Helping Your Cat Love Their Carrier: A Step-by-Step Guide
Many cats bolt at the mere mention of the word "carrier," turning every trip outside into a frantic chase. However, by mastering the right methods and steps, even cats that have developed a fearful reaction to their carriers can gradually build a sense of security—and may even willingly enter the carrier on their own.
This article will guide you through a step-by-step approach tailored to different situations, helping your cat develop a positive association with their carrier. With patience and consistency, trips to the vet won't feel like a nightmare anymore.
Prepping for Carrier Training
Before starting carrier training, it's important that your cat is in a relatively normal physical and mental state, showing no obvious behavioral issues or discomfort. Find a reward that works well for your cat, usually a tasty treat.
1. Choosing the Right Carrier
- Type: A hard carrier that can be separated into top and bottom halves is recommended. Popular brands include Crown and Richell.
- Size: The carrier should be large enough for your cat to comfortably lie down. It must not feel cramped once inside. For larger cats, Richell offers different size options.
- Avoid Carriers Your Cat Already Dislikes: To make training effective and efficient, never use a carrier your cat already strongly dislikes. Consider starting fresh with a new carrier that looks different.
2. Training Principles
- Timing: Best when your cat is awake, neither too hungry nor too full, and interested in interacting.
- Location: Anywhere your cat feels safe is suitable.
- Frequency: One to two sessions per day.
- Session Length: 1 to 5 minutes per training session.
- Rewards: Use your cat's favorite treats, ideally small pieces that can be given multiple times. If your cat prefers meat paste, a single reward can be one or two small spoonfuls.
How to Train a Cat to Use a Carrier
If your cat doesn't voluntarily enter the carrier but doesn't show any fear towards it, you can start the training by using the carrier with its door removed.
Begin by practicing with the carrier taken apart. Use clicker training with a "target" technique to guide your cat into stepping into the bottom half of the carrier. If you haven't used clicker training before, you can simply use treats to lure your cat inside. Once your cat steps in, immediately reward them by placing the treat on the floor inside the carrier.
When your cat consistently shows willingness to enter the bottom half of the carrier, you can then reattach the top half of the carrier. Only after your cat is happy to enter the fully assembled carrier should you attach the door.
When your cat is calm and shows no urgency to leave the carrier, you can begin practicing closing the door. Start by closing it for just one second, then gradually increase the length of time it stays closed. Important: Do not close the door before your cat is steady with all the previous steps. Closing the door is a significant hurdle, and rushing it may undo all your progress.
If you want your cat to stay in the carrier for more than one minute, it's recommended to provide them with something entertaining inside the carrier to prevent boredom.
Helping Your Cat Overcome Fear of the Carrier
If your cat shows a clear fear response to the carrier, it's best not to begin training with it right away. First, try to understand how your cat developed such a negative impression of the carrier in the first place. It is also important to clarify how you will handle this situation moving forward.
Based on our experience, many cases are linked to a fear of going to the vet. If this is the case for your cat, we recommend checking out our online course on reducing vet visit stress.
However, if the fear is caused by a single event associated with that particular carrier—and if it's certain that the same event will not happen again—you might consider purchasing and using a different carrier with a distinct appearance. Then, start the training from scratch using the methods described above.
Training Your Cat to Enjoy Its Carrier
If your cat occasionally goes into its carrier on its own, try placing treats inside the carrier at irregular intervals. This helps increase the frequency of your cat entering the carrier voluntarily and lengthens the time it spends inside.
Once your cat is comfortable staying inside the carrier for extended periods on its own, you can start practicing closing the door. Begin by closing it for just one second, then gradually increase the duration. Important: Do not close the door until your cat consistently stays calmly inside with stable behavior. Closing the door is a significant milestone and attempting it too early might undo your progress.
If you want to train your cat to stay in the carrier for more than one minute, it's recommended to provide some form of entertainment inside the carrier to prevent boredom.
Training Methods for Using a Cat Carrier
1. Gentle Training Method for Cats: Making the Carrier a Positive Place
A relaxed approach to training involves randomly placing items inside the cat carrier. This is something most people intuitively try. Generally, it's recommended not to put in things beyond what your cat is comfortable with at first. As your cat's tolerance increases, you can gradually add more inside, and even start by simply placing items near the carrier's entrance.
