My cat won't go in her carrier for the vet. What should I do?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 8 years and 1 month old | 12 lbs
Hi - I have a cat named Reese's (4 cats in total). I am afraid I am never going to be able to get Reese's to the vet. She is sweet and sits by me and has a real sweet little meow, but as soon as she sees a cat carrier - you can't find her. She had an incident at the vet when she was younger where she had to have fluorescein dye put in her eye for a red spot and it spooked her after that. Do you have any ideas on how I could capture her to go to the vet? I'd appreciate it.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 22nd, 2017
I would take the door off of the carrier for now and leave it out at all times. Put treats and eventually feed her in the carrier. It may take weeks to get her used to it. Then put the door back on and keep feeding her in there. Eventually you should be able to close the carrier to take her to the vet. Also you may talk to her vet about some sedation or anxiety medication that could be given prior to her appointment time. Good luck. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 29th, 2018
You could consider having a veterinarian come to your house to do her exam and vaccines, if there's anyone in your area who offers this service - many cats do much better with house calls than appointments in the clinic! If you're not sure, try googling "house call vet (your city/state)" or call some local clinics to ask if they know of anyone who does home visits. If this isn't possible, then I would work on teaching her to go into her carrier voluntarily. This is quite easy to do for most cats, but it does require some time and planning ahead. Start by leaving the carrier out with the door propped open. She may be anxious and hide when you first bring it out, which is fine. Just leave it out with the door open, and put some tasty cat treats nearby. She will explore and find the treats when she gets curious, which may take a few days. Once she's happy to approach the carrier and eat treats from the floor nearby, start putting some treats just inside the door. When she's comfortable with that, you can put treats all the way in the back for her to find. Many cats learn to love their carriers and may even choose to sleep in them when they're left out like this with treats inside. When she's completely comfortable, which may take several days or even a few weeks, practice sitting beside the carrier and tossing treats inside for her to get, so that she learns to go in for treats with you sitting right there. Then, when the day comes for her vet visit, simply toss some treats inside, then close the door after she goes in. Voila - she's in the carrier and you can leave for the vet, with no stress or struggle :)
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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