My anxious cat won't go in her carrier for the vet. What can I do?

Question

My cat Charlotte is a rescue we’ve had for 2.5 years, she’s about 4 years old. I don’t know her story before she came to the shelter but she’s the most anxious cat I’ve met. She’s due for a vet visit to update her shots but I don’t know how I’d ever get her into a carrier. Calming treats and sprays have no effect, and I she would wrestle out of my grip before I could get her into one. I don’t want to cause any more trauma to her. What can I do? Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

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 :)

My anxious cat won't go in her carrier for the vet. What can I do?

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