cat terrified of carrier

At the end of March, I trapped and brought in a feral who was part of a TNR colony I feed. He's an amazingly smart and affectionate cat, who has finally learned to live with my other three indoor cats. Two weeks ago, we discovered a tapeworm in him, and brought him to the vet for his first shot. Now we must bring him in again for his second shot, and he bolts when he sees the cat carrier. We tried putting a harness and leash on him, to bring him in that way, and he fought me and my husband; we have large cuts on our arms from his sharp claws. We can't entice him in with treats, and we've tried both Quiet Moments spray and calming gel. Does anybody have any suggestions?? The people in the vet's office suggested we entice him into a pillowcase using cat treats and catnip, but he seems claustrophobic and I don't wnat him to freak and totally lose trust in us.

Three hours later -- went to pet store and bought soft-sided pet carrier, extra catnip, treats. In the split second it took to hold flap tight, he bolted. Afraid to apply too much force and hurt him. Going back to the vet to ask for pills.

Bumping this up as I've just moved it here

Is there any chance your vet or a vet tech could come to the house to give the second vaccination? That would take the immediate pressure off and give you time to retrain him to the carrier.

Catnip isn't a great idea with a highly stressed cat - catnip tends to exaggerate their current emotional state, so a highly stressed cat could get even more stressed out. Catnip could be used to relax him before the carrier comes out, but I don't think it's the best route to try.

The best thing to do is have the carrier out and accessible at all times (make sure you clean it thoroughly first though, to remove the scent of fear and stress). Prop the door open and put something soft inside. Start feeding in front of the carrier, making it the only place food is available. Gradually move the food closer to the carrier, until eventually he has to go all the way into the carrier to eat. Once he's comfortable with this, shut the door while he's eating. Start with literally a couple of seconds, and build the time slowly until he's totally relaxed about being shut in there for the whole meal (or even a bit longer). When you need to get him in, just put a treat at the back of the carrier for him, and he should take himself in.

Patience is key, but you can break the negative association with the carrier this way. There are quicker methods than this, but I think this approach is likely to build the most trust - so important with an ex feral. Good luck

I have a not so nice cat that doesn't ever do anything she doesn't want to do and gets nasty about it.  We have a soft sided carrier,  too but mine has the option of loading from the end instead of the top.  I have found that I need my husbands help to get the zipper.  I have him hold the carrier vertically, end upward.  I have my leather gardening gloves on, scruff the cat, and drop her in feet first.  We both get to work on the zipper making sure we do not hurt her.

It works well for us, otherwise, I get shredded by her claws and bitten.  Of course, once we get to the vet, I swear, you can see her halo has replaced the demon horns.  The vet loves her.

Thanks for your replies. We got him to the vet for his second shot on Monday. The soft-sided carrier required zipping that zipper and he was too quick for us. We waited until he was sleepy and off-guard and put him on the couch with a sheet under him. I left the room, because both of us together was a cue to him that something was going to happen. My husband wrapped him in the sheet, holding him tight like a baby, and I drove to the vet, who, gratefully, is about half a mile away. Now that the time crunch is over (shot had to be given before today) we'll work with him to desensitize him to the carriers, placing toys and treats in them and then walking away so there's no need to be hyper-alert. That way, I'll familiarize him with the carrier as you suggested, Columbine. If I continue to have problems, Dandila, I'll do the vertical entry thing as you described. Thanks again!

I gave a general reply, but I had to specifically tell you we laughed out loud at the demon horns description. He's so complacent and amiable at the vet's office that I think they think we're exaggerating! You understand.

Thanks for the advice about catnip, Columbine. I think we overstimulated him and increased his anxiety in an attempt to distract him. We're doing the training without it.

Fantastic that you got him to the vet. Thinking outside the box definitely pays off with cats!

Good luck with his desensitisation training