Travelling cat

Vets wrap angry cats in a towel

Our vet suggested getting someone to hold the carrier up, in this way the cat has nowhere else to go when placed at the carrier door. Other half stands back with carrier, or better still walks from another room, I pick up the cat, OH steps forward and I put cat to the door of the carrier. Still a trial but if done quickly then not too bad.

Over lots of trips, ours has now got so completely used to her box that on 'travelling days she somehow knows, and goes into her box on her own!  Mind you, when we go to bed we've only got to get up from the sofa at around bed-time, and she goes into the kitchen and jumps into her own bed!

I can't suggest tips, however, except the towel one, but it may be that if you just go gently, gently, and try her by tempting her with treats, then letting her come out of the box again..........hopefully she will get the message that boxes mean good things, not bad.

Definitely easier I believe to put basket such that opening is in the top and cat goes in vertically.

My OH used to have tremendous problems getting the cat into a carrier. Shortly after we became an item I treated us to two weeks on a Greek Island for her 50th. When we arrived at the apartment and she undressed for bed her back was covered in scratches where the cat had wriggled from her grasp and dug its claws in trying to hang on rather than be placed in the carrier.

Never any problems thereafter as I used to put the cat in and it always behaved with me.

Similar to Debs, we tried several ways and used to hold the carrier in the air, keeping it level, hold the cat quite firmly and "post" him into the carrier. It's a two person job but seems to work. In fact he has got a lot calmer about the whole procedure and will now go into it calmly on the ground. He goes to the cattery when we go away and is quite happy about travelling now.

When Ollie, our cat, and his owner, Fliss, came to live with me. Over 12 years ago he loved the garden and as we were away so much it seemed a shame to put him in a cattery. We have a covered patio area outside the house with 4 padded chairs and table and a padded bench that we put his cat bed on. He used to lock eyes with the local fox every morning. My eldest daughter lived half a mile away and worked local with an hour for lunch. In a morning Ollie would join the neighbours cat for breakfast. My daughter fed him mid day and evening and used to spend some time playing. Ollie would also go next door but one and claim to be starved and be fed. We had to put a stop to that as he was getting fat. 

Thanks everyone.  I have bought a new carrier which is more like a holdall with a dip top which is much easier.     She seems to like this one as she can see out better so much so she slept all the way here today without a peep. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380985015125?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT 

We have a different carrier for holidays than the one we use for the vets or stays at the cattery.

It's larger than a normal carrier and sits on the rear seat of the car and we carry our cat out to the car and she gets in without any struggle.