Huck's reaction to my bringing his cat carrier up from the basement was an immediate "No." He took one look and lit out for the far corner of the living room, where he has a refuge: a Huck-sized gap on the lowest level of a shelving unit, somewhat blocked by a couple of boxes and his climbing "tree."
I managed to haul him out by main force,* which left me with a generous armful of struggling tomcat to carry the length of the house and somehow get into the carrier.
There's a trick to it. You can't get an unwilling cat into a carrier head-first, and backwards is even more a battle. But you can stand the carrier on end and lower the cat in, tail-first, then shut the door and gently turn the carrier horizontal.
He didn't approve of this, but I got him to the vet. She'd been talking about taking a biopsy of the bald, scabby spot between his shoulderblades. After looking him over, she decided he'd healed up a lot since his previous visit and she wanted to try a different topical medicine instead. Huck and I both thought this was a fine idea. So now instead of ointment, he gets a little spritz of stuff on the spot, mornings and evenings.
He's not so sure that it's a good idea, but he'll tolerate it.
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* Each cat has an actual refuge, a place from which I will not haul them out, though luring out with treats is okay. Huck's is his "cave," a carpet-covered tube low on his climbing tree. Rannie's is her "egg," an oval, covered cat bed that is just her size that replaced one of the end cushions on the window seat. But Huck will head for his spot on the shelf if he's worried enough, since it takes more work for me to get to. I think he feels it's a better defensive position.
BUILDING A 1:1 BALUN
4 years ago
6 comments:
We use the "tail first" method to get Sparrowbane to the V-E-T, too.
Ratbane used to escape from his carrier once he was in the car, he liked watching the world go by. Oddly, didn't fight going in the carrier once we got him to the vet.
My cat carrier was a clear plastic storage bin, the type with the interlocking flip lids (Costco purchase). Big, so the cat wasn't too bothered by being in it, as she could see all around. Fluffy towel for her to lay on. Once in the vehicle, I could flip one lid off so she could rest her forepaws on the edge and survey her domain. I think being able to see everything in the waiting room, while feeling safe in an enclosure, kept her calm. The vet was impressed with her attitude when she got to the exam table. The lids were not see-through, and I am not sure if that solid seeming overhead when closed was a plus, but suspect it was. I've done this with a couple cats (female), with consistent good results. After a trip, they didn't seem to be alarmed when around those bins (I had lot of them).
I'll have to remember the idea of leaving them a safe bolthole for future cat interactions.
I was wondering about how difficult was it to get Huck boxed up for the trip home? Was he more amenable once you explained the destination or that he was outnumbered two to one?
Rickn8or, both cats climb back in the carrier on their own when it is time to go home. They're confident where it will take them.
I wondered. A friend of mine's cats would self-load when she asked them "Ready to go home?"
We have a evil tom cat that had been my burden to bear for 15 years now. Tail first while wearing welding gloves is the only way I would even think of putting him in the box.
I wear the gloves, not the cat.
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