Cat Carrier

[MinimalistMommi]

Can anyone recommend me a cat carrier or are they pretty much all the same?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Top loaders get reccomended on here lots, I can't imagine getting my cat into one though.

You need something sturdy, so probably plastic not wicker. They might wee or poo or vomit in there so wipe able is always better.

[ProfYaffle]

We have one of those that looks like a holdall, the cat loves it! He sleeps in it during the day.

[ProfYaffle]

And he's taken to sleeping in dd's actual holdall since we bought it

[Lonecatwithkitten]

This is the very best one out there in my extensive experience.

[Alsoflamingo]

I am after a decent sized one so our 2 cats can travel together - anyone have any suggestions? They are really cramped in current wicker one -plus handle broke under the weight of them!

[thecatneuterer]

This is the sort of top-opener I like to use: www.thepurrcompany.com/shopping-detail.php?prodnum=24

They're much easier for difficult cats - you don't have to stuff them in from the side - you just open the top and in they go.

Wicker is never a good idea - it's not strong enough.

If you're going for a normal side-opener, then go for quality. Don't get one of those with the flimsy plastic doors such as those sold by Argos. Make sure the door is at least metal. A lot of people have lost their cats on their way to our clinic because they've used flimsy carriers ...

Generally it's worth spending a bit more to get quality.

I also like the look of the one Lonecat recommended.

[PinkSparklyElephant]

We've got the one the Lonecat recommends and we are impressed with it as it opens at the front or the top making it a bit easier to get the cat in. It's also quite sturdy.

[chemenger]

Lone's suggestion looks like it would be good for cats like mine. Her new "at the vet trick" is to behave quite nicely (for her, only attacking one vet student who foolishly tried to touch her) until she slinks back into the box at the end. She then defends her box to the death with claws of steel against the door being closed. I have had to go through the protocol for bleeding wounds more than once, the vet is very strict about this. Am I right in thinking that the recommended one has a solid door, not a wire mesh like ours? If you take the top off, how tricky is it to get the door back in - that's where it all goes wrong for me.

With my other cat its more of a problem to prise him out of the arms of his adoring crowd of vet students.

[PinkSparklyElephant]

Yes, the door is solid with a flap where you can put a the feeding dishes supplied with the carrier. We don't use them though as H has never been far enough to need food and water!

The top doesn't come off, it opens down the middle so once the cat is in the carrier you can close it and clip it shut.

[Archfarchnad]

The one Lone shows comes closest to what we have. I think the following features are important (some already mentioned):

Made of sturdy plastic rather than wicker so it's easy to clean. Imagine you've got the carrier on your lap at the vet's and the cat is so scared it pees or pukes - would go all over you! We always put his favourite blanket over the base so it's nice and comfy.

Has fitted slots on top so it can be fitted securely into a car using the seat belt.

As catneuterer says, a well-made door made of metal rather than flimsy plastic. On ours there are attachments on the left and right, so you can either just open one side and leave the door on its hinges, or take the door off altogether. I like the fact that the door is meshed rather than solid clear plastic because I can stroke a paw or push Dreamies through.

A two-part carrier, with attachments in the middle (the one lone shows has this) so that if a cat is cowering in the back you can just take off the entire top section. This is what our vets always do rather than risking sticking their hands into a carrier with a defensive animal. I wouldn't call it a top-loader, though, more a top-unloader. It would be tricky to put your cat in the bottom half, then put the top on afterwards.

Ours just has a sturdy handle on top - I would prefer a shoulder carrying strap too.

Make sure your carrier is large enough for the cat to stretch out in comfort. The smallest ones are only really suitable for rabbits. Our lad is nearly 6 kilos (12 pounds), so he needs a pretty big one which is also sold as being for smaller dogs.

I like only having ventilation on the sides, because if a cat is nervous you can put a blanket over the top and then they can only see out of the front - so they only have to be wary in one direction.

[chemenger]

From the point of view of handling my Nastycat I rather like that this box is strangely reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs.