Hello,

My Lady cat Tabitha is around 18 years old. I've had her since i was very little. she isnt a very friendly cat. i need to get her to the vet as she is decreasing at quite a fast pace. she isnt willing to let me get her into a cat carrier as soon as she sees one the claws come out. is there anything i can do to convince her to go without stressing her out?

Our Sybil (a lot younger but may be worth a shot!) was the same way. We left the carrier out in the lounge (where she usually is) about a week before her vet appointment and put one of our old unwashed jumpers in there so she would associate the smell with something familiar. She started going into it to investigate, and even slept in it a a lot! On vet day, we lured her in with a bit of wet food at the back of the carrier and shut the door. She meeowed a lot but that was about it. When we got home, we just left the carrier out so she doesn't start associating it with bad things. She sleeps in there a lot and I think it's her new "mission control" spot in the house

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Basil & Sybil

thank you very much for this i will try it. i cant usually convince her to go into the same room as one and i have another 2 cats that may get there before her. but it is definitely worth a try thank you again x

Is your cat carrier a front opening or top opening one,I had a semi feral cat who,in the begining, didnt appreciate being picked up never mind being put in a carrier.My carrier was a front opening one which is not great when you are trying to get a spitting cat in,so I borrowed a wire,top opening carrier from my vet,this made it much easier.Might be worth a try if yours isnt top opening.Good luck,hope your elderly lady is okay.

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it had a front and top opening. she just avoids it like the plague thank you very much for your help though

We've also had this problem recently. I bought a pair of extra thick gardening gloves. There is no easy way to make a cat do anything it doesn't find appealing (that much i've learnt pretty rapidly!).

Is is possible you could ask your vet to do a home visit - much less stressful for ALL concerned?

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Kaz

For kittens, joy is for the asking and smiles are for the giving