? transporting cats?

[dreamer]

It is time for our 3 kittnes to go get fixed. The vet has said doing all 3 at one time would be best. Our cats become frantic outside of the house, and I am not sure how they would be in the car- we do not take them out becuz we have not wanted them to decide they like being out.
I am not sure what the best way to get all 3 to the vet would be? I DID get a carrier that they will all fit into- and they climb in it and play in it here at home. But now I am wondering if I use that then get to vet, will they panic and bolt out of it when we are at the vet? I prefer they ride in the car in that becuz past experience (of many years ago) showed me cats will run all over inside the car, up under the seats etc. But I fear leashes might get tangled? ANy ideas?

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Definitely use the carrier. I would not use leashes either.

The fact that you have let the cats use the carrier in the house is a HUGE plus. They are getting used to it.

Get all 3 in the carrier. Have someone in the car with you, if you can, while you drive them. Do not take them out of the carrier. Let the vet do that.

I heart kitty cats.

 

[dreamer]

I am pretty sure I might have all 3 kids with me, or at least 2 of them- to help- so that is a plus, especially since each cat has bonded with a kid, LOL. My husband thought we should have 3 carriers, but- I cannot imagine trying to find room for 3 carriers, not in my tiny house, not in my car and not in vets office.
LOL, I thought it was great when I found the carrier at a sale and brought it home, set it down and the kitties thought is was so much fun, I thought that would be a benefit, LOL. And I was hoping maybe then, they might find it comforting in the car to at least have that familiar item. husband thought putting all 3 cats in one was a bad idea, but, the cats seem to like to all be inside at the same time. (the cats are littermate siblings)

 

[skeeter]

don't worry about what happens at the vet, they are used to this and will handle it (speaking from experience here, NL is now working for our local vet).
Our vet actually has a "pick up and delivery" service now. I have no idea what the cost of it is, but it may be worth looking into.

 

[Marguerite]

I hope the vet isn't too far away. If he's close, then all three in one carrier should be OK. Bring a spare box or something, though, in case they get cranky with each other in close proximity.

My parents moved to the NSW North Coast from Campbelltown, many years ago. That was a ten hour drive, back then. Using what the vet provided, they sedated the two cats and put them in the same carrier. The cats got 'high' and very irritable, yowling and fighting all the way. They had been best of friends, were never quite as close after that. I think it didn't help that they were excreting everywhere, disgusting each other even further. My parents weren't impressed either - the car took days to air out, after they arrived.

Something I've since learned - cats and sedation don't always mix. You can get some weird reactions. Maybe it's a lot better these days, but for a long trip it's best to have a practice run first. A ten hour trip is a bad time to discover nasty side effects!

Marg

 

[SRL]

This is one of those things you just have to do and you can't really predict how things will go. If it's a first trip out for both of them they'll likely be aggitated on the way over and if they're anything like mine was still a little loopy from the anesthesia on the way home.

Personally I would borrow two more carriers from friends if I could because of the unknown factor: I have a cat who becomes extremely aggressive the moment we walk into the vet's office (and I'm sure anywhere else we would take him). He hisses, growls, and will lash out at everyone including me...and that's after being sedated at home. The vet has to muzzle him and use a huge towel folded several times over to handle him at all. They're very kind at our vets--it's just him.

by the way, even with that extreme reaction, he still likes the carrier fine. He sleeps on top of it at night so he can be close to me but not too close.

 

[Sue C]

I really think 3 carriers are the way to go. Or take the kittens on 3 separate visits. You said you didn't have room in your house for 3 cat carriers. I'm wondering if you bought a dog carrier at the sale, thinking it was for cats. Cat carriers are very small and don't take up much room.

My mom has 2 cats. She takes them 1 at a time to the vet. Of course, she is 80 years old. Her friend helps her carry the one cat. When it's time for the other one, I drive out an hour to help her. I have to put gloves on to put that cat in the carrier 'cuz it will try to bite.

As far as the vet's office, you place the carrier on the table and the vet takes the cat(s) out and does the rest. Voila!

Hope you can work out something.
Sue

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

If they are all kittens, I really think it should be OK if they are in the same carrier for this visit. Especially considering you are getting them fixed. That is best done at the same time.

Any future visits (because they will then know who the vet is, and they will be bigger) should be done in seperalte, smaller carriers. Ask the vet; lots of them have cardboard ones (Fine for kitties. Not so much for dogs). Pet sotores carry them too, and they are inexpensive.

Good luck with the kitties.

 

[hearthope]

Unless you have used leashes and halters on the cats before and they are used to them I would not try the leashes.

The safest way for the cats is the carriers. You would be shocked at how many people have lost there cats in the parking lot of the vet because they thought they could just hold the cat and comfort it.

 

[dreamer]

THANK YOU, everyone!
Yes, it is 2 males and one female, all from same litter, all going to get fixed at same time per vets decision due to recovery time at home, they not have one be super energetic and one be "picked on" by the others. The carrier is prolly a dog carrier, it is rather large. The kitties love it here at home, and we have been carrying them around in it when they climb inside of it. They do not mind.
Thank goodness the vets office is less than 10 mins away. The one kitty has been on a harness and leash with my oldest daughter Buffy, becuz she wanted to leash walk her cat, but I stopped her becuz now the cat wants to go outside and bolts at the door, and it is NOT safe as we have a raccoon and some coyotes running. This same kitten also does not mind the car as same daughter was also taking this kitten back on visits to its biological cat mommy. One of the other kittens has already been to vet due to prolapsed rectum. But that kitty was only 6 weeks old then and it was just that one kitty, and oldest daughter held kitty en route and at vets. At that time, that kitty was ok in the car and at the vets, but that kitty was also quite ill at the time.

I was afraid that leashes would get tangled around each other and around the kittens if we used leashes. We have been trying to find someone who had pet carriers for a couple months in anticipation of the vet visit, but, so far we had not found anyone with any kind of pet carriers at all to be able to borrow any.

The kittens will be sleeping over at the vet for one nite. (we are going to take a blanket they use to sleep on with them)
I definetly do not want any of the kitties to bolt from car to vets building as it is on the hwy amidst corn fields. Nor do I want any of the kitties climbing up under any of my car seats or under my dash where we cannot get to them.

Yes, my previous cats were terribly afraid of not being inside our house, and horrible about the car, I mean absolutely unbelievably horrible. One of them lost all their fur on it's last trip to the vet. :-( (stress, it all simply puffed up and fell out) Consequently that cat never went back to vet or in the car again, but he did live to be 20 yrs old.

Thank you, again.

 

[Scent of Cedar I]

You will have to let us know how it went, Dreamer!

When we travel with our cat, she needs to be in the carrier and is still so upset that she usually (pardon me!) poops in there about fifteen minutes into the trip. So, we layer the carrier with newspaper so the situation can be easily and quickly remedied.

Then too, she is almost impossible to find, once she realizes we are going traveling.

Sedation seemed to lower her inhibitions, and she meowed miserably the entire trip, the day we used it for her.

And she still pooped in her carrier.

Poor thing!

Barbara