
Do you have a new kitten or cat in your household? Do you travel with your pet on vacations or to the vet? Does your pet need a quiet, secure place to rest at home? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider purchasing a carrier and PetSmart® is great place to begin your shopping. When you enter your local PetSmart to purchase a carrier, you should check out the carriers in both the dog and cat sections because you can find great carriers for your special fur child in each. We're very lucky that we have several PetSmart stores within 15 miles from our home. To find your local PetSmart, visit here.
Hard Carriers in the Dog Section
Soft-sided Cat Carriers in the Cat Section
To get your kitten/cat comfortable with your chosen carrier, place the carrier out in a comfortable and familiar location in your house. I initially put the carrier on the floor in the bedroom and the living room, so Truffle and Brulee could enter it without the pressure and stress of traveling to the vet. I recommend you put a comfortable pad/blanket in the carrier and possibly add some catnip or a favorite toy.
Truffle checking out her plastic carrier.
One thing I did to help with pet safety with the carrier was to purchase nylon cable tags (see the side of the carrier in the photos) to insert them in the holes on the side so the carrier, so it wouldn't fall apart accidentally when carried from the house to the car to the vet. Brulee and Truffle will play on and inside the carrier when I leave it in the living room. This way, their smells are around the carrier and they feel safe and secure in the comfortable environment.
Truffle and Brulee playing in their carrier
Anytime you travel with your cat, she should be in some type of carrier for the safety of both of you . An unsecured cat may distract the driver or interfere with driving. You should choose a carrier that allows your cat to stand up and turn around comfortably, yet doesn't provide too much room for extra movement. You should always make sure the carrier is securely fastened to the seat with a seat belt and that all latches are tightly closed. I don't take Truffle and Brulee on trips with me, but for those of you who do, you can find tips for traveling with your cats here. Brulee prefers her hard-sided carrier made by Petmate. PetSmart has numerous types of Petmate carriers and some are currently on sale, so be sure to visit your local store or shop online.
Brulee resting safely in her hard-sided Petmate carrier in the car.
Brulee knows that she is safe inside her carrier in the waiting room at the vet.
Truffle's fashionable soft-sided carrier.
A feline pet carrier is an essential piece of equipment for a cat owner and ensures that your cat arrives at her destination happily and safely.
Good point about the safety ties and important to note how respectful you are of the different cats' preferences. Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I tried to give information, yet keep it personal to the girls.
DeleteI love the idea about the nylon cables too! We have mostly soft-sided carriers, but my human's dad's cat has a hard-sided one, and maybe my human should secure it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent and informative post!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. Some cats are scared and prefer to have the carrier covered with a towel or blanket so they can't see out.
ReplyDeleteThe cable ties is a great tip! It's important to be sure that a cat safely in a carrier stays safely in one.
ReplyDeleteWe never thought about using cable ties. Good tip! The mom leaves our PTU out all the time. Sometimes we use it as a bed.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Paula! The hard-sided carrier Brulee is using looks sort of like the one I have for Carmine. Milita's is an older model, and it has little pegs that hold the top and bottom pieces together. I'd like to get her a pretty pink carrier one of these days to replace the one we've had for so long (we're missing a couple of pegs). Jewel loved her soft-sided carrier, and I still have that one in case we ever need a back-up.
ReplyDeleteWe know what the holes in the side of the carrier are really for which most people will never need to use which is it why it is so smart to use them as extra security.
ReplyDeleteThe holes are for when you need to put your pet under the plane. They secure the crate with tie downs through those holes so the crate can't move around in the cargo hold.
Thank you for this information. I didn't know about the holes and the plane. I just don't trust some of the handles on the carriers. I've seen them come apart.
DeleteGreat post! Yes, it's important to be sure the carrier stays together. One of my carriers also has a D-ring in the base, so you can clip the leash from the cat's halter to the base of the carrier, an extra safety precaution in case you have a door-dasher kitty. When traveling on planes, airport security usually has people take cats OUT of the carrier, so important to keep control at all times. BTW, your kitties are GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeletewe occasionally snooze in a crate if mom leaves one sitting out....but heaven forbid she WANT us to go in :)
ReplyDeleteThat was a great review girls. I often snooze in one of our many carriers!
ReplyDeleteGreat review ! Our PTU are out all the time. Purrs
ReplyDeleteGreat information! A home with a kittie must have a carrier, unfortunately for us kitties. I especially liked that you mentioned to have a soft blankie when transporting the kitties.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!! I have a hard carrier and a Sleepypod. I LOVE Truffle's carrier...is that a Laurel Birch?
ReplyDeleteYes, Truffle won the Laurel a Burch carrier last year. I've ordered her a Sleepypod.
DeleteGreat post! My new vet likes my hard sided PTU cos she just takes it apart and examines me in the case. That way I’m more comfortable. Brulee does NOT look happy.
ReplyDeleteThat last picture is killing me - so cute!
ReplyDeleteMom sure wished Rhette liked his crate as much! Love Dolly
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I don't know what we'd do without our crates. Especially for our kitty, we'd never get to the vets if we didn't have one! Great pics, so adorable!
ReplyDeleteThey look so cute in their carriers. It's so important for kitties to have safe places to be in a car.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a soft-sided carrier. Plus, Truffle's one does seem fashionable!
ReplyDeleteYour cats are ADORABLE!!!!!!! Great post about getting cats used to crates!
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