My Tabby cat is scared of the pet carrier he goes inside lies down it and even has a nap but when I close the door and take him to the car he panics he goes crazy and bites the cage door to be let out.
Is there anything I can do to get him to relax?
Answers:
Hi Dave.to help desensitize your cat for crate and road excursions it helps to do the following: begin a treat reward inside the travel crates before it is moved and you place it into the car so begin feeding your cats now until the next step.
Begin by feeding him in front/around of the crate then gradually move the food dish it into the crate.eventually when he is okay with eating in the crate gently close the door, but open it immediately while the kitty is eating to help him acclimate to this. After he appears to be okay with eating inside the crate (sometimes it will happen within a couple days) you can begin with the next step.
Feed him with the door half way closed for each time for several days and then closed the next few days. Next you'll want to try to pick the crate up just a few inches from the floor while he's eating and next time a little higher. Eventually, you will be able to move the kitty in the crate around the home to each room and slowly towards the front door before trying the outdoors. The idea is to do this in small gradual steps to help him become desensitized to each tiny change. New changes are always overwhelmingly enormous in a cat's mind therefore it must be done in very small/minute fragments. This is key to getting any animal to adjust to very uncomfortable situations successfully.
Next take him in the car (with crate and food dish) and sit quietly with him and the crate door opened and offer him delicious treats inside the crate, which rewards him for accepting the new environment. Do this several times throughout the day and when he is showing signs of being more comfortable then you can move onto the next step. Just start the car (no driving) and offer rewarding treats again in the crate/bed still with door opened and also closed. After a few times then start the car and move it back and forth in that little area again offer treats in the crate with door opened and closed (by the way, chicken baby food is usually is an excellent treat just make sure this is Gerbers "2nd" NOT 3rd as the ingredients Onion and Garlic are toxic to kitty). Again, when kitty shows sign of comfort then try a drive around the block once then several times gradually with the crate door closed this time. Make sure he can see you when you travel as cats find comfort with their owner's familiar face and can easily hear your voice as well. If you don't have anyone traveling with you then place crate on the front passenger seat and floor so you can occasionally put your fingers through the holes to comfort him with your touch too.
Keep in mind this method is the healthiest so that you don't need to tranquilize your kitty, which should be reserved as a last resort if your kitty still is very anxious in the final stages of the training. The method I described above is how zoo trainers teach their animals to be managed without sedation.
I hope you all will have a safe and happy long journey each time you have to travel together.
Hmm- You might try a tranquilizer, preferably one from the vet.
Our cats start crying when we close them in the pet carriers too. But they don't try biting the door.
Good luck!
Mine hates the carrier also. Although he usually throws up or does severe poo!
I'm watching for an answer to get them to relax.
Sounds like he isn't afraid of the carrier but more afraid of car trips. Try closing your cat in the carrier for very very short periods of time (maybe giving him a treat or 2 while he's in there)without a car trip. Gradually increase the time that he is in it. Then start adding very short car trips.
So many cats only go out when they go to the vet and they associate being locked in the carrier with going to the vet.
There are also herbal suplments available from most major petshops and online that help calm your cat.
Cats don't like to be enclosed. When he goes in there on his own free will, he knows he can walk back out. But when you shut the door he is trapped. That and no cat likes being in the car, 9 times out of 10 they will always freak out cat carrier or no. And combining car and cat carrier is My cat wets himself. Moving and the vet and things of that nature are very stressful for cats and they don't handles stress well. There are some tranquilizer tablets you can buy at the pet store. I would recommend getting the ones for dogs and cutting them in half. Other than that, you just kind of have to deal and try to keep the transporting to a minimum.
Cats are smart - they are pairing the closing of the pet door to the horrors of going to the vet. They remember what happened last time you put them in there, and they assume that when you close the door, you are taking them there again. You could try showing him that putting him in there doesnt always equal going to a bad place. Put him in there, close the door, and carry it to another room where you have a yummy treat or his favorite toy on the floor. open it and let the cat find the treat/toy. Repeat this a few times a day for a while. Its all about conditioning, and getting the cat to associate being in there with something besides going to the vet.
ask your vet for some medication for the cat to relax it
thank you
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