I had one cat that I used a heavy leather dog leash in the car (I had 3 large dogs at the time). That way I could have something to grab if she made a break for it. However, she was always good in the car and was well traveled. She started off life with my mother in Florida, traveled by car to my place in Kansas when my mother moved. Then traveled to NH when I moved up here. Since she passed (late 90's), I've always used a small/medium, hard sided dog carrier. They are safest in that in case of an accident, and I had bought a carrier while I was doing some grooming and pet sitting. The carrier will easily fit two full grown cats (as long as they get along to begin with). When I upgraded to 3 cats (early 2000's), I also got a smaller, 1 cat carrier so I can transport all 3 at the same time (or, transport 2 cats that don't like each other).
Putting her in the carrier would be a more harrowing experience than the car ride itself, I think. The Vets gave me funny looks when I walked in carrying her in my arms. So long as I was present and able to reassure her things were OK, she was just fine. Not relaxed per say, but not in freak out mode. No escape attempts. She had been around dogs most of her life, so the ones at the vet were 'meh' to her. Strange persons and surroundings were most of her worries. She'd wedge herself behind me while sitting in the waiting area, still able to look about, of course. When I was younger, we had cats that would freak out being put in the carrier, freak out on the car ride, and freak out at the vet, freak out going back into carrier, and for the car ride back home. LOL Usually was bleeding in several areas with those ones after all was said and done. Another reason why Timber was special to me...great temperament...a 'chill' kitteh.
My cats have always been very willing, even eager, to get in the carrier after the vet's attention Must admit, getting them in the carrier while at home is not as easy but rarely had blood spilled. Sometimes you gotta think a little different on how to get them in. Fuzzy was impossible to get into a carrier the regular way. However, by tipping the carrier on its back side, so the opening was pointed up, I could "drop" him in (not a literal drop). Then give it a slow tip back to its normal position and all was good. Most cats I just scoop up, round up in a ball and place them in. We'll see how the kittens take to it in a couple of weeks. But they are used to occasionally being locked into the cage when I need to open outside doors or at times when they have overwhelmed Rita while she is trying to eat, so I'm hoping that experience is helpful. Also figure if I place them both in at the same time (advantage of a larger carrier), it may be fairly easy. Of course the proof is in the pudding and I'll report back on that strategy in a couple of weeks. Gratuitous picture from this morning
Ah, we have a soft- sided carrier with a zippered end. I open the zipper about 8", pick up a kitten and just 'point and slide' her in, one at a time. No fuss at all and they do not mind the carrier at all. In fact, if we leave it out and open one or both will go inside it to sleep now and then. At the moment, both kittens fit comfortably in the same carrier but at some point in the future that will change of course. Brian
Well we've had an interesting 'kitten - woodstove' event around here since the temps. are dropping..... It seems Slash was SO curious about the metallic 'tinking' coming from the top of the stove that she thought she should jump up there to check it out. The stove top was just over 300F at the time. I watched her do this, in stunned disbelief, and hollered as soon as she landed on the stove. She did not stay up there long, jumped down and ran off. I caught up with her in the bedroom, licking the bottom of one foot. As I approached her, she ran under the bed. A little while later, maybe 5 minutes, I grabbed a light to go get her and check her feet only to find she was curled up on the couch with Phoebe, sleeping. I did examine the bottoms of her feet and did not find any kind of damage or even tenderness, and she started to play with my hands so I guess she was not actually 'burned' though that had to send some serious "GET OFF" signals up to the ole' brain- box. Sheesh! I suppose animals foot pads are a lot less sensitive than human skin, after all, not many of us could walk around on frozen ground without damaging our feet. But still, 300+ degrees MUST be too much for anything other than a rhinoceros or elephant or something similar.... This is the second time she jumped on the stove while it has been running although the other (the first) time, the stove top was only around 120F though that is still an unpleasant skin temperature. Hopefully this time she really did learn the lesson and we can get beyond doing that anymore. She is a curious, 'forthright' cat, not easily scared or put off by almost anything; she has sat down and watched me hammer staples into wood not one- foot away! Brian
