Accustomizing to the container
To push the cat into the container is the task which is horrible for the most of the owners. You take the container. Cat runs away. You push the cat from the backside of the sofa and try to say it that everything is Ok, but it is the clear sign for the cat that something is wrong. You approach the cage. Your cat which is usually wellbred becomes the real athlete. Its paws fly at all directions, its claws grasp your clothes. You try to put the cat into the container. You push one of the paws there but at the same time the other one block up the entrance into the container. This is the real nightmare for both of you and when you get some success (if you get it at all) all of you will be crippled.
But I have the good news for you! It is not necessary that everything happen just that way. You may reach the position when your cat is happy of it sees that you take the cage and jumps quickly in as soon as you open the door. You think it’s impossible? It is quite possible! You need only some days, some tasty things and some practice.
Meeting the cage
For cats which don’t have the experience of being in the cage yet, everything is quite easy. But if the cat thinks that the cage is something as hell gates you should spend some more time for making it understand that its opinion is wrong. But don’t worry because to do these both things is very easy.
Take the cage, get the door of it away, if it is possible, or fasten it in the open position. Put the cage on the floor. If you have only cats in the house that’s beautiful. Put the tasty things around the cage and inside it. Put them around the cage with the radius of about one meter. When the cat eats all of them, put them again but with the less radius. Repeat the procedure until the radius is zero and all the tasty things are inside the cage or on it. When your cat enters the cage or jumps on it with pleasure for getting the food everything will be all right. Now put the tasty things into the cage for one or two days close to the back wall. The cat has taken them there! That’s beautiful! Now let’s come to the next stage.
Teach the cat to the word “cage”
It doesn’t matter what word you use, the main thing is that you must always use the same word. You may say “cage”, “bed”, “home” or some other words but use the only one word and never change it. Now make the cat pay its attention with the help of some beautiful tasty food. It must be something that will make its heart sings. Depending on your cat’s tastes it may be a little portion of chicken or beef or it may be raisins. Don’t dispute with the cat about this problem, just use what it likes. Show this delicacy to the cat and order it with happy tone: “Into the cage!” Hold the delicacy in front of its nose and lead the cat to the cage. When the cat enters the cage give the delicacy to it. Praise the cat and say what a cute pet it is. Now take it and put it in some meters from the cage. Repeat the procedure again.
As soon as the cat begins to approach the cage with trust you should put the delicacy near the door of the cage. Let your cat take the food from that place! Praise and pet it. Now you have really reached something. Throw delicacies inside the cage and let it come in. Wonderful! Now there are no reasons to worry. Come to the next stage.
How to put the opposing cat into the cage
To push opposing cat into the container is like to try pushing groundhog into the sock. If you have taught your cat to enter the cage with pleasure you’ll have less problems than if you try to push it inside with the help of your hands. But if you haven’t found the time to teach your cat yet you may use the other variant.
Use the plastic cage with the door on the front side of it. Put the cage on the floor with the back wall facing the floor and with the door up. Then pick your cat up and carefully put it down into the cage. As the cat doesn’t see the approaching cage it just can’t understand what happens while it won’t be too late. If you hold it with its withers it will relax it. The complication is that you have to set the cat free and to shut the door of the cage.
In such a way you’ll reach the success with the least stress and nervous tension either for you or for your cat. Who will argue with this?
Shut the door
Set the door again if you have removed it before. Repeat the last procedure just to be sure that the cat won’t be afraid of the door. If the cat is frightened take it and make some steps away from the cage then begin to teach it to approach the cage again. This time the cat will complete every stage very quickly because it is the “material which has been learnt”. Perhaps, the cat won’t notice the door at all, but if it even notices don’t worry! It’ll take you only one or two days to return to the previous rate of teaching.
Now, when the cat completes all the stages quietly and eats the delicacy you may begin to shut the door after it carefully. All the time play the gay and kind jokes on your cat. Try to throw some small pieces of delicacy into the cage because the cat must be busy. Don’t leave the door of the cage shut for a long time - not more than for some seconds. Then open the door and let the cat go out if it wants.
You have solved this problem! Now your cat will jump into the cage with pleasure any time. It has taken only about one week to you and it didn’t cause any bleeding. We think that you've spent your time great!
If you want to support the positive attention of the cat to its cage you should feed it inside the cage with the open door. Put the blanket on the bottom of the cage and set the cage in a sunny place. Put the catmint into the cage from time to time. Provide the cage with some attractive delicacies. Order your cat to come into the cage, shut the door, hold the cage and walk along the corridor, then open the door and let it go out. Award the cat, praise it. And, in general, continue to show the cage to your cat as a positive place and then it will understand the cage positively.
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