Kitty Chasing

The cats needed rabies vaccines and license renewals, and I had a free afternoon, so I decided I'd take them in and get it done. I got out our pet carriers--one cardboard one and one solid, plastic one-- grabbed the smaller cat, Tiger Lily, and attempted to shut her in the cardboard carrier. She was terrified and destroyed the box in her efforts to escape. I managed to grab the other cat, Oreo, and tried to get him in the solid pet carrier. He didn't go for it. He struggled and escaped my grasp. It took multiple attempts, but after 10 minutes or so, I was able to get him locked into the carrier. He had sprayed in his terror at being chased, so he didn't smell so great and neither did the carpet in my bedroom, unfortunately. He was not pleased and yowled incessantly to let me know it, but he was in. I left him in there and quickly drove over to my parents' house and borrowed Tostie's carrier. When I got back, Oreo was still yowling, and Tiger Lily was hiding upstairs under our bed. I could not get her out. I had a baseball bat and was poking her, prodding her, and trying everything I could think of to get her out. I pulled the bed away from the wall, and she ran out of our room and into Kari's, where she promptly hid under her bed.  I hadn't thought to close my bedroom door when I chased her out, so when I finally got her out from under Kari's bed, she ran back to my room under the bed again. At this point, I was hot, sweaty, and mad. More poking, prodding attempts, and she eventually ran out and back into Kari's room. I finally smartened up and closed every other door upstairs, so there was no other place to go but downstairs. It took me 45 minutes to get that silly cat into the carrier--45 minutes! I chased her around the house so long she started panting like a dog with her tongue hanging out. I ended up having to use a towel to grab her, wrapped her up in it, and shoved her bottom first, towel and all, into the carrier while I stood it on end. When I arrived at the vet, I was literally dripping in sweat, but I was determined to get those vaccines and be done with it. I didn't want to have to do this again anytime soon! It really was comical, and I found myself wishing someone else had been home to witness the ridiculousness of it all. The cats did just fine at the vet, believe it or not, and went back into the carriers, no problem at all! They were traumatized, though, and were meek and mild the whole rest of the day, probably completely worn out from their ordeal. I know I was worn out! I had a bed to fix, though, once we got home. When I pulled our bed away from the wall, I broke most of the supports under it and had to take the bed apart (king sized bed--two heavy box springs and a big, heavy mattress), drill the supports back in place, and put it all back together again. I took pictures to document my crazy afternoon.