Are there any cat charmers out there? We are having trouble catching one of our cats, and we need to take her to get her annual vaccination. Even worse, next week we need to catch them both to take them to the cattery. They are 9 and have had a comfortable and sheltered life and we've never had this problem with other cats. Thanks.

I know the problem. Our cat has only got to see me putting my shoes on and he thinks its time to go to the 'Stabby Man'

I have some Feliway spray that I use in his carrier which calms him down once he's in there. I have to catch him first before I put my shoes on, then he wails for a while before the spray starts working. By the time we get to the vet he's usually well laid back. Its the catching him that's the hardest part. Perhaps one of the Feliway diffusers in your house might help.

Feliway here on Amazon

Feliway

We have a Feliway diffuser and a comfy shoebox placed just below it. Our nervous cat often takes a good snort and then settles into the box. Easy to find / catch and also SLIGHTLY less neurotic in general. We can tell when the diffuser has run out...

Thank you both. Unfortunately our current problem is getting her into the house. We have set the cat flap on "in only", but she is staying in the garden. We are trying not to feed her, but we know that in the end we will give in and put her dish in the garden rather than let her go hungry.
Once she's inside the house, we have a strategy.
Interestingly, she doesn't mind the cat carrier, as we always put the two of them in together.
First catch your cat!

Tescos Cat Stick treats are guaranteed to get my Dusty in when he's being stubborn. Only got to show and rustle the packet and he comes running, then sits and dribbles till he gets his treat. I usually break it into little pieces and he takes them from my fingers. He loves them

Not being funny but you haven't got any fleas in your house have you? Dusty refused to come in a couple of years ago and we found fleas in the carpet.

Thanks for your advice BT. We've always had cats, so I'd be surprised if our house was free of fleas. But we have 2 cats - brother and sister from the same litter. Brother is OK and we managed to get him to the vet. But his sister would rather starve than come into the house at the moment. I'll try the cat treats but I think her suspicion will outweigh her appetite.
I really need a cat charmer!

How long have you got before this becomes an emergency? I'm wondering whether leaving the catflap on In Only, then all the humans going out for the day, might do the trick. You could leave a delicious, strong-smelling plate of her favourite food just inside the cat flap; fresh meat or fish maybe. She might feel less suspicious about nipping inside if nobody was around and you all seemed to have lost interest in her movements.

Interesting idea about a cat charmer, but it's hard to imagine the cat would come to anyone else if she won't come to you, unless there was magic going on. Do keep us posted if you find someone!

It took us weeks to get rid of the fleas. We had to spray everywhere with Indorex, and I bought one of those flea traps with a lamp and sticky pads. It was amazing just how many fleas we got on the sticky paper - literally hundreds in the first few days. The good thing about the flea traps is that you can see how the infestation is going. When you stop getting any on the sticky pads you know you've got rid of them.

There are many sprays available but the Indorex was recommended by the Vet. You have to spray your carpets etc. several times over a few weeks.

This post was last modified: 07-08-2014 06:25 AM by BT.

Ever heard of something called Zylkene? It is a herbal remedy that really sends them into chilled land! Again available on Amazon. They like it too, something to do with mimicking their mum's milk. Perhaps you could put it on a bowl of food out in the garden and let her eat it and then see if she chills out enough to come in. I also agree she might come in if you all go out. As you know they sense the vet!!!!

Any good news to report, Carole??

When our cat went awol websites advised heating up some sardines - very strong smell attractive to mogs. Might get her near the cat flap and maybe later on the other side.