I have an ex-feral who can be problematic to catch and get into a crate, as well. He's fine once I get him in the crate and get the door closed, and he'll sleep in the open crates that I always have set around my house with fluffy towels in them to keep all of the cats comfortable with them. But if he thinks I am going to try to "capture" him, either by picking him up or by closing a crate door while he's in one, he'll take off like a shot. And when I do get my hands on him and stuff him in a crate, he'll sometimes manage to shoot out before I can get the door shut.

The last time I had to get him to a vet, it took five days before I managed to close him in my office where I finally cornered him on top of one of my file cabinets. That little adventure involved lots of sweeping him out from under large pieces of furniture. Not an easy catch, but one of those situations where I just had to do what needed to be done to get him to the vet.

OTOH, that same cat can be an extraordinarily demanding and demonstrative cat when he wants attention. He'll get on my lap, knead, purr, and DROOL ... and he will NOT get off until he's good and ready, even if I try to push him off to go do something else. He LOVES affection, but ONLY when he initiates it.

So, you may never get your girl to crate or transport easily. You may have to do the "slow speed chase with a broom" technique that I had to resort to with Phantom. If it comes down to that, though, it's important to remain as relaxed and  matter-of-fact about it as possible. Your girl will definitely pick up and respond anxiously to your own nervousness, which will make things MUCH more difficult for both of you. Just approach it like any other chore that you have to get done. Oh, and I also recommend you wear a winter parka, tall boots, long pants, and welding gloves (no kidding). Cuts down substantially on the blood loss.

That said, I do recommend leaving your crate open, positioned somewhere your girl likes to hang out, with a nice, inviting towel in it at all times. You can also sprinkle the towel with catnip leaves and toss a few cat treats into the back of the crate every now and then. Chances are that your girl will eventually start going into the crate on her own to enjoy the goodies inside. That may not make it any easier to catch her and put her in the crate, when necessary, but it should help minimize or eliminate her panicking once you get her in the crate. You can also spray the crate with a little Feliway and cover it with a light blanket or towel to help keep her calm while inside it.

As far as her behavior at the vet's is concerned, if she seems overly aggressive, your vet will probably sedate her in the crate before he even takes her out. But that may not be necessary at all. In Phantom's case, once I get him to the vet, he's a perfect gentleman. He's scared, of course, but he's always easy for the vet to handle, and he can't wait to run back into his crate because its familiar smell makes him feel safer in the clinic environment.

Good luck with your girl. These ex-ferals can require some special handling under certain circumstances.

Tempest

I have tried Rescue Remedy on several of my animals but have never noticed any decrease in their anxiety as a result. OTOH, I have read many reports of great success with Rescue Remedy, so I can only assume that it is quite effective for some animals under some circumstances. In any event, it won't do any harm (except to your pocketbook), so it's certainly worth trying.

Tempest

stray_adopter wrote on Apr 30^th, 2012 at 10:00am:


I have already tried Bach's flower remedies without alcohol for my cat and it worked. She was able to calm down and relay. I even thought about trying to make my own remedy out of Bach flowers. Due to this I already contacted a florist because I wanted to know where I can get the flowers. I am totally convinced of Bach's flower remedies because it really helps.