One more week until the kittens go for their surgery. Should be interesting to see if/how the dynamics change. Both kittens are getting more pushy with Rita. She definitely favors Spot over Rainey and is less likely to tolerate any shenanigans from her. She will tolerate some from Spot. No one ever fights, but Rita will growl, swat and finally retreat. Shows you how much her growling and swatting doesn't phase the Destructo Duo at all since she is the one retreating. I would guess no claws are involved during the swatting - Rita has always been good about that (no I can't take credit - I got her as a rescue at about 7 Y/O so I know someone taught her well and gently). All 3 do get in a good game of chase/tag a couple times a day though - so at least she is getting some exercise and it isn't as if she hates them. Part of the issue is she hasn't been outside for at least a month since it was so rainy, and then turned snowy and cold. Last weekend I got Spot to tolerate nail clipping for the first time (last time I got 1 or 2, but let her go when she became distressed). She didn't like it, but at least she didn't fight it like my first attempt. Afterwards she got much verbal praise and petting. I could almost see her thinking that the couple of minutes with clippers might have been worth it as she relaxed into the attention. Of course that didn't last long as she was off and running to attack something. Just wanted to leave an update - sorry, I haven't taken picture is (gasp) 12 days
Well I did it. I took the Destructo Duo, stuffed them in a carrier, drove about 17 miles and dumped them off - carrier and all and drove away. Rita and I can live in peace and quiet now! For about 24 hours anyway. They are at the vet and should be out of their spay surgery by now. Will pick them up in the morning.
Hope all goes well with that. Their sisters are going in next week for the same procedure although it is in by 8:00 AM, out by 4:00 PM on the same day. Brian
Called the vet about 3:30 and he said they were doing well. Spot had eaten and Rainey (who had surgery later than Spot) was going to be presented food soon. My vet likes to keep the females overnight so they can watch them for complications. Males go home same day. The receptionist gushed about how cute the kittens are when I called. She was especially taken with Spot's "eyebrows". Spot is 5 lbs (will likely be the runt of the litter) and Rainey is 5.8 pounds. They eat plenty, and always have kibble available besides the canned they get morning and evening - they just run it off. Hope your girls get thru the surgery easily!
Got the Destructo Duo home this morning. They pretty much snoozed until about 1:30. Then they got needy - well, they were locked in the pen because I had someone here working on a project, and I didn't want them in the way and hiding all the tools. After I pet them thru the bars for a while, they settled back down. The person left about 4 and I opened the pen up. They came out and I fed everyone early. Now they are snoozing again; Spot is on my office chair, leaving me little room to perch while I'm typing this. Rainey is on top of the wall cabinet above my desk. Rita is on my mousepad. I know my house is fairly small, but I'm feeling crowded Decided to take pics of everyone: No, Spot hasn't moved on the chair - I really am perched on the very edge. Rita loves to be in my way for using my mouse You'll notice that the kittens took down the picture frame but left the picture of my mother in place. One of Rainey's favorite places when I am in the office (if she isn't in my lap or on the desk).
Glad to hear those giuze made out fine with surgery. Mine go in this week (5th). I had a great photo of all three sleeping together but I cannot find it now? Anyway, I will post something shortly but it is getting tough to catch both kittens together- Slash always lays down (inside of, on top of, whatever) with Phoebe and in photos you really cannot tell where one starts and the other stops; they kind of intertwine. Brian
Found the photo: Phoebe was lying down, asleep. Slash curled up with Phoebe, as per usual and then both of them went to sleep. Along came Gizmo and she knew exactly what this 'heap of cats' needed- more cats, so she climbed on top of the other two. Phoebe on the right, annoyed. Slash on the left, could not care less. Gizmo in the middle / top, trying to sleep...... Brian (not shown in photo)
That is a great picture! I love the tail sticking straight up and your are right, it is impossible to tell exactly which parts belong to each individual cat.
