door closed, which I'm scared might be really difficult 

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      Believe me, I hear you when it comes to cost of..............but if you spend 40-50 bucks on a carrier that is sturdy, safe, say for instance.......

http://www.thecatsite.com/products/marchioro-clipper-cayman-2-pet-carrier

This is an investment that will insure your cats safety while transporting and will outlive any of the soft carriers that end up caving in and give no physical protection to your kitty.....

cheylink said:

Believe me, I hear you when it comes to cost of..............but if you spend 40-50 bucks on a carrier that is sturdy, safe, say for instance.......
http://www.thecatsite.com/products/marchioro-clipper-cayman-2-pet-carrier
This is an investment that will insure your cats safety while transporting and will outlive any of the soft carriers that end up caving in and give no physical protection to your kitty.....

Click to expand...

I'll second the recommendation of getting a large, safe, sturdy carrier. I've also had a Marchioro for well over 14 years and have never regretted the purchase. Ours is a slightly different model, the Marchioro Clipper Aran 2 Pet Carrier, which opens from both the top and front. That makes it much easier to get a cat in or out of the carrier. Plastic carriers are a cinch to clean in the event of accidents like vomiting or urinating. A large, more enclosed carrier also makes many cats feel more secure when they wake up at a vet's office after a dental cleaning or similar procedure in their familiar carrier, rather than in a cage, which they'll probably be put in if your carrier is soft-sided.

We shopped around and ended up with. Natures miracle soft side carrier. They are for dogs but we love them. They have zippers and Velcro closures. You can get the cat into it from the side or the top. There are bars that insert that allow the carrier to retain its shape and still be flexible elsewhere. We feel that it is the best of two worlds.

We have four of them now. They sit around the house open and cats will jump into them from time to time to nap. The only problem we have had is the Velcro. A couple of our guys need to be in Velcro rehab. They are obsessed with it and will pick on it until they "win".

The carriers are a bit pricey . We have had a couple of them for a few years and with the exception of some missing Velcro they are like new.

We got them online and if I recall they were about 60. 00. Our biggest problem with our indoor cats re carriers is that if they can see that w are getting ready to take a trip they will make themselves scarce. We give them morning treats in a back room and once we get them in we shut the door so that hiding options are non existent. Once we have them bagged they are fine. Some of them like to travel more than others.

Good luck getting her taken care of. She is one pretty Cooie!

cheylink said:

 
      Believe me, I hear you when it comes to cost of..............but if you spend 40-50 bucks on a carrier that is sturdy, safe, say for instance.......

http://www.thecatsite.com/products/marchioro-clipper-cayman-2-pet-carrier

This is an investment that will insure your cats safety while transporting and will outlive any of the soft carriers that end up caving in and give no physical protection to your kitty.....

Click to expand...

I can't think of any reason why a cat wouldn't feel safe or protected in a soft-sided carrier, versus a plastic one? Just different  build and material.

The soft-sided carrier I saw was made of heavy gauge double-stitched nylon and was framed in aluminum. I am sure you can purchase cheaper models of soft-sided carriers, just like you can purchase cheap plastic ones.