Mumsnet Talk

Can anyone recommend some really big cat carriers and where to buy them? The ones in pets @ home etc, even the very largest ones they sell, are not big enough for our, quite frankly giant, cats who are about to go on a 4.5 hour car journey.

I think we got one from wilkinsons for our massive brute large cat.
In fact I think it might have been called a small dog carrier

Why not go for a (larger) dog carrier of the same type ?

A ha, a dog carrier, excellent idea. Mine may well need a crate in fact

Blimey - what sort of cats do you have? (Apart from large that is. )

They are British Shorthair Silver Spotties, think Whiskas cat. But they are 5kg each and quite tall. Nothing vast like an Abyssinian or anything but they like their space

I ordered a dog cage/carrier from zooplus online. Just have wee cats but one doesn't travel too well and likes to be near the bigger one. I just got the smallest one but its big enough for my two. The delivery was really fast aswell.

Hi there, it almost seems like you need a cat carrier like we use in the CPL. They are large cages and fit a litter tray.

Perhaps google vet supplies or pet cage.

Good luck

xx

I bought a dog carrier for my vast cat. He's like a small continent, really.

I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, but this may do:

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=771&pf_id=57838&co=fr

xx

There is a pet shop called doolitles near me, it just does 'animal carriers' they go from small to the size of a donkey.

They don't seem to have a web site

Dolittles Pet & Aquatic Superstore, Shipley, Wolverhampton, WV6 7EZ. T: 01902701122.

Do you live in Essex, by any chance?

Zooplus is good, we get lots of stuff from them.

I have a freaky 6kg tabby - he fits in a large pet carrier but if I were taking him on a 4hr journey I'd use a dog crate with a litter tray.

Dp's cat is 8kg and stupendous. His name is Genghis.
We use a small dog carrier for him. It takes up a lot of space though, so my cat's carrier goes on top, which he hates.

She, on the other hand, enjoys it and taunts him.

Yes - that is the only issue really. Try out the new carrier in the car, OP, so that you can work out the best place for it. Going to be trouble if you try to 'fit it in' for the first time on a rainy morning with cats sqauling by your side.

Thanks everyone, loving the sound of Genghis and totally freaked out by seeing posts from a crazycatlady which used to be my name on here a while back!

I have a large LandRover so plenty of space for big cat carriers. The kittens will have one of our smaller cages each (still the biggest ones you can get on the high st, so they should be comfortable), and I've found some crates for our bigger two British Shorthairs on Dog Kennel World that I think will do the job nicely - the largest size is generous but still has solid sides around most of it - on of my BSH's loves to stick her arms through and attack everything in sight while in a carrier so I think I need one like this rather than open sided on all sides. I just need something tall enough for them to be able to stand up in.

Our vet has advised not to feed them for 5 hours before travelling, to put a Feliway thing in the car, give them some familiar comfort objects in their carriers and definitely not to sedate them. Seems like fairly good advice but having not done it before I am still apprehensive! We are moving from Surrey to Cornwall so I"ll be travelling alone on the A303 for 4.5 hours with 4 cats while DH takes DD (3.5) and DS (18 months) in the other car, waaaaah!

Be predated for lots of yowling.sometimes it stops and sometimes it doesn't.I had a cart who cried the entire 5 hours to my sisters house.I think the other cart was ready to beat the shit out of him.
Genghis sounds like my Max, only Max is 12 kgs!

I've travelled over half the country with cats at various times.

I'd put them so that, if possible, they have a sight of you and close enough that you can stick the odd finger in to nuzzle them - if absolutely needed. (Anchor the cages with seat belts etc.)

Apart from that, I'd just ignore them, mostly. They should quiet down (monsterchild's one being the exception) with the occasional squawk to let you know they're still there. Just respond soothingly and then ignore them again.

I'd agree with your vet about the no sedation and the not-feeding. They're highly unlikely to want to drink during the journey but take a bottle of water and a bowl or two with you just in case. Also a tray, again just in case. But under no circumstances open a travel case without all doors and windows closed - and to be honest, I wouldn't open one at all during the journey unless seriously pressed by eg an 'accident' in the travel case.

Always a good idea to have some plastic bags and kitchen towel/ cleaning spray with you along with a spare washable rug or two. (Or big towels are good on the bottom of cages and as spares.) On a long journey, you can't always be certain that they won't be caught short and nothing worse for them than to sit with poo in their travel cages for an hour or two.

Good luck.

Oh lord, I'm going to need an extremely large drink after this aren't I?

and at all the enormo-cats xx

Nah - you'll be fine!



(But accept the drink from DH with great sighs, of course!)

PS - if it's any consolation, I've only ever seen one 'accident' in a travelling case so you probably won't have one to deal with, especially if they haven't eaten for a bit.

I second the towels in the cages. Gives kitty something to sit on, shed on, and if need be, hide under! And you can change them out. I also haven't had anybody have an accident unless going to the vet b/c cat not well.

And I have never had another cat (not carts, damn phone!) yowl that long on a trip. And I've taken multiple cross-country (USA) trips with cats before! It usually takes about 30 minutes and they just sort of doze, then exactly as cozie said, they'll give a little yawp to check in.

Also be prepared for a HUGE amount of shedding. You will have an entire cat stuck to your clothing when it's all done.

Do they shed because of the stress? My British shorthairs have very dense silver coats and they shed a lot on a normal day!

Ok I feel better about it now, thank you, I'm doing the journey in two weeks so I will report back!

I don't know about stress - maybe so a little or maybe it's just all the faffing around they do in their cages. (You know what it's like when they go to the vets, even if they're regularly groomed.) Either way, it won't harm them.

They (and you) should be fine. Travelling isn't their favourite pastime but they'll generally end up putting their backs in a corner of the cage and grimly waiting it out/snoozing. Give them a quiet time to get their equanimity back/have pees etc when you arrive and have some nice nosh ready for eating.

Look forward to finding out how you did.