Got a few more of the kittens and Phoebe (known around here as 'the herd'). Most of them are of the herd sleeping- probably because 1) they do that a lot and 2) it is the only time I can easily get a decent photo of them. Slash and Gizmo in the cat bed. Slash on the right: Same thing but now they are comfortable And Slash is on the left. Getting into exactly the right position is extremely important, apparently. This is pretty much the norm.- Slash absolutely loves Phoebe and is always trying to curl up with her. Phoebe likes Slash but is often overwhelmed and so gets up and walks off. Gizmo and Phobe get along fine but they are not the great buds that Slash and Phoebe are: Same thing, other side of the same couch: Gizmo: Slash when she is not sleeping is usually the most trouble. Here she is climbing around in the laundry room ceiling / second floor floor trusses. This is about 10 feet off the tile floor. She goes up there because she can and she is not supposed to do that, of course. Later, taking a break on top of the cabinets in the laundry room; tired of scampering around but not yet ready to get down: To get up there, she climbs up a clothes rack (well actually climbs up the clothes ON the clothes rack), then jumps onto the top of the door, then up onto a truss bottom. It takes about 1 1/2 seconds for her to do this. We, mostly Andrea, are dreading tomorrow night / Wed. morning as that is the day the kids are going in to be spayed. They cannot have any food after 10:00 PM and they ain't 'a gonna' like that one little bit. And the way they 'ask' for breakfast is to bike Andrea's hands and fingers! And that does not last long- we are going to see how intense it gets after 2, 3 hours; Andrea thinks she will probably have to lock them in the laundry room until they go to the vet. From the kitten's point of view, it is going to be a terrible day: first they are starved half- to death, then a death- defying car ride, followed by being left with strangers who will handle them. Brian
Good luck with the starving of the kittens, death-mobile ride and dumping them off. Hope they are as quick to forgive the mistreatment as mine were!
Kittens went in Wed. before 8:00 and were out around 4:00 same day. Both are fine, getting pain meds, and spending some time both in and out of the 'cone of shame'. They have been <mostly> leaving their suture alone so we are going to try leaving the cones off tonight. Both are being kind of quiet and reserved but then again, they are still continuously drugged (pain) so I cannot tell how much of the change is 'them' and how much is the drug. Still, Slash jumped up onto the counter and then up and onto the top of the refrigerator last night but missed- and slid / fell all the way down the side of the refrigerator, taking all the notes, magnets and other debris off the side of the refrigerator along the way. She did not seem to be hurt, and in fact did not even seem put off the least big- typical Slash. So I guess this is where I was trying to get to just over six months ago by taking these kittens from feral Mommacat; all have good homes, are very well taken care of and have been through spaying, vaccinations and all medical care. I know the other half of the litter is in great hands / residence with bogieb a little way from here. Side story: when I went to the vet. to pick up the kittens, I ran into a beautiful German Shepherd (GSD) right at the entrance and stopped to say 'hello'. Rocky is seven yrs. old, a really nice dog (American type breed- tall and lanky, not short and 'bent' like the German versions tend to be), and we spent a minute or so 'chatting' with Rocky getting some scratching and wagging his tail. A few minutes after that, they sent me into an exam room to wait for the kittens and I stopped at the door, looked at Rocky, about 10' away at this point and told him that when I left I was going to have to pretend I did not know him because I would have cats with me and they would not understand. He cracked his jaw and let out a deep, low and long growl which was really kinda' finny (like he was playing the 'straight- dog' in the routine. But I responded with something like 'Really Rocky, I like you but I have to put on a show for the cats 'cause I live with them and they will be cranky if they thing I have been 'cheating' on them with you..... at which point he lunged, growled kike a cranky GSD does, and started barking like a wild thing! I have no idea what set him off but it was really hysterical, except from Rocky's (and Rocky's Dad, who claims Rocky has NEVER done that before) point of view I guess. And no I did not make any sharp movements, move toward the dog, bend or lean into him or anything else- I get along with just about all dogs, even those who start off growling. But Rocky went the other way but his comedic timing was impeccable; everyone there, staff and patients (the humans anyway) thought it was pretty funny. Brian