Doing this randomly every day lets your cat frequently go on little treasure hunts, which helps build positive associations with the carrier.
2. Using Treats to Lure Cats into a Carrier: Tips and Cautions
Using treats to lure a cat into its carrier is a very natural and common approach for many pet owners. However, it's important to be careful so that this method doesn't backfire.
Many owners tend to overdo the treat temptation, encouraging their cat to move into a spot where the cat actually feels quite uncomfortable. At the same time, the cat really wants the treat, which creates hesitation, anxiety, and stress. You might notice the cat stretching its neck to reach the treat, immediately running away after finishing it, retreating outside the carrier, or keeping its weight mainly on its back legs—these are all signs that the cat feels uneasy.
If you choose to use this method, make sure the level of temptation doesn't exceed what your cat can comfortably accept. Try to stay just at the edge of their acceptance level, so that the process is as smooth and stress-free as possible.
3. Cat Training Using the Clicker Luring Method
The clicker luring method differs from direct luring techniques in an important way. This method emphasizes pressing the clicker at the exact moment the cat performs the correct action, immediately followed by a reward. The purpose is to help the cat clearly understand which specific behavior leads to the reward.
In practice, the luring technique involves using treats to gently lure the cat to approach or enter a carrier, without pushing beyond the cat's current comfort zone. As soon as the cat reaches the desired position, the trainer clicks the clicker and immediately gives a reward. This precise timing helps the cat associate the exact movement with positive reinforcement, making training more effective.
4. Target Method Using a Clicker for Cat Training
The target method involves using a target stick or a finger—depending on what the cat has previously been trained to touch with a clicker—to guide the cat closer to or inside the carrier.
Unlike using treats to lure the cat in, which can sometimes cause excessive motivation and lead to false progress, the target stick usually does not create this issue.
5. Using Clicker Training to Capture Behavior: Cat Carrier Practice
The capture method in clicker training can be a useful tool for encouraging your cat to voluntarily enter their carrier. If your cat naturally shows the behavior of going into the carrier on their own, you can use this opportunity to further reinforce it through capturing.
When you see your cat inside the carrier, immediately press the clicker and offer a treat. Repeat this randomly throughout the day to strengthen the behavior.
6. Shaping Training Method Using a Clicker
The shaping method with clicker training involves breaking down a behavior into small steps and gradually training the subject one step at a time. For example, when training a cat to enter a carrier, you might start by clicking and rewarding the cat simply for approaching the carrier. Next, you would click when the cat moves closer to the carrier's entrance. Then, clicking would only occur when the cat puts its head inside the carrier. This process continues step by step until the cat learns the full behavior.
7. Recommended Cat Training Method by the International Cat Care Association
The International Cat Care Association suggests a gentle approach to training your cat to feel comfortable with their carrier. They recommend starting with a small blanket or towel to help your cat develop a positive association and sense of security with the item. Encourage your cat to spend time on this blanket regularly, allowing them to become familiar and comfortable with it.
Once your cat is at ease, place the blanket inside the bottom half of the carrier (with the carrier separated into top and bottom parts). This setup enables your cat to naturally spend time inside the carrier bottom while feeling safe and secure. Finally, after your cat has comfortably habituated to this environment, reattach the top half of the carrier to complete the training process.
Additional Explanation on Cat Carrier Step-by-Step Training
The key to training your cat step-by-step to get used to the carrier is to ensure that at each stage, the cat is completely relaxed and accepts the process before moving on to the next step.
If the owner is the one performing the handling actions on the cat, make sure to immediately follow each action with a reward. You can repeat the actions several times during each training session, and the length of the session should be decided based on your cat's patience. Don't forget to give rewards at the end of the training as well.
Conclusion
Carrier training cannot make cats completely unafraid of visiting the veterinarian. In fact, even after a vet visit, any progress made in easing their fear may sometimes reset to zero. However, it is still advisable to practice carrier training to some extent.
If a cat already has some level of comfort with being carried in a carrier, then even if some progress is lost later, the cat's physical and mental well-being is generally less affected. On the other hand, if a cat is extremely frightened of the carrier from the start, then being forced into it and taken to the vet can cause their stress levels to skyrocket.
