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!

Even worse, when you finally locate the furry little imp after a long and protracted game of kitty hide-and-seek, the claws are out, the ears are flattened and very rude words are hissed as you try and force a rigid and resisting 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, there's no kind way of saying this - it's your fault - and you won't even be aware that you are guilty of making The Big Mistake.

And the big mistake is..

You tidy your cat's carrier away when you've finished with it.

We all do it. As soon as the trauma of transporting your cat from A to B is over, the carrier gets put in the garage, in a shed or in a cupboard out of sight and out of mind. And that is where the mistake is made. The hated carrier is hidden away.

So, can you correct your error and wipe out your guilt? Is it possible to make the situation better? Will your cat ever accept their carrier and remain laid-back and happpy around it? Definitely - and you can start correcting your mistake the minute you've finished reading this!

Bring the carrier out of storage and place it in a cat-friendly place.

Place it where it is warm and can remain undisturbed.

Line it with a comfortable blanket or cushion.

Make it attractive by placing a favourite toy or some catnip inside

Place a few tasty morsels 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.

Over a period of time, the carrier will become accepted as a normal part of your cat's daily life and experience. When this happens, their resistence to seeing it and being put in it will have disappeared. By actively making their carrier an inviting place for a snooze, surrounded by their favorite toy and cat-snack, your cat will soon realise that the bad associations have been chased away by good ones.

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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Make sure that you aren't guilty of making the commonest cat owning mistakes. For more cat care information and tips and to subscribe to Jane Tompsett's free Cat Owners Confidential Newsletter simply follow these links.