Salmon rewards for a cat near and in the carrier

Salmon treats for cat carrier training are small bits of freeze-dried salmon placed near the carrier, then at its door, then just inside, with the door open and you in the room. A cat gets salmon only in small pieces, and how much is up to your cat's vet. The pouch gets resealed after every session.

How do you use salmon treats for carrier training?

Practice at home, with the carrier sitting out and its door open. You are in the room, the pouch is closed, and your cat decides each step. Nothing about this happens on the way to an appointment.

Start with the bits. The cats page covers how our listing serves a cat: broken small or crumbled over food. Get the daily amount from your vet before the first session.

Because the salmon is raw before it is freeze-dried, every session ends at the sink. The bag says: "Wash your hands after handling it."

Where do the salmon bits go, near, at or inside the carrier?

They move in stages, from outside the carrier to inside it. Each stage waits until your cat has taken the bit at the last one. If your cat stops at the doorway, you stay at the doorway.

1. Set the carrier out at home with its door open, and stay in the room the whole time.
2. Place a small bit near the carrier.
3. When the cat takes that, place the next bit at the doorway.
4. Then place one just inside.
5. Then place one further in, each step only after the cat took the last one.
6. Reseal the pouch and wash your hands, following the two lines on the bag.

Your cat sets the pace. A cat that takes bits at the doorway can stay at the doorway for as long as you like, and nothing says you have to reach the inside in one sitting. Go back a step whenever you want to; the steps are a ladder you can climb or step down from. Snap every bit down before the carrier comes out.

The listing describes the pieces as medium sized, which is why the snapping is yours to do. The pieces include skin, and every bit, skin and all, gets snapped down to the same small size. Keep the bits out of the cat's reach until the moment you set one down.

Should you leave salmon in the carrier when you step away?

No. The bag says: "Provide fresh water and supervise while feeding." Supervising means you are there, so a bit left in the carrier while you leave the room is not following the bag.

Keep it simple: a bit on the floor means you are in the room. When you need to go, pick up whatever is left, reseal the pouch the way the bag asks and come back to it later.

If your cat walks off and leaves a bit behind, pick it up before you go, so nothing is waiting in the carrier while the room is empty.

With two people home, settle beforehand which of you is staying.

How much salmon does carrier practice use?

Your cat's vet decides. The treat budget calculator on our product page was written for dogs, so do not use it, its 10 percent setting or its calorie figure for a cat. Ask the vet for the amount, and treat every bit you place as coming out of that amount. When you ask, tell the vet the pouch holds a single ingredient, wild-caught salmon, so they know exactly what the bits are.

The bag also says: "Feed as a treat or meal topper." It is no substitute for your cat's regular food, since it is not intended as a complete diet.

The rest of the how-to library is on the guides hub.