Need a good quality top loading cat carrier

[OneHandFlapping]

...because I am fed up of forcing hissing, spitting, splay legged cats through the tiny hatch of a front loader.

Has anyone got any recommendations?

Haven't got a suggestion for the kind of cat carrier you want, but I put my cat carriers upright against a wall and drop them in bottom and back legs first. Both of us used to fight and get scratched trying to force them in, but I can now do it safely on my own!!

Yes, you need the carrier to be upright, so you're dropping your cat in from above rather than pushing them in from the side.

I've tried standing them on their end before, Lottie, but it's still a tremendous battle, and I feel I'm being cruel. It would be much easier if I could just drop them in, snap the lid shut - all done and dusted,

OneHandFlapping I would go for something like this. I didn't get my carrier from Purr Company so I can't recommend them or the carrier personally but I have a very similar wire carrier. It is top loading too. I bought it from the vet after two pretty strong looking and certainly not inexpensive plastic frame/wire door carriers wore out on me (well on my cats ), one I noticed had a loose door when we were at home, but the other one's door swung open when old boy was inside and we were at a bus stop by a busy road. Luckily he was still considering whether or not to jump when I spotted him sticking his nose out - it was a very scary moment indeed. I had to hold the door shut all the way to the vet. The wire carriers don't look cosy but you can always put a cushion inside and drape a towel over to give your cat some privacy.

www.thepurrcompany.com/shopping-detail.php?prodnum=23

Front loading carriers: prop up on end as suggested, front paws together in one hand, back paws and tail (tail gives surprising resistance if left free!) in the other, lower back end in first, give a small non-messy treat as a reward once in (you never know, it might help).

Suspect that unless it's a really wide carrier, cats might be able to splay wide enough to resist even that.... Mine would!!