Your Pet’s Carrier - The Biggest Mistake Cat Owners Make.

Every cat owner has been there - you need to get your cat into their carrier so that you can take them to the vet, or the boarding cattery, or to be cared for by a friend or simply because you are moving home - and guess what? Your highly affectionate and super-clingy cat is nowhere to be seen!

And what’s worse, when you do finally track down your bewhiskered friend after spending time you can ill-afford to waste, you are greeted by claws, teeth and rudely hissed words as you attempt to force a rigid and unco-operative cat into their carrier.

So how come your affectionate, compliant and normal pet has suddenly turned into a feral wildcat as soon as you get their carrier out of storage?

Well, prepare yourself for a shock - it’s your fault - and you probably have no idea at all that you are responsible for making The Big Mistake.

And that mistake is..

You put your cat’s carrier out of sight when you finish using it.

We all do it. As soon as the trauma of transporting your cat from A to B is over, the carrier gets put in the garage, in a shed or in a cupboard out of sight and out of mind. And that is where the mistake is made. The hated carrier is hidden away.

So, as the guilty party, how can you correct your error? Can you change the situation for the better? Is it possible for your cat to ever accept their carrier and remain calm and serene around it? Without doubt they can - and you can start to correct your mistake the very second you’ve finished reading this!

Bring the carrier out of storage and place it in a cat-friendly place.

Place it where it is warm and can remain undisturbed.

Make it comfortable inside with a blanket or cushion.

Make it attractive by placing a favourite toy or some catnip inside

Place a few tasty morsels inside.

Always leave the door open for permanent access.

Keep it within your cat’s everyday world.

And that’s it. By following the above steps, you can begin to remove the negative associations of seeing the carrier from your cat’s mind. These associations are triggered each and every time the carrier comes into view. This situation has arisen because in the past, your pet has experienced very strong and unpleasant emotions whenever their carrier has appeared and it’s no wonder that they equate their carrier with being forcefully subjected to unpleasant things. Your job, as an owner, is to work at removing those negative associations and replace them with good ones.

Gradually, your cat will come to accept the carrier as being part of their normal, everyday experiences and when this happens, they will be able to remain relaxed around it and in it. By also turning the carrier into a place that is attractive for your cat to sleep in, with their favorite toy and snack included, eventually the bad feelings will be chased away by good ones.

Of course, a trip to the vet is always likely to re-ignite those bad memories to a degree but unfortunately the only way to overcome that is to keep your vet permanently on duty around your home, so he becomes part of the everyday furniture!

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