The cat carrier trick that ended years of vet-visit stress

For years, getting our cat into a carrier meant a stressful chase followed by a stressed cat and a stressed owner before the vet visit had even started. The fix was almost embarrassingly simple: leave the carrier out permanently, as normal furniture, with treats occasionally placed inside on ordinary days that have nothing to do with the vet.

Once the carrier stopped being a rare object that only appeared before something unpleasant, the association softened considerably. It's not instant — it took a couple of months of a boring carrier just existing in the living room — but it turned carrier day from a chase into a non-event.

Related reading: The Practical Pet Owner's Guide: Training, Behavior, and What's Actually Normal.