Cats And Carriers Can Be Friends

It’s one thing to make an appointment for your pet with a veterinarian.

But getting the animal into your car can be an altogether more challenging proposition. Most typically, this becomes an issue when a cat decides not to cooperate with attempts to pick it up or place it in a carrier.

“If you had to go get audited by the IRS every time you got in the car, you would come to hate getting in the car, too,” said Val Ellingson, an animal behavior counselor in Spokane.

She says these struggles can be avoided.

The secret? Making the cat carrier — which many recommend using for safety’s sake — a part of the pet’s everyday life instead of something that shows up only when it’s time to go get shots.

Ellingson said bringing out the carrier exclusively for trips to the vet or boarding kennel virtually trains the pet to have an adverse reaction. “This is sort of the domesticated animal’s version of the shadow of the eagle swooping down on them.”

Even if the pet doesn’t fully associate the carrier with trips to the vet, it knows its presence can mean being trapped in a small space and getting jostled, said Gail Mackie, director of SpokAnimal.

She suggested placing snacks or some tuna in the carrier every now and then when you won’t be attempting to take the cat anywhere.

Making the carrier a repository for favorite cat toys is another tactic.

Candi Lake, a vet tech with three cats of her own, has heard plenty of war stories from people who had to fight with their felines to get them to the clinic. But she believes these tests of wills can be made a thing of the past if the cat carriers are out all the time. “Put your cats’ bedding in there,” she said. “They can start to think of it as a safety zone.”

Then, when it’s time to take the cat for a checkup, things might go easier.

If that doesn’t work, there are always mobile vets. And in certain narrowly defined circumstances where the animal has an established patient history, some vets will provide pet owners with tranquilizers to be given to cats in food before appointments.

But try making the carrier a regular part of the pet’s life. It could spare you some frustrating games of hide-and-seek.

One final note in the matter of whether cats should be allowed outdoors. Kevin Robinette, habitat biologist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, sent Furry Talk an informative pamphlet. It is called “Cats and Wildlife: A Conservation Dilemma.”

It’s worth reading. To find out about obtaining a copy, call 456-4082 in Spokane.