<p>Yeah, cats hate the car. I’ve had about 8 or 10 over the years. Had one that didn’t mind it. Everyone else–hates it. My current guy is the loudest EVER. Unbelievable the amount of noise he makes in protest of the car situation.</p>
<p>I always said I feel much worse taking dogs to the vet, oddly. Dogs get so happy that they’re going somewhere. And then it’s the vet–what a letdown. At least the cat is never excited about the situation.</p>
<p>I had a kitten once which I attempted to take to the vet without putting him into a carrier. He freaked, of course, and crawled up by body until he was sitting on my head. I couldn’t get him off because he had his claws wrapped up in my hair. You should have seen the weird looks and laughter as people passed me on the street. Fortunately, I didn’t live far from the vet, so the indignity was short lived.</p>
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<p>WHY in the world wasn’t he in a carrier??? For his own safety, he should be in a carrier when you take him to the vet (or anywhere else).</p>
<p>I have a cat that hates being put in a carrier - to the point of self-injury. He ripped his way out of a cardboard one. He tried to do the same out of a sturdier one - plastic with a metal grill for a door. He arrived at the vet’s with a bloody mouth and chipped tooth. We wonder if he associates being confined with some past trauma: he was a stray. My husband and I take him to the vet together now. Husband drives and cat sits on my lap or jumps down to the floor of the car but remains calm. Our other cats are okay with a carrier. My daughter’s cat loves her carrier - climbs into it whenever she sees it.</p>
<p>Pillowcases can sometimes work as transport also.</p>
<p>I know it’s traumatic, but please do put him in a carrier. If he’s lose in the vehicle, when you park at the vet’s office, he can bolt out into traffic. </p>
<p>The plastic ones with the gates are best, as cats will rip apart the cardboard ones.</p>
<p>A trick a trapper taught me is to place the carrier vertical, with the open gate facing up. Then “pour” the cat into the carrier. Some cats, head first works, but some do the “sprawl” maneuver, so feet first works best. I once had a cat that I had to put in a pillowcase first, then pour her in that way. A calico, of course.</p>
<p>You can get a fairly inexpensive cat carrier at a local Walmart. You can even look for a carrier for a small dog, like a poodle, if the price is better, and that will work. </p>
<p>Always make sure the front gate is securely closed and the top and bottom are tightly latched. I’ve had a carrier break apart when hitting the back door as we were exiting the house and had to retrap my feral kitty who I was bringing in for shots. </p>
<p>I know it’s a lot to get used to at once, but once you guys settle in, you’ll be fine. In time, Schoolbus will become your best friend, and you will be happy you took the time and effort to make him a part of your life.</p>
<p>the tote box has clear plastic sides so he can see his surroundings. I was going to drill some holes in there for ventillation. the ones I’ve seen are either too small, or $50+. there really isn’t any difference, once I drill the holes. and to be honest, I’d prefer to put my reluctant cat through a 24x36 in opening than a 12x12 opening.</p>
<p>I like the carriers that fit the animal, with a wire door.
I dont think it is necessary for them to see & I think that can add to their distress. I also think the appropriately sized carriers are more comfortable.</p>
<p>I used 80% wet food to 20% dry for our pets.
