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Post by jess on Sept 25, 2015 21:05:39 GMT
I'm just wondering what is everyone's preferred choice of cat carrier?
We just use the standard ones with wire doors and plastic casing but I've seen canvas carriers that look like they could be more comfortable for the cat?
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Post by tonib on Sept 25, 2015 22:18:55 GMT
We have a carrier for each cat as they don't share. We got the Ferplast Atlas 20 Open (or possibly the 30 - can't remember now) www.ferplast.com/en/shop/cat-supplies/atlas-20-open over 10 years ago for our 1st cat Chloe. When we got Roman we got a 2nd one & after we lost Chloe & got Penny & Osiris we got another so now had 3. They are quite bulky to store but are suitable for the boys as they are around 5.6 Kg & long bodied. The advantage is that they come apart for cleaning (very useful when you have a cat that doesn't travel well!) but do go back together easily & securely. They also are top & end opening so easy to load or unload the cat. However when we got Lexie we decided to get a collapsable one as it would take up less storage space. So we got the medium Petzden www.petsperfect.co.uk/products/petzden-collapsible-pet-carrier . It works well for both storage & access & is definitely lighter to carry, mind you so is Lexie Not sure if one or the other is more comfortable for the cat, we put a cushion in both types. Whilst the hard plastic might not be so soft for the cat it also protects them from any knocks which they would feel more in the canvas ones. If you travel with your cat then the Atlas has a water bowl which can be clipped on to the grill. N.B.the links are only pages I could find reasonable images of the carriers rather than as a recommendation of where to get them from
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 26, 2015 7:04:49 GMT
I hate the plastic ones, I've had loads of different types but as I need to walk to the vets with them I find them uncomfortable to carry, especially with Mieze who is very heavy. Plus one we had was really thin plastic and so I was terrified to use it. I have a decent plastic one that opens from the top (can't even begin to say how much better that one feature is from a normal front opening carrier!!!!) but again it was hard for me to carry and really hurt my fingers and wrists, and arms.
We also got a woven basket stake carrier but it is now a cat den with the door never on. It wouldn't have been practical, we'd have never got them in that haha.
We now have a canvas carrier and I love it! Even for heavy Mieze it is great. I was worried at first that Mieze would shred it open but she has never even tried. It has a long strap so I can carry it on my shoulder and means I can actually slowly cycle with them to the vets (thankfully there is no busy roads between us and the vets). It is not top opening though and I'd like to upgrade to the backpack style ones. I think they'd feel a long more secure too plus the weight is evenly distributed on both shoulders then which although so far not an issue with my current one (mainly as taking on the bike vastly reduces travel time) I think would be better really.
I also feel they prefer the soft carrier to the plastic ones, although both aren't huge fans either way. The back of mines has no holes in it like the plastic ones often do and Mieze likes to turn away and hide so I think she feels safer in it.
Also there is a pocket for my cats' passports which is quite handy, and a clip inside which you can attach the cat harness to. I see many people here with backpack style ones and other top opening ones and they also often have this clip, and the owners open the top at the vets and can stick their hand in to stroke the cat without the worry of it jumping out, which is quite nice and many of those cats look a lot happier there I have noticed (although that could be coincidence).
I'd prefer having canvas carriers if I had them in the carrier in the car too, I'd worry in a plastic one that in an accident they get slammed against the box, and with a canvas one that wouldn't really cause as much pain I'd think, although I haven't looked much into it as I don't yet drive.
Finally although a plastic one presumably holds some scent, I feel that a fabric one really gets filled with their scent and I think that can make them feel a bit safer in it (much like how some cats lie in their used litter tray when they are nervous). However therein lies the one problem I have with a fabric carrier - it will end up with cat hair woven into it haha. Not a huge issue for me, I have a rubber brush thing to remove the hair before washing it, but for some people I imagine it is an issue, especially as cats often moult heavily when stressed. Also depending on what type you get, they might not be so easy to wash (we hand was ours when needed). We don't wash it overly regularly but obviously if they had fleas or something then the canvas carrier would be an ideal home for eggs and if you get one that can't be machine washed then that could cause an issue, although there are other ways to kill flea eggs and deter fleas both with pesticides and natural methods. Also if your cat is bleeding or incontinent or something, you can wipe a plastic carrier clean, even right there in the vets before bringing a bandaged up or otherwise treated cat home. With a fabric carrier you can't do that and to be honest if my cat was bleeding profusely or something I'd bring them to the vets in the plastic carrier which we have here just in case, so that they didn't have to go home in a dirty and wet carrier.
