Help with moving pets to new home

[Beatlelvr]

Please...am moving on Monday. We had to sell the house after mom's death. I have 2 cats, one 10 one 3. The 10 yr old won't be a problem, but the 3 yr old is so squirrelly I can't crate her.
A friend suggested putting a towel over her, which I haven't tried before. I've asked my niece to help. New place is 90 miles away. I'll still have access to this house, and I may have to leave her and come back.
Any suggestions from seasoned cat owners? Thanks!!

[Walleye]

1. I have a 10-year-old cat that's pretty big. I got a soft sided carrier.

With a zipper it’s kind of oblong shaped and canvas and I put food in one end and he goes right in, then I zip it up, and I can unzip it and get him out. It lays flat when completely unzipped. Good luck I know it’s traumatic

[SheltieLover]

2. I watched vet tech get our formerly outdoor kitty into crate

She opened ghe crate near kitty, tossed a towel over him & guided him into crate. All done very quickly, but calmly.

Good luck!

[Karadeniz]

3. You can get her into a carrier! If you scruff a cat solidly enough, youre in control

at least for a minute!!!! Put the carrier on its end, open door facing up. Scruff kitty with one hand up, lift off ground cupping butt with the other hand. Race to the carrier, lower kitty into it, removing butt hand. Once in, slam door shut.

[Beatlelvr]

4. I've never done that before

Just grab her by the neck, right? Maybe I should practice a few times over the weekend?

[Karadeniz]

5. Yes, practice a firm scruff, hoist her up and cradle her bottom.

[Beatlelvr]

6. Thank you so much

[littlemissmartypants]

7. The scruff move could be tricky. ...

https://www.rd.com/article/scruffing-a-cat/

When you need to get your cat in a carrier
If you want to get your cat in a carrier without getting clawed, you should spend some time getting them used to the carrier, so they don’t associate it only with trips to the vet. But if there’s an emergency and you need to get your cat now, the best way might be to use a towel or blanket to bundle them up. “Throw a big fluffy towel or blanket over the cat and scoop him up and into the carrier,” says Dr. Sinn. “It will be less painful than scruffing him, and the cat would be less likely to struggle.”

Good luck!

❤️

[werdna]

8. Your favorite pet store should have -

- calming products which would enable to crate and transport her with fewer issues.

[RandomNumbers]

9. My cat always KNEW

somehow, that "today is vet day". Sigh. My process:

0. Make sure there is no trouble he can cause in the bathroom if he gets away from you. (Breakables put away)
1. Prep soft-sided carrier in the bathroom when he isn't around to notice.
2. Close bathroom door.
3. Stealthily locate cat. Best case, he is sleeping somewhere and hasn't noticed my preparations.
4. Don the thickest sweatshirt I have (to protect skin from claws).
5. Double-check all is prepared.
6. Pick up kitty, hugging and smooching as if it is any other day. (But, by now he KNOWS. Even if steps 1-5 weren't done, he KNOWS. In all other prior methods of getting him into the carrier, he KNEW. Hence this process.)
7. Move quickly but calmly to bathroom and close door ASAP. Now if there is a struggle, at least he is enclosed and not hiding under the bed.
8. Set kitty in the carrier and zip with one hand while the other is (attempting to) controlling him and keep him in the carrier. If he gets out, at least he is enclosed in the bathroom and there's nothing to break, so you can attempt this step as many times as needed.
9. Slide treat into the carrier. (Not that it ever helped much with my kitty).

For any who think above steps are likely "traumatizing" on their own, trust me, I tried every other suggestion listed by others here and this was ultimately the only way I could ever be sure to get him into a carrier. And after the vet visit he went back to normal pretty quickly. Amazing how a cat with an apparently very short memory had "vet day radar" like no other.

[Freddie]

11. My cat Andy is absolutely horrible at the vet

We have to give him a liquid tranquilizer a couple hours before (most fun) and then trap him in the bathroom (where he can’t hide under furniture) and stuff him into the cat carrier. Once in the exam room he will not leave the carrier until the vet tech (wearing leather gloves up to her elbows) pulls him out, accompanied by screams and howls. Needless to say not much examining gets done. Vet says he is far from the only cat that does this and she can handle him, although a very thorough exam might require anesthesia. He’s a young healthy indoor cat so we haven’t gotten to that point yet.
Our other cat (Andy’s brother Charlie) is the exact opposite. No problem getting him in the carrier and he sits patiently during the exam.

[Snarkoleptic]

10. Pheromone diffuser helped our most recent shelter cat adapt to her new surroundings.

It's a plug-in w/ pheromone fluid in it and it worked wonders.
https://therapetmd.com/