Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I took my inside/outside cat to the vet a little over a week ago. He had a gash on his head which had gotten infected. The vet stitched him up and gave me some medicine to give him.

The cat hasn't been the same since, though. He let me give him the medicine a couple of times, but then started really fighting me. Also, when I needed to take him back to get the stitches out, he ran and I couldn't catch him. He was also growling and hissing at me as soon as he saw the pet carrier. Sort of scared me. I wasn't able to take him to the appointment.

So I got a new pet carrier and put it out so he could get used to seeing it and not be frightened. He didn't seem bothered by it, and the other cats liked playing around it.

He's been sort of cautious around me, but has let me pet him. Nowhere near his affectionate self, however.

This morning I was going to try again to take him to get his stiches out. I swear he could read my mind. I didn't even try to pick him up, just to give him a pet and he ran away and hid. Again I tried to find him and he just looked at me, growling, before he zoomed past me and jumped on top of the kitchen cabinets.

Any ideas how I can get him into the carrier? Someone suggested throwing a blanket on top of him, but I doubt that would work, and would probably just make him scared and dangerous.

Thanks!

Any ideas how I can get him into the carrier? Someone suggested throwing a blanket on top of him, but I doubt that would work, and would probably just make him scared and dangerous.

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My Vet is scared of Babba when he hisses and he used a towel to hold him down.
Now i go with Babba and theres no proplem.The towel thing is a good one.
Babba hisses sometimes but means nothing as long as i am next to him or have my hand on him.
I wouldn't throw a blanket on him it would just scare him more and he would lose his trust in you.
Just Take the towel and pick him up and he will be fine.
Lou

I would talk to your vet about the possibility of a short-term tranquilizer that you could slip into whatever is the ultimate kitty treat. Or you may need to see if you can borrow a have-a-heart trap from the humane society and see if you can trap him to get to the vet. If you have a mobile vet in the area, you might see if your vet will refer you to him/her for stitch removal.

Good luck!
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

My cats hide the minute they hear the carrier, so I reverse the process. I pick them up when they are mellow and not expecting anything and put them in a closet. Then I get the carrier out. I put it close to the door with the cat door open. Then I get low and crack the closet open (they will be ready to dart so you have to grab fast). Then grab the cat and put him in the nearby open carrier...
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

I usually get the carrier ready while my grandson, David, gets the cat. I put the carrier up on end with the opening at the top and my grandson slides the cat in before it even knows what hit it. If I were by myself when I had to take the cat to the vet, I'd probably wrap a towel around it and slide it in the same way. Good luck to you.
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Ruby and the Kitties
Simba, Samantha, Katrina & KatyKatt
Meow!! Meow!! Meow!! Meow!!

How wonderful to do nothing and then rest afterwards. Meow!

my cat shadow is the same way when she see the carrier come out. although she doesn't go into defensive mode she runs and hides from it. i just set the carrier in the kitchen for a couple days before she has her vet appointment and she will come around and investigate it then when its time its easier to catch her.

might want to try feeding your kitty in the carrier a couple times so maybe it will associate the carrier with something good instead of being tossed in there for something bad. just an idea.

Nope. I got a new soft-sided carrier for him. Put it out so he could get used to it. After a couple of days, he started letting me pet him again. On Thursday, I was able to catch him and put him in the new carrier. He started thrashing around inside it, really mad. I called the vet to say I was bringing him in. By the time I got through with the call and getting my coat and shoes on, the cat had broken the zippered door on the carrier and escaped and was hiding again.