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 26, 2015 7:16:36 GMT
...having said that, I'd get them to the vets four times quicker at least if I took them in the fabric carrier, so I think what I'd do is rush them to the vets in the carrier, wrapped in a blanket, and if the carrier is soiled at all I could cycle home with it while they are being treated and collect the other one before coming back, or get my man to bring the other carrier while I rush up with them in the fabric one. Having a blanket around them may help keep the carrier clean (Carlotta always stays wrapped up inside the blanket we use to get her into the carrier for example) but obviously if they are bleeding heavily or have an accident or something (which most cats would only do in a carrier if they had a real issue, as they tend to hold it in and give themselves urine infections even after a long time of being in one, so don't worry too much about that) then the carrier will be harder to wash and also needs time to dry off again too, whereas a plastic carrier can be cleaned quickly and dried off in seconds.
Just something to think about! We actually have two cats and a dog here, and a total of two large dog crates (been trying to sell one for months) and four cat carriers (been trying to get rid of one, one is now Mieze's favourite bed, one is the canvas one and finally the emergency plastic one that opens from the top). Plus of course I'd like to get the backpack canvas one too, and I do think it makes sense to have at least one carrier per cat as you never know what might happen so I would still keep the other canvas one for if I ever need to bring both cats somewhere. I may get rid of the emergency plastic one then though as obviously if there was a bleeding issue I could take them to the vets in one canvas carrier, have them treated, and take them home in the other which I could have easily brought with my on my bike too so no need to go home for a second.
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Post by jess on Oct 1, 2015 8:42:14 GMT
Yes, I'm not sure why but I'm always terrified that the plastic one we use is going to pop open and the cats will escape and be lost forever haha I don't find them that comfortable to carry either, especially with our last cat Oscar who was huge and so heavy himself, so carrying him in a massive plastic one was so awkward and heavy. I think when the kittens get bigger we'll have to put them in one each too - I do agree that the woven and canvas carriers look much comfy but they're probably not as convenient to clean as you've said! Some really helpful advice, thank youu
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Post by smilesbetter on Oct 1, 2015 9:44:27 GMT
Brought Carlotta to the vets in our canvas one last week and the vet took a minute just admiring the carrier and said she hates when people have the plastic ones as they seem so unsafe.
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Post by tonib on Oct 1, 2015 13:00:13 GMT
jess, The plastic ones can come open but usually because they aren't checked for being properly fastened - our vets are good at pointing that out if I miss it. We did have one incident recently when Penny was coming home from her daycare at the cattery. Mark had got her out of the car at home on to the lawn to put the carrier down so she could get out & clean her feet if necessary (travel sickness). Suddenly found he was holding the top part of the carrier & Penny was descending complete with the base to the ground. She stayed nicely laid down on the cushion in her carrier base as she dropped down about 2 foot & wasn't hurt although a little surprised. As she doesn't travel well, they'd had to clean her carrier in the morning after we delivered her, so suspect it hadn't been properly clipped back together. However that is the only time it has happened in all the years we have had them.
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Post by lotsofcats on Oct 1, 2015 13:52:31 GMT
That must have been worrying! I have a Catit Cabrio and the last time I took Kai Ruki to the vets in it I opened the door and it came away from the rest of the carrier! That has put me off it a bit - it looks nice but doesn't feel safe. I'm taking Kiba-Khan to the vet tomorrow in the old plastic carrier.
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Post by tonib on Oct 1, 2015 16:44:06 GMT
Not really lotsofcats, it wasn't a long drop & she was on the lawn by the front door & only interested in getting back home after a day at the cattery. However it has made me even more careful about checking the catches on the carriers. Not good about the Cabrio door - I presume it just needed fastening back on properly & was not broken, otherwise you would have had fun getting Kai Ruki back home. Hope all goes well for him at the vets tomorrow.
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