Table of Contents
Introduction
Cats do not like to travel. Whether to relocate to a new residence or to visit the dreaded veterinary clinic, they really seem to hate it.
I have carried many cats to the vet. One time we had to evacuate our six cats to escape a hurricane.
I never had a cat get injured and never had a cat get loose and run away. These were two things I was always on my guard to prevent happening.
This blog post will offer information about cat carriers based on my experiences.
3 Reasons to Choose a Hard-Sided Cat Carrier
1. Our cats were all rescue animals that retained much of their feral attitude in certain situations, like being put in a carrier. I doubted a fabric carrier could stand up to the level of activity displayed by our pets both before and after they got into the carrier. If they were to start scratching the fabric sides, that could really be a problem.
2. I figured the plastic carrier would do a better job of containing the rare, but occasional, urination that was visited upon us by our highly excited kitty.
3. In the event of an afore-mentioned urination, I thought the plastic carrier would be pretty easy to clean, and it was. We would just put the towel we included in the carrier into the wash, and I would hose and wipe down the carrier itself. In fact, I typically did this whether there was urination or not.
3 Important Features of Cat Carriers
1. Safety
Safety should be our number one priority. What we are trying to prevent is injury to your cat and / or your cat getting loose and running away.
Closely examine the construction of the carrier.
Look at the method by which the handle is attached to the carrier. Often it is with pins that are inserted into slots that are attached to the top of the carrier. Check to see if the pins appear sturdy, and if they are inserted far enough into the slots so they don’t work their way out if the carrier is twisted by an active cat.
Most plastic carriers have top and bottom sections. See how many points of attachment there are holding the two sections together, and how sound the pins or bolts appear to be.
The typical “hard-sided” carrier door is a metal cage-like structure with some of the metal “bars” extended so as to slide into slots that are part of the carrier. Again, make sure these pins are not liable to come out of the slots if twisting of the carrier occurs.
Search for any sharp edges on the carrier. Look to see if there is anything that could scrape your cat as you are getting your pet in or out of the carrier. Check inside the carrier and use your hand to feel the vents on the side and back to inspect for any ridges that could cut the nose of a cat trying to look out.
Make sure the door opening is big enough for you to get a reluctant cat through the door.
Try to assess how stiff the carrier is. If the plastic is too thin, twisting of the carrier could occur that would compromise components such as the handle or the door.
2. Comfort
An important consideration regarding comfort is the size of the carrier.
If you are going on a short trip, try to fit the carrier to the size of your cat, but without a lot of extra space that is not necessary. Extra space in the carrier may not be efficient because the bigger the carrier the more difficult it is to carry and to get in and out of your vehicle.
If you are traveling some distance, you may need to have food and water in your carrier. Perhaps even a container with litter. This, of course, requires a bigger carrier.
Use your best judgement based on the size of your cat and the nature of your trip.
We always put one or two towels, or a cushion, in the bottom of the carrier. We also tried to position the carrier in the vehicle so the cat could see us and hear us as we talked to it trying to let it know everything was going to be alright.
3. Convenience
If you are visiting the vet, it can be real convenient to be able to remove the top of the carrier and leave the cat in the carrier until your pet needs to be removed for weighing or close examination.
However, if making it easy to remove the top means the top might disengage and come off when you are carrying it, then forego convenience. If the only thing holding the top to the bottom is a couple of easy-off snaps on each side, that may not be a safe situation.
This same line of thinking applies to a carrier with a door on the top. Most “hard-sided” carriers have a door on the front, and a few carriers have an additional door on the top. That’s fine so long as the door on top is secured with latches that are sufficient to prevent the door from flinging open while you are carrying the carrier with your cat in it.
How to Load and Tote Your Cat Carrier
With regard to getting a cat into a carrier, I have seen widely-published advice to put the carrier out where your cat can see it and get used to it, perhaps even sleep in it.
This seems like good advice to me, but it did not work with our cats, particularly the ones for whom this was not their first trip in a carrier. As soon as they saw that carrier, they would take off running. We had to capture the cat first, then bring out the carrier.
Our cats were feral rescues, so not all cats will react the same. You really need to devise a strategy for getting your cat into the carrier based on the nature of your cat.
When you successfully get your cat into the carrier and close the door, double check the door. Make sure the extension bars on the door are actually in the slot, rather than just outside the slot. Pay close attention, because you don’t want that door coming open when you are carrying the carrier.
When carrying your cat in a carrier, really focus on the task at hand. Pay attention to how the carrier and your cat are holding up. Carry only the carrier, keeping one hand free to handle any emergency. If you have to navigate stairs, use the railing. Take care.
How Should I Carry My Cat on a Plane?
Typical airline requirements for your pet carrier may include metal nuts and bolts rather than plastic, and secure carrier doors.
I think your best approach is to communicate with the specific airline or airlines you would be traveling with, and find out what their specific carrier requirements are.
I caution about relying on secondhand information regarding airline travel, because you want to know the requirements you seek to comply with are accurate and current. I have read stories of people missing flights because they arrived at the airport with a carrier that was not acceptable to the airline.
One Last Thing
We’re just trying to make our cats happy. For more ways to make your cat happy, why don’t you visit my blog post How to Make Your Cat Happy