Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a reflective cat podcast created and hosted by Dagmar Gatell about understanding cats more deeply — and creating a calmer, more connected life for both you and your cats.
Based on real experiences caring for over 50 cats throughout her life, each episode shares quiet observations, emotional moments, caregiving reflections, and gentle insights from everyday life with cats. From routines, behavior, and emotional wellbeing to grief, gratitude, overstimulation, trust, and the small meaningful moments many people overlook — this is not a traditional “how-to” podcast, but a space for understanding, awareness, and lived experience.
Beyond cat care itself, Diary of a Cat Mom also explores our connection to nature, emotional presence, personal growth, and the way our inner state can influence the animals who share our lives. Because living with cats is never only about feeding and routines — it’s also about energy, safety, trust, patience, and how we show up emotionally in the spaces we create together.
Created for cat lovers who see their cats as family, this podcast offers companionship, reassurance, perspective, and emotional support during seasons of caregiving, uncertainty, healing, change, and letting go.
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal storytelling podcast and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and medical or behavioral concerns should always be discussed with a trusted veterinarian or qualified professional.
You’re not alone on this journey.
We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of a Cat Mom
How to Get a Cat in a Carrier - Making Vet Visits Less Stressful | Understanding Cats | Ep. 104
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Getting a cat into a carrier sounds simple... until your cat disappears under the bed the moment the carrier comes out.
In this episode of the Diary of a Cat Mom podcast, I share my very first experience trying to get my rescue cat, Sheba, into a front-loading carrier before a veterinary appointment. What I thought would take only a few minutes turned into a stressful experience for both of us.
Over the years—and after caring for several rescue cats—I discovered that preparing myself first was just as important as preparing the carrier. Today I share the simple changes that helped make vet visits calmer, easier, and less stressful for everyone.
If you've ever struggled getting your cat into a carrier, I hope my story helps make your next trip a little easier.
The top-loading cat carrier I mention in this episode made a huge difference for me. It helped make getting my cats into the carrier much easier and less stressful than using a front-loading carrier alone. If you're looking for a similar carrier, here's the one I use: https://amzn.to/44MaoC9
This episode description contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
You'll Hear In This Cat Podcast Episode
- My biggest mistake as a first-time cat mom
- Why the carrier itself wasn't the real problem
- The routine that now works much better for my cats
- Emergency preparedness for multi-cat households
- How small changes reduced stress for everyone
Timestamps & Chapters
00:00 How My First Cat Carrier Experience Began
01:17 Sheba Had Other Plans
02:23 Why the Front-Loading Carrier Didn't Work
03:12 Snow White Taught Me Another Lesson
04:15 The Routine That Changed Everything
05:08 Preparing Myself Before Preparing My Cat
06:02 Why I Now Use a Top-Loading Carrier
06:40 Creating a Calm Experience for Both of Us
This is where I’ve gathered everything that supports me and my cats:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
About the Diary of a Cat Mom Podcast
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing real moments from life with cats. Everything shared comes from lived experience as a cat mom and is not intended as professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and for health concerns, it’s always best to consult your trusted veterinarian.
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Diary of a catmom How to Get a Cat in a Carrier. Welcome to Diary of a Cat Mom. I remember I just started being a cat mom as I adopted Shiba, my first cat, my little beautiful Russian clue. And I brought her home in this cardstock carrier from the cat rescue. So I didn't think of it a lot. And then at home she was cuddly and a lab cat and I loved it. So the first time I had to bring her to the vet to get her shots, I thought easy peasy, no? Like what's the big thing of putting a cat in a cat carrier? So I I bought a regular size carrier and they told you pick up the cat and you put it from the front in the carrier. And I'm I can't do that, it's not a big thing. So I put a little plank in the carrier and I brought the carrier into the living room. Sheba saw the carrier and she was gone. Ran. Just ran. And I'm my god, I thought it only takes a few minutes and I have to leave to go to the bed. So I followed her and looked where she was, and she was right in the middle of the bed. And I'm, Sheba, come out, come out. And I got her treats and I got her little toys, whatever she wanted. Nope, nope, she didn't want to come out. Then I crawled underneath the bed to get her out, and I could get her out, but I didn't realize how I should hold her to get her into the cat carrier. So I had her and I opened the cat carrier. I don't know if you ever used the front loader for a cat. You open the door and you try with one hand holding the cat and with the other hand holding the door open to put the cat in. It was impossible. So at the end I had to ask my partner to help me that he would hold the front loader and like fold it vertical, like that. And then we could slip Shiva getting in. But by the time then, she was so stressed out and she was hissing and anxious totally. And then everything in the cat carrier, like all the plankies and everything, were all in the bottom part then. I drove to the bed with her and she was crying the whole way. And it only was she anxious and stressed out. I was anxious and stressed out. And that was my first experience where I thought, never ever again in this way. So then I got bigger cat carrier, and the cat carrier had front to load in, but also a top to load in. And by the time then I had Snow White. Snow White is like this tiny little cat, but I thought, oh then she has enough space, right? And when we go to the bed, she can really sit in this carrier, and she hasn't enough room for her toys and everything. The mistake I made again, I brought the carrier into the room. She saw the carrier and she hid in the bathroom. And so wherever I tried to get her, she ran away. So at the end I caught her, but it took me like half an hour to get her. And I'm, yeah, no, that's not working. And so at the end, what should not be a big thing became something what really traumatized me and the kitties whenever we had to leave the house to go for the vet, then I thought, oh my god, in case of an emergency, like there's no way if I have to leave in a few minutes that I can catch the kitties quick enough if I'm not changing the way how I'm approaching it. And what I realized is the more I got stressed out, the more the cats got stressed out. I put a pee pad in the bottom because some of my cats, they like to pee. So in this way it absorbs it in the bottom. And yeah, perhaps the towel on top is wet, but I have another towel so I can exchange it at the vet if I have to. And then I put the clean towel on top of it and I put a little comfy, cuddly plinky so they can use it to hide, or they can use it to suck on it for self-calming. But the other thing for sure I do before I do pick up the cat is I ground myself. I do tummy breathing, I do kabbala. What a pleasure that I can do this because I want to bring them to the vet. I want that they stay healthy and that they stay in the best way protected and taken care of. And I focus on the goal. My goal is to drive with a calm cat to the vet, and I want to stay calm too. So really having the ready-to-go carrier in a separate room where no cat can see it really helps not only not to upset the cat who has to go to the bed with me, but also not to upset any other cat who sees it because they know when mama is in a rush and get the carrier ready, one of them is leaving with me. So when I have the cat carrier ready and have grounded myself done, I bring the cat carrier from the separate room right on the edge that I easily can get to it, but nobody sees it. I go, pick up the kitty who has to go to the bed, like holding my arm that it feels safe. The top is already open on the carrier. And I go over there with the kitty and I let the kitty like slip into the top of the carrier. Because that really helps to avoid making the kitty anxious and that the kitty feels like I try to get her into something she doesn't want to. This way she just naturally slides into the carrier. And normally with the soothing plankie, or perhaps I put cutnap on or toys, they have a much more comforting feeling of feeling safe and feeling taken care of. Because at the end, it's all about creating and maintaining a peaceful and calm environment wherever we are, and creating life quality for our cats, but also for ourselves too. Do you have any tips on how to make that easier to get your cat into the carrier? I would love to hear them. Please share. Thank you for joining me in this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom. There's always another little story, another lesson, another message right around the corner, ready to be shared. Please watch the next video above, and I see you in my next entry. Diary of the cat mom.