Tucker is an IMPOSSIBLE boy!! (venting..long post)

Today I had both cats scheduled to go to the vet to get de-wormed & current on their rabies shots. Oh, great, I thought. This will be a wonderful adventure. Based on past experience, I knew I would have trouble with Tucker.
On the way home I stopped at the vet(Florida Aid to Animals) & picked up a cardboard carrier. Mini would use the other one,Tucker refuses to enter it-I am trying to avoid spending a small fortune on a large cat carrier & my storage space is also very limited. Well, I knew the box was too small, but figured I'd try it.
I came home with plenty of time to get them ready. I actually had Tucker in the box before he squirmed his way out of it. He was onto me then, & the "Battle Royale" began. I called the vet, said I might be late, my cat won't get into the box, he's onto me now. They suggested getting him into a pillowcase..Hah! They don't know Tucker. I tried a sheet. He squirmed & fought, got away. I tried one of those small throw blankets. Same thing. By then I was stressed out & shaking, Tucker was hiding & there was just no way. He is a big, strong fighter, & he won this battle. I called the vet, practically crying, they agreed to give me the worm pills for tucker at home, just bring Mini in. Now I am going to be late. Mini was ready & waiting to go.
(The reason they tried to insist on bringing Tucker in was to weigh him for the dosage, & update his rabies shot)
Mini was a good little girl, & I bring home 2 pills for Tucker. Yeah, right, like I'm going to get him to take 1 pill, let alone 2. With my fiancee Mike helping, we couldn't even get him to get his mouth open enough to even attempt to put a pill past those big, sharp teeth. No way.
Score; Tucker-2 Frustrated Humans-0
I HAVE to get this medicine into him, & we can't do it.
I am not going to buy an x-large carrier for a small fortune only to use it once, cuz believe me, he isn't going anywhere unless he is seriously ill. He's strictly indoors, rabies shots be damned. With Mike's help, I am hoping to surprise him while he is sleeping, wrap him in a sheet & put him in a huge box & then call & beg someone to give him these pills.
Does anyone have any suggestions for getting a 20lb male cat into a box?
Catnip won't work, laser lights won't work, he won't go for the treat trick.
He is usually such a sweet little gentleman...with the heart of a warrior.

See if your vet can give the cat something to calm it down.My Ariel is sweet and loveable,but I remember trying to give her earmite medicine once.
You'd think we were trying to kill her or something!

Oh that sounds so stressful! It's easier if you are using carriers because you can leave them around the house so that cats get used to them - that's what we do!

Have you asked about a pill gun? I haven't had to use it myself, but I've heard that they are great for getting impossible cats to take pills.

I'll move this to Behavior for more ideas.

First of all calm down. When you are stressed or worried, it just feeds over to your cat and makes this worse than it is. Put your cat on top of your washing machine. That will make him feel secure and safe. Have his body braced by yours, scruff his neck gently, raise his head up and then gently place your thumb against his lip until he yeilds and opens his mouth. Using a pill gun, shoot the pill into his mouth and then release him immediately.

Oh, I feel your pain. Hissy has given a good answer about giving Tucker pills, so I thought I'd reply about the carrier--

I *completely* understand about the cost of a carrier. But, I do think you really need to have one that Tucker fits in. He *will* need to go to the vet again during his lifetime--there will be times that he will be sick. Also, I noticed that you live in "Hurricane Central." If you need to leave your home for some reason, you need something to carry Tucker to safety. Here's what I suggest:

I bought an extra-large carrier when we first got Ziv. It was about $50 at Petc0 for a deluxe model (it's front- and top-loading), which looks like this. That seems like a lot all at once, but over time, it works out to very little. Both Ziv and Eva fit in there together quite comfortably--they weigh about 19 lbs together. It comes apart so that you can break it down to save a little space.

I agree with WellingtonCat that the best way to wrestle him into a carrier is not to have to do it. In other words, leave the carrier out as much as you can. We make it comfortable by lining it with a towel that has the cats' scent on it (just leave the towel on the floor for a few days, they'll lie on it!). When the carrier is out, our cats go in for naps from time to time. We also put a towel over it to make it more "cave-like." You can even take the door off at first so that Tucker doesn't get scared by it swinging around.

We don't have much space either, so we don't leave it out all the time--we bring it out a couple days before the vet appointment and leave out for about 24 hours afterward. This way, it becomes a normal part of their lives--not something that comes out only when something unpleasant is going to happen.

I find that the toploading door is very helpful for getting them in. Eva's rescue mom showed us a trick, which you can even use for only a front-loading carrier (just put the carrier on its back end, so that it is standing up vertically with the door to the ceiling). Pick up Tucker (maybe Mike can help you with this)--hold him just behind his front legs with your hands around his body. He will naturally stretch his feet to the ground, making his body the perfect shape for placing him neatly in the carrier. Shut the door, and lower it slowly so that it's horizontally oriented again.

The key to all this is to minimize his--and your--anxiety. Make as much as you can seem like just a normal day. And good luck!

Score; Tucker-4 Frustrated Humans-0
This morning, I thought I would take my time & casually try to trick Tucker into Mini's carrier, which has been sitting around on the livingroom floor since yesterday. I tried his favorite toy, I tried the laser light, I tried tuna. For God's sakes, Tuna! No luck. I called the vet & bought a pill shooter. Again, Mike held him & I am trying to get his mouth open. He starts growling. O.k., time to let go! I'll admit it, we are afraid to deal with him when he gets stubborn like this. If Mini weighed in at 10 lbs, Tucker is easily at least 20. Mike sais it's like dealing with a racoon!
Here is a good picture of my stubborn boy, you can see what we are up against!

Thanks for all of the good suggestions-I guess my next thing will have to be a big carrier. But I'll bet ya a dollar he'll get wise to that, too.
I'm tempted to crush the pills & put them in tuna, but I'll have to put Mini in another room, & he'll get wise to the tuna trick & won't eat it. Add a wasted 8 dollars to this adventure..

Originally Posted by DanceMuse

I agree with WellingtonCat that the best way to wrestle him into a carrier is not to have to do it. In other words, leave the carrier out as much as you can. We make it comfortable by lining it with a towel that has the cats' scent on it (just leave the towel on the floor for a few days, they'll lie on it!). When the carrier is out, our cats go in for naps from time to time. We also put a towel over it to make it more "cave-like." You can even take the door off at first so that Tucker doesn't get scared by it swinging around.

The key to all this is to minimize his--and your--anxiety. Make as much as you can seem like just a normal day. And good luck!

Click to expand...

Hooray!
Score: Tucker-4 Frustrated Humans-1
But if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all!
I found the carrier you suggested, Sunday- it's nice, too! He went in it right away out of curiosity, but on a Sunday I couldn't take him anywhere. Yesterday, I just concentrated on putting catnip in it, & their favorite toys. That has been going well. I called my backup vet yesterday, told them the short notice situation, & they were ok with that. So I was ready.Today he went in after the toy & I closed the door. I did my victory dance in another room, & called the vet-they couldn't take him because they were dealing with an emergency- Argh! That's o.k., Florida Aid to Animals is open late tomorrow, I'll try again. I made sure to praise Tucker with love & showers of catnip, & am hoping he will come through again tomorrow.
P.S. I'm dying to see how much he weighs.

Aw, that's great! I was thinking about you because I was in PetSm@art today and I took a look at carriers for dogs, to see if one would fit your Tucker. They had one on sale for $23 for up to 20 lbs, but for my money I like the two-door carrier better. It's nice to be able to open the top and sneak a hand in for a little petting when you're waiting at the vet or something.

I'm sorry that the vet couldn't take you when you were ready, but it sounds like it will work out soon. Report back on Tucker's weight, he looks like quite the king-sized cat!

we use one for dogs too... even for Logan (which looks rediculious) but he spazes out in the small one. He does backflips and won't be still. We find it easier to deal w/ in the big one.

Victory at last!
I almost didn't get him, Mini kept getting in the way. Poor little guy-they had to call in "the cat lady" to deal with him because she fears nothing. He also got a compliment, too. They were so nice at Florida Aid to Animals with helping us out & I feel so much better now that he was treated, too.
I can't believe he weighs only 12.5 pounds!
My new title for him is The Warrior Prince.
Thanks for helping me out, I learned alot from this!

Hey, that's great! Now you know you can do this, so when you need to take him somewhere, you'll be ready.

My two boys are around that same weight, too, but that photo of Tucker looked so big! Was he freaked by going to the vet, or did he take it ok? What compliment did he get?