I need a plan for moving my recently rescued stray/semi-feral tortie

[Adam Pisces]

In 10 days, I'll have two weeks to move my street kitty across town to a new apartment. Our current level of comfort is that she'll come to me when called and accept pets, scratches, and brushes. However, she does not tolerate being picked up and always runs away if I stand up and move around. I rescued her off the street about 8 weeks ago now, and I'm really happy with our progress so far.

A few weeks ago, I tried the towel burrito method to get her to the vet and utterly failed. I want to use that as a last resort because it seemed to be very traumatic for her.

Here are my ideas so far:

1. I've been feeding her in her carry case, but she is very smart and so far does not tolerate me sitting behind her while she eats. That makes it difficult to close the door by hand. However, I can imagine rigging some type of trap to capture her in the carry case while she eats.
2. Sedation with a drug? Knock her out and just move her by hand. Will need to be OTC because we do not have an established vet (because I cannot get her in the carry case to see the vet). Alternatively, I could try to get a vet to do a house call?
3. She usually sleeps in her cocoon bed next to my bed. I might be able to trap her in her bed while she is sleeping by draping a towel over the front. My main concern is her peeing in her bed during the move, but this might just be a price I have to pay to get her moved.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[fionasmom]

Welcome to The Cat Site and thank you for helping this cat. Your ideas are not bad and it is a matter of what you think might work. Is the cat living exclusively inside now?

There is always the option of a humane trap which can be rented from a local human society or rescue. If she is wary of the carrier though, I don't think that setting up a Havahart in your house is going to get you much further. The only advantage though is that you could set the trap and walk completely away from it, so that might fool her. If you think that this might work, you might try covering the trap over the top, not over the opposite end as a cat may not enter a space in which they cannot see out the other end. Put a piece of cardboard over the floor as cats don't like to walk on the wire.

It is possible to shut a carrier if you determine the best way for you to do it. Most carriers do not automatically lock, so there are those few seconds of downtime where the cat can decide to turn and bolt out. Where you are in relation to the carrier makes a difference and you need to be prepared for a strong pushback at the opening. Sometimes using a very appealing food like KFC will make the cat go all the way inside. This method of carrier and enticing food has worked for me.

We can't advise the use of any OTC or non prescribed sedative. It is too risky to make a guess in that area. However, a house call vet who could verify that you actually own the cat, could see her and hear your story, would probably be a big help. I asked about the cat being indoor only, as a sedative cannot be used with a cat who would be out of doors and pass out or become overly lethargic in a dangerous place. A vet who does not know you won't give you any sedatives more than likely. If you use a house call vet, ask if the sedative needs to be disguised in something tasty.

If she pees in the bed, but that ends up being your only issue, I would say that is a success. The bed is probably washable. That is a good idea if you can, once again, move fairly quickly.

It sounds as if she has made a lot of progress in the 8 weeks since her rescue, especially since she sleeps next to you. Getting a cat into a carrier, including long term pets, can be tricky.

Sometimes a top opening carrier is easier if you actually have to try to do this manually.

How To Get Your Cat Into a Pet Carrier - Jackson Galaxy
This is one of many informational sites addressing this subject. If you google, you will find others, possibly with another suggestion.

Let us know what happens!

 

[Adam Pisces]

Thanks for the response! My cat carrier sadly is a zipper front, so that makes the carrier approach less doable since she might dart out before I get a chance to close it. And yes, she is an indoor-only kitty. I will try to get a house call vet to come by, even if just for a checkup and to establish care!