do you keep your cat carrier as furniture?

A few years ago I went to an American Association of Feline Practitioners conference in Memphis, Tennessee. One key take-home message was to keep your cat's carrier somewhere in the house where they can see it all the time.

The reasoning is simple.

If the carrier is stored in the garage, attic or cupboard, your cat may associate its appearance with travelling to the veterinary clinic or a cattery — stressful experiences for many cats.

As soon as the carrier appears, their stress starts to rise.

Then we put them in the carrier.
Then into the car.
Then the waiting room.
The dogs.
The smells.
And finally, the examination.

By the time the veterinarian sees them, we may already have a very stressed cat.

I think of this as a stress ladder. Any opportunity to remove one of those rungs helps.

Leave the carrier out. Make it familiar. Put some bedding inside and let it become part of the furniture.

Often, it becomes something more: a familiar, safe place where your cat chooses to sleep or rest.

One less rung on the stress ladder.

Stuart Ralph BVSc
Veterinarian and founder of WellCat