Safe Space at Home & On the Go

We've talked about the importance of helping cats get acclimated to carriers in order to help them feel more comfortable when you need to take them to the vet. We already have some special carriers we keep out all the time to use as our beds and it helps to let us travel to the vet with less drama.

Mom Paula was introduced to a new expandable cat carrier when she attended Global Pet Expo this year.

We received the new Jackson Galaxy® Double Extendable Cat Carrier from Petmate® to review. We've read a lot of research ways to help cats when you must travel, even if it's a trip to the vet. One of the first things to do is to help your cat become acclimated with their carriers in advance to avoid unnecessary stress while traveling. Cats can already sense the stress in humans (Mom Paula knows every pet parent is stressed when taking their fur child to the vet.), so anything one can do to help alleviate stress in cats is important.

Truffle resting inside Jackson Galaxy® Double Extendable Cat Carrier

Getting Cats Acclimated to Carriers

Mom Paula learned 20+ years ago (with Sweet Praline) that she needed to pull out the carrier several days in advance of a scheduled vet appointment. As Praline got older, she needed to go to the vet more frequently and sometimes it was a "spur of the moment" trip. Mom Paula began leaving the carrier out in one of the rooms, but she never made it comfortable and inviting in order to encourage Praline to rest in it at home. She's since learned from people like Jackson Galaxy and programs like the Cat Friendly Practices® from the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) to help cats become more familiar with their carrier prior to a trip to the vet. Dr. Ilona Rodan provides some recommendations for getting your cat comfortable with carriers:

• Leave a carrier in a location or room where your cat spends a lot of time. Our carriers are left in the great room where we spend a lot of time.
• Place familiar soft bedding inside the carrier. Our carriers have a soft liner and Mom Paula will spray Feliway spray inside prior to us traveling. She's also put one of our "Peggy Blankies" in the carrier for Truffle because she gets more stressed.
• Place treats, catnip, or toys in the carrier daily. Mom Paula does this to encourage us to go into a carrier or bed when it's first brought into the house. After reading the recommendations from Cat Friendly on being a Cat Friendly Caregiver, she realizes she needs to toss our treats in the carriers on a daily basis.

One thing Mom Paula has learned is to try different carriers with Truffle and Brulee. We've had hard and soft-sided carriers with different shapes and types of openings. There are different types of carriers needed for traveling in a vehicle vs. flying in a plane. Some cats like small spaces without a lot of visual access to the outside world while other cats, like Brulee and Truffle, like to see what is happening around them. Some cats like to curl up in a ball while others like to stretch out. The important thing is to find a carrier that is comfortable and safe for your cat that works for both of you at home and when traveling.

Jackson Galaxy® Double Extendable Cat Carrier

We were very interested in reviewing the Jackson Galaxy Double Extendable Cat Carrier from Petmate. We have several friends who travel on daily trips with their cats and take them on vacations. We've heard comments at conferences where people would say their cat wanted to stretch out more in the car or the hotel room and their current carriers didn't meet those needs. This carrier is designed to be left open and available for cats to use as a bed on a daily basis so they can be more acclimated prior to travel. There are several points for entry and exit so cats don't feel trapped inside the carrier. When the carrier is totally "zipped up" it looks like a traditional soft-sided carrier, which is needed when carrying the cat to and from the car. There are 5 points of entry and exit (2 on the end, 2 on the side, and 1 on the top). There is an adjustable padded shoulder strap, carrying handles, and a comfortable and removable machine washable bed inside. What makes this carrier unique is the sides fold out to allow a your cat more space to lounge when the carrier is used as a safe space.

Jackson Galaxy carrier with sides folded up

This carrier is designed to be open and available for your cat to use as a bed when not in use as a carrier. We remember one of our blogging friends saying she needed to take her cat out of her carrier and put in a crate so she could "stretch out" while traveling to BlogPaws this year. This carrier would allow cats to stretch out and move around inside when the sides are unzipped and extended. You can either leave one of the ends open where your cat can enter through the "traditional" opening or unzip one of the mesh sides and your cat can enter from a wider opening. The extendable sides are made of mesh, so your cat can feel comfortable seeing her surroundings while resting comfortably at home (or in a hotel room).

Brulee entering from the unzipped opening on the end with the sides extended out

There are a lot of zippers in this carrier. Zipper clasps are featured on all external double zippers. When you lock the two zippers together, the carrier is secured for safe travel. Cats are known to work zippers open with the paws and escape, so this safety feature is important. The carrier is 18" x 11" x 11.4" and will hold a cat up to 15 pounds. When the side flaps are open, the carrier is approximately 28" in length. It's a dark gray carrier with blue trim. The Jackson Galaxy Double Extendable Cat Carrier retails for $64.95 and can be purchased at Petmate. We know this carrier would be ideal for people who travel with their pets for vacation and conferences because it can be opened up and expanded into a safe and comfortable bed where their cats can stretch out and relax.

Truffle entering from the open side flap

The Jackson Galaxy Collection

The Jackson Galaxy Collection fuses product insights from Jackson’s 20+ years of experience as a trusted cat behaviorist with Petmate’s 50+ years of leadership in the pet industry. The line focuses on cats as the heroes in Cat Play, with a wide variety of products offering fun and interaction to cats and their families. 

Giveaway

We're excited to announce that Petmate has agreed to let us host a giveaway for one of our readers  win a Jackson Galaxy Double Extendable Cat Carrier of her own.  No purchase necessary. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States 18+ years, except where prohibited by law. The giveaway will run from June 28 - July 6, 2018 and end at 11:59 pm ET. The winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen. To qualify for the giveaway, a comment must be left on our blog post.  Other entry options are available after a comment is left.  Please check your email and be sure to add sweetpurrfections@sc.rr.com to your address book! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway