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Just about every cat owner has to face this problem sooner or later. You need to get your cat into their carrier to visit the vet, be taken to the cattery or to travel to another home and what do you know? Your loving and ever-present cat has scooted off in the opposite direction at the speed of sound!

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, there’s no kind way of saying this - it’s your fault - and you won’t even be aware that you are guilty of making The Big Mistake.

And the big mistake is..

You tidy your cat’s carrier away when you’ve finished with it.

We all do it without thinking. As soon as the awful task of transporting your cat from A to B is completed, the carrier gets tidied away in the garage, shed or cupboard out of sight until the next time it is needed. And that is where the mistake is made. The much-feared carrier is hidden away.

So, can you correct your error and wipe out your guilt? Is it possible to make the situation better? Will your cat ever accept their carrier and remain laid-back and happpy around it? Definitely - and you can start correcting your mistake the minute you’ve finished reading this!

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

Place it where it is cosy and quiet.

Line it inside with a soft 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.

Make it a fixture 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.

If your cat slowly comes to accept that their carrier is a normal part of everyday life, they will gradually relax when confronted with it and their resistance to being put in it will melt away. By making the carrier an attractive and comfortable place to snuggle down in, with a toy and snack to hand, your cat will soon get the idea that good things can chase away the bad memories.

Unfortunately, any trip to see the vet will inevitably cause those bad memories to be recalled but the only way to cure that particular problem is to make your vet part of your cat’s everyday, normal experience. And that is just not going to be possible, is it?

Tags: Cats

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