Getting Your Cat to the Vet: Your Cat CAN Love Their Carrier!

As many of you know, I volunteer for the Jackson Galaxy Cat Pawsitive Program as a writer. I’ve met many wonderful people through the program, including Tabitha Kucera. Tabitha and I spent a weekend volunteering for CPP at Cat Camp NYC this past June and I had a ball talking with her. Tabitha is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant as well as a Fear Free and Low Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician. After picking her brain about different topics, I was thrilled when she agreed to partner with me for a series of posts on the blog.

Your Cat Can Love Their Carrier

Welcome to the first post in the “Getting Your Cat to the Vet” series. Today we’re focusing on carrier training. Your cat can love their carrier, and here’s how. 

Choosing the Right Type of Carrier

The first tip is choosing the right type of carrier for your cat. There are many different types of carriers on the market, but there are a few things you want to bear in mind when picking one out.

Safety

Safety is of utmost importance! You want to make sure that the carrier is sturdy and does not feel flimsy or like it will fall apart. I’m very particular about carriers. To me, functionality and durability are more important than how cute it looks. I have to lug my cats in their carriers down three flights of stairs (and then back up!), and depending on which vet we’re going to, through the streets of New York City. I definitely do not want the handle falling off or the entire carrier falling apart!

In 2015 The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) conducted an independent study on carriers that stated in their marketing materials that they were “crash tested” or had “crash protection.” The purpose of the study was to:

• Independently evaluate the current-state travel carrier products and carrier connection products that claim “testing”, “crash testing” or “crash protection”.

•  Examine the safety, structural integrity and crashworthiness of carriers where the manufacturer makes no claims of “testing”, “crash testing” or “crash protection”.

• Determine top performing carrier brand(s).

For more information regarding specific brands tested, you can refer to the study here. 

Carrier with a large front opening. Photo courtesy Tabitha Kucera.

Easy Access to Exit and Entry Ways

If your cat is anything like Lexy, getting her out of the carrier at the vet can be a challenge. Using a carrier that does not allow easy entry and exit access can not only make the entire strip stressful, it does not allow you to get to your cat in the event of an emergency. Here are a few features to consider when choosing a carrier.

• Openings: A carrier with both top and front openings, or one with a large round opening will help you get your cat into the carrier more easily as well as getting her out (especially if they are not trained to go into the carrier.)

• Ability to be taken apart: I’ve had to take the carrier apart at the vet to get Lexy out more times than I can count. Tabitha recommends leaving stressed cats inside their carriers throughout the examination. If that’s not possible, remove the top to remove the cat from the carrier, rather than tipping the carrier or straining to pull out the cat.

• Size matters: Make sure your cat can walk easily in and out of the carrier and has plenty of room to move and turn around if she wants to.

Lexy wasn't a happy camper at the vet, but at least she got to stay in her carrier.

Easy to Clean

If your cat has an accident in the carrier, you want to be able to clean it up quickly. Nine times out of 10 Lola has an accident in the carrier, and I need to clean it out before we start our return trip home. Her carrier also needs to be leakproof so I don’t end up with a puddle in my car. (Defecating/urinating during travel is commonly a sign of stress.) Tabitha says it’s important to have a soft, comfortable surface on the bottom of the carrier to make your cat feels comfortable. 

"I like hanging out in here!"

Privacy, Ventilation and Visual Shield

Visual shields can help prevent motion sickness. Alternatively, you can place a towel that has been sprayed with a synthetic feline pheromone over the carrier. This also provides some privacy that cats love. And most importantly, please make sure the carrier is well ventilated! You definitely want your cat to be able to breathe easily and not get overheated.

Making the Carrier Positive and Training Your Cat to go in It

So you’ve purchased the purrfect carrier for your cat, but how are you going to get her into it? Tabitha has some great advice on how to make your favorite feline comfortable with their carrier rather than running at full speed to hide under the bed at the first sight of it.

• Leave the carrier out in a place where your cat likes to spend time. Make sure to leave it open so when kitty gets curious, she can check it out. This will help create less stress when the time comes that she actually has to get in it.

• Place treats, catnip, and toys in the carrier. This will encourage your cat to enter the carrier while they’re still at home.

• Place familiar bedding in the carrier. All the smells of home will be in the carrier, which will make it feel like a safe place. Also, try placing something with your scent inside.

• Use synthetic pheromones. This can assist in minimizing anxiety associated with the carrier.

• Reward your cat for going into the carrier. Make sure to have your cats’ favorite treats nearby so you can give her one as soon as she goes into the carrier on her own.

If you’re interested in clicker training your cat to go into the carrier, you can follow Tabitha’s step by step instructions here. 

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Patience, patience, patience!

Remember, patience is a virtue. It could take days, or weeks, before your cat even peeks into the carrier, let alone is comfortable with it. Consistency is key while you remain calm and patient, and Tabitha recommends going at a pace your cat is comfortable with. If your cat is struggling with a step in the training it could be due to a trainer error, the trainer moving onto the next step too soon, or maybe there were too many distractions.

Stay tuned for part two in this series where we will discuss how to make the trip to the vet fun!

Have you ever trained your cat to go in their carrier? Tell us about it in the comments!
Dawn

Tabitha Kucera is a level 3 Fear Free and Low Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner.  She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter cat and dog behavior consulting and training in Cleveland, Ohio. 

She has been working with cats and dogs for over 10 years and in that time has worked with a number of rescue organizations and small animal practices. Her work in these fields shed light on repeated occurrences of feline and canine euthanasia and re-homing due to behavioral issues. She quickly became dedicated to learning about the prevention, root causes, and solutions to feline and canine behavioral concerns. She continued to teach herself more about behavior through continuing education, workshops, completing her low stress handling and fear free certifications, graduating from the Karen Pryor Academy and obtaining her KPA-CTP, and became a certified cat behavior consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Keeping animals in their loving homes is her utmost goal – this reduces euthanasia as well as displacement of animals from their homes, where canines and felines often end up in stressful shelter environments. She helps people better understand and relate to their animal companions which leads to a stronger bond and a more gratifying relationship between animal and human. 

She currently is a Fear Free certified speaker,  serves as the co-chair of Pet Professional Guild’s Cat Committee, the president of the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians, and she serves on the board of The Together Initiative for Ohio’s Community Cats.