& never ever buy any food that lists " meat" as an ingredient.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.allthebestpetcare.com/high-moisture-diets/[/url]”>http://www.allthebestpetcare.com/high-moisture-diets/</a></p>
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<p>haha mine at first found refuge on top of the dashboard.</p>
<p>I place a bowl of water next to his food. And why don’t you buy meat cat food?</p>
<p>If they list an ingredient as just “meat” and not chicken, beef, pork, etc, it may mean horse meat or a mixture of questionable meat.</p>
<p>My cats will head for the hills if they even see a carrier (try getting a cat out from under a king size bed when he’s smack in the middle), so I have to sneak it into our little half bath, close the door, then pick up the cat and carry it into the bathroom and close the door, so no matter how unhappy he is at the sight of the carrier, he has nowhere to run. Then I use the “pour” method described above. Fun times.</p>
<p>I always had trouble getting our cats into their carrier until I started putting it in the car first, then taking the cats into the garage (where I had left the car door open) and putting them in. Apparently, being in the garage/car freaks them out so much, they are happy to go into the carrier once they see it.</p>
<p>yea, same with my cat. I opened the lid when we were on the high way, because he sounded really bad. He explored the back seat, and eventually went back into the tote box, hugging the bottom like a piece of rock.</p>
<p>My shy cat adores her soft pet carrier on car rides. I forget the brand, maybe Kennel Cab. It has mesh windows like a tent with roll-down flaps which can be adjusted so the cat can see out a little but feel protected. If I let her out, she’ll go back in it to sleep in for most of the car ride.</p>
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<p>The tote box is to protect him . . . and you. Letting a cat out when you’re driving can be dangerous for both of you!</p>
<p>The tote box should be snug, and dark - a safe, protective “nest” for your cat. He doesn’t need to see what’s going on around him - he just needs to feel safe. He’s not a 5-year old child who wants to know everything that’s going on - he’s a wild (albeit partially domesticated) animal being taken into strange territory. Let him be curious within the safety of your home. When he’s out, your focus should be on helping him to feel safe.</p>
<p>When I put my cat in her carrier to take her to our lake house, she absolutely howls as I’m putting her in it, and while I’m packing the car. She’s quiet as a mouse the entire 2 hours we are driving to the lake. When she realizes that we are packing up and shutting down the lake house to return home, she gets all nervous and tries to find a place to hide. Then she howls once I find her, pick her up, and walk towards her crate. She is quiet as a mouse all the way home. It seems the concept of going into the crate is much more stressful for her than the reality. It’s kind of weird.</p>
<p>It is odd that cats like to self confine - to drawers, closets, under blankets - but fight when you confine them. </p>
<p>It takes 2 strong people to stuff Chester in a carrier. I once fought him by myself for 10 minutes straight and only won because his strength wore down. The muscle structure of animals is so different from ours. He was as powerful as me for most of the battle and I lift weights. Fortunately he would never hurt me. If his brother had been that strong, I’d have lost an arm because he was a killer. But of course on the ride home I opened the crate door and Chester climbed on to my lap. Amazing how much they shed when stressed.</p>
<p>“It is odd that cats like to self confine - to drawers, closets, under blankets - but fight when you confine them”</p>
<p>That is so true! My cats even “self-crate” themselves when I leave the crate out with the door open. However, the second they sense that you might want to close the door of the crate and take them somewhere, then whooosh they’re out of sight.</p>
<p>I have to wrestle with him sometimes, but I always win because I have over 160 lbs over his little body. How can you lose a battle with a cat?</p>
<p>I also noticed his intense shedding when scared. His breathing was so fast it was like a little v8 engine cylinder. I could literally pluck the hair out of his head</p>
<p>If I go on the shelf where the crates are kept, they recognize the noise and hide the next morning. </p>
<p>Animals are stronger because human muscles are, to simplify, pretty long and pretty few. Take a snake. A constrictor has tons of short muscles that work together. Even a small constrictor if it tries can squeeze you harder than you can pry. Our muscles are not only long and relatively few but the bunches tend to be as much for stability as strength. And put that into a relatively small package and you have high strength to mass. But the important pratical point is the cat is specifically using all those muscles in one stress: avoiding being stuff in a box. We don’t normally experience an animal directing all its energy at once in essentially one direction. We see it. Even with the low mass, cats leap extraordinarily high and can run at startling speed if frightened. </p>
<p>A chimp, for example, is ridiculously stronger than a person. I think the general idea is 4x but I’ve seen strength tests that show as much as 10x a person. I once talked to some animal trainers - in Sarasota, at one of the circus off season circus fairs - and heard that much of the danger comes from strength. One told me he wears a vest because he doesn’t want a big cat to grab at fabric with claws. That could mistakenly pull his arm off. You know that lesson housecat owners learn - don’t pull your hand back because the hooked claws will dig in. I guess it’s much more important with a big cat because your arm may come off.</p>
<p>when you say “big cat” I hope you’re referring to a lion. . .</p>
<p>But I think I understand what you’re saying. There’s a man (saw him on TV) who has the ability to contract all his muscles at once. He can roll up a frying pan like a burrito, bend pretty much any piece of metal you give him, and even hold back a motorcycle going full throttle by sitting down in a seated row position, with his feet on the curb and his hands holding on to a bar chained to the motorcycle. He’s not ripped, or anything. Just an average looking 225 lbs man. They were reluctant to do the motocycle experiment, because an average man would’ve not only dislocate his shoulders, but his arm would come off completely…</p>
<p>but a cat vs human? a 12 lbs cat??</p>
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<p>btw, I tried to pick him up and drop him upside down. It’s pretty cool how he always lands feet first.</p>