Cat box advice please

[FoodFascist]

We're going roung to the RSPCA on Sun to look at cats and hopefully adopt one.
We've already got some cat food and a littler tray etc but because we don't want to splash out on a pet, we can't decide whether or not to get a carrier.

The thing is, chances are we're only going to need it this one time when we're bringing it home, and the one or two times a year we'll be taking it to the vet's or going camping. (Does anyone know whether campsite allow cats BTW?) So, getting something that costs uptoward of £15 and is going to get like 20 uses throughout the cat's lifetime seems like a total waste. Not just that, but cats seem to hate these boxes, well all cats i ever had did anyway.

I quite like this idea especially because most cats love cardboard boxes, but the weird thing is, I can't find any of these in a decent size! The standard one is 35x25x26 cm which IMHO is too small, especially if we end up with a big cat. I don't even know why some of them are advertised for cats, they're more like for hamsters or kittens.

So I thought - can't we just turn up with an oridnary cardboard box? Cut a few air holes in it? Would the RSPCA mind do you think?

I mean, if we later discover we do need a carrier more than once or twice a year, I'd probably get a soft one - less of a chance the cat's going to hate that.

Or, shall I get a cheapy plastic one and line it with cardboard? So the cat thinks it's a box and the RSPCA think it's a proper carrier?

My mother's cat broke out of one of those. You need a secure carrier. I don't think £15 over the life of a cat, maybe 15 years or more, is excessive.
You could use most types of carrier as a cat bed anyway, but they tend to ignore them and sleep on the sofa anyway.

yeah I don't think cats can be told where to sleep! My mum's got 3 cats and a dog, the cats' favourite place to sleep is the dog's bed! just because it's the dog's! And when my dad's out, the four of them all try and move into my parents' bed!

As to safety. Don't get me wrong I don't want anything to happen to the cat but when I was growing up there weren't any pet carriers and my family used to travel with our pets back and forth all summer, both in cars and on public transport. The cats would usually go into a wicker basket - they loved them. My mum's mad - she only uses the carrier to get the cats to the car, and then lets them roam the car and even sit on her lap while she's driving! The dog just lies on the back seat, too. Now that's ridiculous in anyone's books (apart from my mums!) although I have to say, letting them choose where they sit (within limits!) makes life easier for everyone on a long journey.

BUT, all that would apply to a pet you know well and you know how they behave in a car... wouldn't be a good idea with a cat you just got!

plastic box it is then. Still toying with the idea of lining it with cardboard though!

You can get the cardboard carriers from any vet - but they are about £7 - £8 so you might as well get a propper one.

Have you tried Freecycle?

Most vets do not stock cardboard cat carriers any longer as they are just no secure. My honest concern is that if you are worrying about £15 for a cat carrier are you ready for the costs this cat is going to bring. Most RSPCAs would refuse a rehome without the correct carrier.

Wilkinsons and argos do cheap plastice carriers that look ok to me.

I do think your underestimating how often you will be taking this cat to the vets though, mines been at least 6 times this year with blocked anal glands, sore ear, puking up, annual jabs etc.

You cant just put a cat in a cardboard box it will freak out and possibly escape.

You need to think what will happen if you have a cat in the car and have a crash, I strap mine in with the seat belt but the force of a crash could make a 8lb cat into a much heavier missile flying around in the car, possibly injuring a passeneger and likely being injured.

I have easily spent £350-400 on my cat on vets bills incl worming (I wont use bob martin shite they nearly killed a colleagues kitten).

Mine would chew through a cardboard carrier - she chews boxes for fun anyway, lol.

I also strap mine in the car in a hard carrier.

I definitely wouldn't get a cardboard one. Who knows when else you might need to transport the cat. Vet check ups for boosters, emergencies etc. Plus like many have mentioned, they're not secure in anyway.

I got my cat one of those wire rectangle carriers, that opens on the top and you put the lock across the holes. She usually gets straight on her back, pushing up with her feet trying to lift the lid up. I've had cats escape from the plastic ones with the door on the side from loose catches, but she's never been able to get out because of the way it opens/closes. It cost £20 and has been invaluable.

I also read somewhere that cats like to see where potential dangerous noise is coming from. For a cat, that's pretty much any unusual noise. So rather than closing them off in those plastic ones with the tiny slats on the side, the wicker ones are good because the entire front is wire - so pretty much open in terms of visibility. Probably also explains why your mum's cats travel well roaming around in the car!

Fluffy how did the Bob Martin shite nearly kill the kitten?

The owner noticed she had fleas, but it was a sunday, so she bought a bob martin flea collar and put it on the kitten.

The cat wasnt actually allowed out but they had had cats before so the eggs can last for ages until a new host comes along.

Anyway, she forgot something for work but she lived near by so she went home to get it at lunch time and found the cat going around in circles drooling everywhere, took her to the vet who diagnosed poisoning from the collar (cat not allowed out so rules out any poisening from outside the home).

She did say that on the small print it said not to be used on animals but I've never checked myself because my mother would never buy bob martin stuff for any of my childhood cats either.

So thats how the kitty nearly got killed.