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Your Pet's Carrier - The Biggest Mistake Cat Owners Make. |
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Written by Jane Tompsett
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Wednesday, 30 April 2008 |
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Every cat owner has been there - you need to get your cat into their carrier so that you can take them to the vet, or the boarding cattery, or to be cared for by a friend or simply because you are moving home - and guess what? Your highly affectionate and super-clingy cat is nowhere to be seen!
by JaneTompsett
Every cat owner has been there - you need to get your cat into their carrier so that you can take them to the vet, or the boarding cattery, or to be cared for by a friend or simply because you are moving home - and guess what? Your highly affectionate and super-clingy cat is nowhere to be seen!
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 why does your normal, affectionate and co-operative pet immediately turn into a feral wildcat at the very sight of their carrier?
Well, prepare yourself for a shock - it's your fault - and you probably have no idea at all that you are responsible for making The Big Mistake.
And the 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, as the guilty party, how can you correct your error? Can you change the situation for the better? Is it possible for your cat to ever accept their carrier and remain calm and serene around it? Without doubt they can - and you can start to correct your mistake the very second you've finished reading this!
Bring the carrier out of storage and place it in a cat-friendly place.
Put it where it is warm and quiet.
Line it inside with a soft blanket or cushion.
Make it interesting by placing a favourite toy inside
Place a tasty cat-snack inside.
Leave the door open for free access at all times.
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.
Of course, a trip to the vet is always likely to re-ignite those bad memories to a degree but unfortunately the only way to overcome that is to keep your vet permanently on duty around your home, so he becomes part of the everyday furniture!
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