Catching my semi-feral

Question
I have a two year old female brown tabby who started out as a foster cat, (I do fostering for a local TNR rescue group.)  Shaylee was trapped at the feral colony where she was living.  The vets found her to be semi-feral.  Too tame to release, too wild to get a home easily.  I fell in love with her and kept her.  I have three cats counting her.  All rescues.  

She has been with me for a year, and with patience she has come to trust me and actually let me start petting her last month.  She now will come to me for head rubs and neck scratching.  
She is due for a visit to the vets for shots and an annual check up. The problem is that I don't want to ruin all the trust built up by grabbing her and forcing her into a crate.  About six months ago, one of the cat rescuers came over and caught Shaylee for me, but it was awful.  Shaylee ran and hid, we chased her for about a half hour, finally cornering her in the bathroom.  Shaylee freaked out and bit hard, fortunately the cat rescuer wore leather gloves.

Do you have suggestions for getting Shaylee into a crate and take her to the vets for her shots?  Or is it possible for me to order the shots over the internet an learn to give the shots to her myself?  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Eileen,

Keep up the great work it sounds like you are really doing some good things!

I have been faced with this situation and what I have done is to coax the cat close and quickly grab firmly by the scruff, lifting off the ground immediately so the cat can't fight against the hold. If done quickly and firmly with a good fistfull of skin, the cats go practically limp and give in to the mother-carrying instinct at least for a few seconds! I then gently lower them into a large cat carrier I have nearby - one with a top opening works well or have a front-opening on it's end with the opening facing up. I never use gloves because they slip - I just scruff them quickly enough that they can't get me. Lifting off the ground by the scruff should not be for too long, but it won't hurt them momentarily. I have not found the cat to resent this too much, and normally do not lose their trust in me and maybe hide for a day or two after the vet trip but then are back to normal. Some peace offerings of deli meat or the like help too!

However if she is healthy and you just want to update her FVRCP booster (since you have fosters this is a good idea) you can order the vaccinations on the internet and give them yourself. You can get the FVRCP booster at www.drsfostersmith.com and below is a link to their great description of how to give the vaccine. You will probably want an assistant to help you with this and you'll still need to scruff or hold Shaylee firmly  to keep her still.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&siteid=1&acatid=404&aid=...

One method I have used for medicating hard-to-hold cats is to take a towel and wrap it around their chest and front end like a large bib, holding the 2 ends closed behind their neck and kneeling behind them so they can't back up. Then have an assistant give the vaccine. This process could also make kitty avoid you for a while but don't worry she will get over it!

A word on vaccinations: for indoor cats I only have the FVRCP shot each year, rabies only every 3 years and no other vaccines. I don't like the other vaccines because many have caused fatal immune responses and they don't protect very well anyway (such as the FIP or FeLv vaccine). Indoro cats are not at high risk for leukemia so I don't recommend it - I am not a vet so consult your vet about this but that is my opinion! I do know a person whose 6 year old cat died from the FeLv vaccine reaction, so unless there is a specific reason to give it I would avoid.

Good luck!