Cardboard carriers are great for transporting cats to and from their primary enclosure, whether it's to an enrichment room, the treatment room, or to their new home! ALWAYS use a secure carrier or container when transporting a cat, even if it's to the next room over. One should NEVER transport a cat just being held in their arms or with a towel. Loud or unfamiliar sounds or smells- dogs barking, doors slamming, people talking- all can send a cat into a panic, making them virtually impossible to hold onto. This could lead to detrimental consequences- a cat getting loose, escaping the building, scratching and biting, running into traffic, etc. The risk is far too great and it only takes a minute to put a cat in a carrier.

These easy-to-use boxes have two openings as shown here. A removable plexiglass end that locks shut and a smaller opening on one side with a rotating door. This box is great to keep inside a primary housing kennel and doubles as a hiding box. It allows you to safely contain a cat for easy transport. I highly encourage all shelters to use these, especially for fearful cats.

These stress-reducing pheromone wipes are great for wiping down towels, carriers, and other surfaces that will be used during handling or socializing. Do they actually work? I'm not sure, but they don't hurt.

This tool is great for restraining or catching a cat that has become extremely fractious or has gotten loose. 

Towels, towels, towels. They are you best friend when working with cats. Not just any towel, make sure you're using intact, thick towels, and always fold them at least once when using them to pick up or restrain a cat. Towels with holes, rips, or strings hanging can cause a cat to become entangled and/or stuck. A skilled cat handler prefers towels over cat gloves because the gloves are too thick and lack control.

AKA "Kitty Crack" This delectable cat treat can help distract or calm down a scared cat when handling, gentling, assessing, or even during medical procedures.

This tool is perfect for assessing cats you are unsure about. This mini hand allows you to pet and socialize a cat who is too aggressive to touch. You can order the hand piece online and I taped mine to an extendable back scratcher and glued on some fabric to cover the metal. 

This divider allows you to restrain a cat into one side of the trap in order to give medications or assess their health.