As you all know, I am a house call Vet. I drive around Melbourne seeing pets and their parents and solving the world’s pet problems one at a time.
Yesterday I got a frantic phone call from a gentleman in Clayton. When I got there, I found the poor fella covered in scratches. He was on his was on holidays and couldn’t put the cat into the cary cage. He tried for two hours and got nowhere. Both him and Ivy the cat looked exhausted.
I said I would try, got the cat from under the bed and put her into the carry cage and closed the door.
That’s it!
The guy looked shocked. “How did you do it?” he asked.
It’s sort-of hard to explain. Dogs and cats just listen to me, I think. Having worked for 16 years as Vet helps a bit.
But here is what you do so that You don’t find yourself in that situation.
Long before the scheduled trip, put the carry cage in plain view somewhere in the main room of the house. Leave the door open. Occasionally put some food inside the carry cage. After a while, then cat will stop fearing the object and will start treating the carry cage as just a piece of furniture. Then, when you need to go, quickly put the cat in and close the dog. Impresto! Works every time.
If your cat is a stress-head, try the Feliway spray. It is an over-the-counter calming spray for cats and is completely safe.
Or call me for advice.
(By the way, the photo in this article is Ivy hiding under the bed before I put her into the box).
Dr Vadim the Visiting Vet 