Turning the cat carrier into a den, not a trap

The model matters more than the technique. A soft carrier with a single front opening forces you to pull the cat out, and that is the gesture that makes the veterinary visit an unpleasant memory. A rigid model that opens from the top and whose upper half can be removed lets the vet examine the cat inside the base, without ever lifting it out: many clinics are happy to work that way and the difference in stress is visible.

• Internal length of at least one and a half times the cat's length measured from nose to base of tail.
• Internal height that lets the cat stand without lowering its head and turn around on the spot.
• A top opening as well as a front one, and an upper half that comes off with screws or sturdy clips.
• A flat non slip floor, with a washable absorbent mat instead of bare plastic.
• A cloth that covers three sides during transport, leaving uncovered only the side facing you.
• No perfume and no harsh cleaner: wash with warm water and mild soap and dry it well, because strong smells are a common reason for refusal.

1. 1

   Take the carrier apart and use only the base

   Remove the upper half and the door, and leave only the bottom tray with the mat on the floor. For a frightened cat the closed box is the problem; the open base is simply another soft place to sit, and in most cases it gets explored within a few hours.

2. 2

   Scatter treats around and inside the base

   Place two or three pieces near the base and a couple on the mat, then walk away and do not watch. Restock three to five times a day as they disappear. At this stage you neither call the cat nor escort it: the discovery has to be its own, otherwise your approach becomes part of the warning signal.

3. 3

   Move mealtimes onto the base

   Once the cat climbs in of its own accord at least three times in a day, put the bowl on the mat inside the base. If it hesitates, place the bowl twenty centimetres away and move it a few centimetres closer at every meal, never going backwards once a meal has been eaten calmly.

4. 4

   Put the top half back, but leave the door off

   Refit the lid once the cat has eaten on the base for two consecutive days. The door stays off and out of sight: a cat that sees an open gap walks in, a cat that sees a swinging door stops at the threshold. Go back to scattering treats inside, this time towards the back.

5. 5

   Refit the door and hold it open

   Fasten the door open with an elastic band or a soft tie so it cannot swing shut with a sharp noise. One sudden slam can undo a week of work, and it is the single most common accident at this stage.

6. 6

   Close the door for three seconds while the cat eats

   Close it silently, count to three, open it and step away. Build to five, ten and twenty seconds and then to a minute, with three to five repetitions per session. If the cat stops eating or stares at the door, you went up too fast: return to the previous duration for two sessions.

7. 7

   Lift the carrier a few centimetres

   With the cat inside and the door closed, lift the carrier with one hand under the base, ten centimetres, for two seconds, and set it down. A carrier held only by the handle swings, and that, more than anything else, is what frightens cats during a real journey.

8. 8

   Walk around the house, then around the block

   Walk for two minutes indoors with the cloth over three sides, and finish by putting the carrier back in its corner with the door open and a treat inside. Only when this is calm do you go outside, first for two minutes in the yard and then into the car.

The calendar is a track, not a deadline. The criterion in the right hand column always outranks the day number: if on day nine the cat walks in only three times out of five, repeat the day eight and nine block until the criterion is met. A repeated block costs two days, a skipped block costs about two weeks, because it sends the cat back to avoiding the object and forces you to restart from the dismantled base.

1. Place the carrier in the footwell behind the front seat, flat on the floor, or on the seat with the belt passed around the body of the carrier rather than through the handle.
2. Cover three sides with the cloth, leaving the side facing the cabin open for airflow.
3. Bring the car to temperature before loading the cat: in summer run the air conditioning for five minutes first, in winter warm the cabin.
4. The first journey lasts five minutes and ends at home, not at the clinic, otherwise the car becomes a warning signal in its own right.
5. Drive without sharp braking and without loud music, and do not open the windows more than a few centimetres.
6. On arrival open the door and let the cat come out by itself, with a treat placed at the entrance: never pull it out.
7. If the cat has vomited on previous journeys, skip the meal in the two hours before, and check with your vet first for a kitten of a few months or an animal on a treatment tied to mealtimes.

In a multi cat household keep one carrier per cat and never let two travel in the same box, even if they usually sleep curled together: under stress, forced proximity is a frequent cause of fights. After a clinic visit, keep the cat that was examined separate for a few hours, because the unfamiliar smell is the reason housemates sometimes treat it as a stranger. Reintroduce them when both are relaxed and eating.

• The carrier stays out, open and with a clean mat, twelve months a year.
• Once a week put a treat inside, even when you are not going anywhere.
• Every two months repeat a one minute closure followed by a treat when it opens.
• Before any planned appointment, spend three days serving meals inside the carrier.
• After every visit, put the carrier back in its corner and leave the door open: if it disappears into the cupboard, the cat rebuilds the old association in a single move.