skittish cat into carrier tips?!

[FastHands]

My parents' skittish cat is RUINING MY LIFE. They were supposed to be on their way (13h drive) 2h ago, but they still have to board their animals (40 min in the opposite direction). They have spent 3h trying to get this fucker in the kennel.

Anyone have tips aside from hitting it with a bag of hammers? Can you give cats benadryl?

RUINING MY LIFE.

[LeggsBenedict]

at this point I would just throw it in a pillowcase like a snake.

[FastHands]

Fb message to my mom 20mins ago:Can you just wrap him in a towel and throw his persnickety ass in??

[LeggsBenedict]

oven mitts. tennis rackets. stand the carrier on its end so they can drop him in from the top. put on a helmet.

PROFIT.

[TrickyBob]

We had this issue recently, I still have the kitty claw mark scars. Cats are assholes about carriers, especially if you spring it on them and don't let them get used to the carrier being there.

And that is my only helpful advice, let the cats check it out on their own time but it sounds like you guys don't have that kind of time. I'm sorry.

[papie]

Dec 21, 2013 13:21:24 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Cats are assholes about carriers, especially if you spring it on them and don't let them get used to the carrier being there.

I disagree you can't let them figure it out!
I'd also wrap in a towel and push him in.

[TrickyBob]

Dec 21, 2013 13:24:30 GMT -5 papie said:

Dec 21, 2013 13:21:24 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Cats are assholes about carriers, especially if you spring it on them and don't let them get used to the carrier being there.

I disagree you can't let them figure it out!
I'd also wrap in a towel and push him in.

Lol, I had thought the same. So I tried stuffing the cat in and she went all starfish grippy leg on me and yowled and then clawed the crap out of me. 

The towel is a good idea, a nice heavy one. Burrito those cats!

[FastHands]

Oooh, oven mitts might be just the ticket. I'll pass that one along.

[FastHands]

Dec 21, 2013 13:26:02 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Dec 21, 2013 13:24:30 GMT -5 papie said:

I disagree you can't let them figure it out!
I'd also wrap in a towel and push him in.

Lol, I had thought the same. So I tried stuffing the cat in and she went all starfish grippy leg on me and yowled and then clawed the crap out of me. 

The towel is a good idea, a nice heavy one. Burrito those cats!

Apparently one of the cats is totally chill and walking in and out of her carrier. And giving wtf face to the bastard cat.

They tried the top-open method, but they can't even get him close enough to even TRY to drop him in.

[TrickyBob]

Dec 21, 2013 13:30:50 GMT -5 FastHands said:

Dec 21, 2013 13:26:02 GMT -5 TrickyBob said:

Lol, I had thought the same. So I tried stuffing the cat in and she went all starfish grippy leg on me and yowled and then clawed the crap out of me. 

The towel is a good idea, a nice heavy one. Burrito those cats!

Apparently one of the cats is totally chill and walking in and out of her carrier. And giving wtf face to the bastard cat.

They tried the top-open method, but they can't even get him close enough to even TRY to drop him in.

Kitty hog tie? 

[FastHands]

OMG. They've apparently been feeding him in the carrier for a week. THEY FED HIM IN IT THIS MORNING AND LET HIM WALK OUT BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE A BOWL IN THE CARRIER.

I am not equipped to handle this shit today. They're officially not leaving today. Awesome. So now they'll drive 26h round trip to spend 4 days here. Assuming they ever catch the fucker.

[alzi]

I know this sounds crazy but I keep the carrier out of sight. Pick up the cat and cover it's eyes with your hand. Cram it in the case. Surprise attack works every time.

[FastHands]

Dec 21, 2013 13:59:32 GMT -5 alzi said:

I know this sounds crazy but I keep the carrier out of sight. Pick up the cat and cover it's eyes with your hand. Cram it in the case. Surprise attack works every time.

I think I'll suggest this, plus oven mitts, for tomorrow. I think they're calling it quits for today.

[Nonny]

I'd put the kitty and the carrier in a bathroom so they can't escape, and then resort to stuffing kitty in a pillow case, and stuffing the pillow case into the carrier if the confined space didn't work.

Our cats are surprisingly easy to get into a carrier though. We leave it out and open by their food dishes at all times, with a towel in it so if they go in on their own it's a cozy space. But we're lucky that we have an entire bathroom downstairs to dedicate to the cats.

[pirate]

I prefer ganging up on the cat if you get a chance. Have one person walk over to the carrier but DON'T TOUCH IT YET because if the cat hears the metal clang of the bars he'll start running away. When the carrier person is ready, the other person calmly approaches the cat like nothing is wrong and picks him up and stands still. Carrier person then quickly bring the carrier over to the person holding the cat. Tilt carrier with front opening facing up, drop cat gently in carrier's front opening.

[TC]

We used to do the cover the eyes thing. One of us holds and cuddles the cat like nothing is wrong for a few seconds, then we cover her eyes and put her in the carrier. It helps if you have a surface to put the carrier on that is sort of arm height and stable (like a counter or tall table) because then someone isn't holding a wiggley carrier while trying to put in a wiggley cat. If the whole running away thing is the main issue, it helps to close yourselves into one room.

Although that was all before our cat got really super food motivated. Now we just stick a small tuperware lid of food in the back of it lol.

Cats are bitches.

[TC]

OH! Does the cat NEED to be in a carrier? Can they drop him/her in a large but portable box? We moved with our cat in like a 3ft x 2ft box with a bunch of holes poked in it at one point because we couldn't find the carrier LOL

[spindle92]

Dec 21, 2013 17:25:02 GMT -5 @missuskeekers said:

We put our carrier on its end and someone grabs the cat and drops her in to it.

This is what I do too.

[azurely]

I'm sorry FastHands I know how much you were looking forward to them coming. Hopefully they can get on the road early tomorrow.

Surprise attack works every time for us. My cats freak out if they even see the carriers, so I pick them up, like nothing is wrong and nonchalantly put them in. By the time they figure it out, the door is closed. It's even easier if I wake them up from a nap, so they're a little out of it.

[FastHands]

Thanks azurely.

I think a big part of the issue is that this cat doesn't really let anyone pick him up even under normal conditions. They've had him for about a year, and he was a kitten when they got him, but he had been stray and motherless for a month before someone at the rescue could catch him. So he has a lot of feral cat tendancies. He's come a LONG way -- he'll jump in your lap and want to be petted, but he draws the line at being held or picked up.