# Kitten vs. Carrier



## Lynn770 (Jan 13, 2015)

So...on her first visit to the vet, or I should say on the way home from her first visit to the vet, Annabelle decided that her brand new carrier was not a strong enough jail for her big girl muscles (actually teeth, but whatever). She decided to chew right through the netting on the side of the carrier and quickly scrambled to freedom. Luckily, hubby was driving and I was able to make a grab for her. 

So here is my question...will she remember how easy it was to get out of there? I have to take her for her 1st rabies shot next Monday by myself. I have 2 other soft-sided carriers but I'm afraid that she will immediately tear her way through before we even get there. I've been looking for a hard sided carrier but they just aren't the stylin' rides that I can find with the soft sided carriers and this little princess deserves a pretty carriage. But mommy is thinking safety before fashion right now. Should I buy a hard-sided carrier for her first year then try a soft sided carrier once she's matured? Will she still remember she can get out with her teeth? Anyone have a line on more stylin' hard carriers? I've googled them but all I can really find are pink with cat shaped ventilation or black/white stripes. Anyone know of any soft-sided carriers that don't have netting for ventilation that a kitten can chew through?


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

Yes I bet she will remember. after all she succeeded. If your looking for something sylish. You could always get a hard carrier and add decals yourself. They sell plenty with teenagers and college students in mind!

or get a good primer for plastic and paint on a pretty design.

or maybe something like this? with or without decals?

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-20-Inch-17-Inch-Portable-Available/dp/B00KG1POMM[/ame]

I personally don't like soft sided. After being hit by someone running a red light. I could imagine a cat in the car with me...


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Well, I'm a practical person. I got a hard-case carrier before I got my two then kittens. I also got one with a top loader so it's easy access for me and the vet/vet techs to reach in pull the kitty out. I decided on a hard case because it's easier to clean if my two ever had accidents (and they did!), and if I ever got into a car accident, my kitties would be safer than a soft case carrier. I also have a chewer, so I don't think the soft-case ones would work. He hasn't grew out of that bad habit, despite the taste deterrent spray I've been using. 

So all that said, despite the "princess nature" of your kitty, sometimes the practicality of it all far outweighs the aesthetics.

I got this one, btw:
Petmate Two Door Top Load Pet Kennel, Medium, Pearl Blue/Coffee

And I got the medium size; it still fits my two 10 pounders in quite nicely--yes, they grew up! And I'm hoping I don't need to get another carrier....they're about a year and a half old now. This one I really love, it's just ultra heavy with that plus my two cats inside!

Maybe someone will help you find a prettier one, though. Good luck!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Lynn,
I'm in agreement with TC, I've got a mixture of hard carriers and soft.
If you've got an escape artist, go with a hard carrier!

There are some softsided ones that do have an extra flap, that can be dropped like a curtain, and zipped, which gives a bit of extra protection from chewers and slashers...
If you are determined to go for a soft carrier, at least invest in one of these. 
I would also suggest you invest in a very good wiggle free, cat harness or vest, with a leash attached, when traveling, as a backup for quick grabs!

And it goes without saying, have your cat microchipped with up to date information! 
A collar with an ID tag, and the Magic word "Reward" can make the difference, if your cat escapes!!

Safety is number one...Always!

Good Luck with your hunt for 
the Purr-fect carrier!
Sharon


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I would ditch these soft sided carriers and start making the rounds of thrift stores and pick up a hard sided carrier for a few bucks. You bet your bippy she will remember and probably perfect her skills. Getting out at the wrong time could be disastrous - like going 65mph down the highway!

We have hard cardboard carriers at the shelter we use to transport to Petsmart and some cats are great in them while some become Tasmanian devils and shred them before I get 1 mile. One day during a transport a cat escaped into my truck but luckily I live on the way to Petsmart. I pulled into my garage, closed the door and carefully got out and got a hard carrier for kitty. It was a royal PITA to transport her but you can be sure I made note of this on her intake card for anyone that boxed her up after that! New owners MUST buy hard carriers for cats/kittens like this. Safety over style any day.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

This is exactly why I always suggest hard sided carriers. There's no point in a carrier if they can escape! The POINT is to keep them in.

As an added negative, soft carriers are much less safe in the event of a car accident, or a large and too curious dog (or a nosy kid) at the vet clinic. Hard kennels ARE safer.

If you want it to be prettier you could always spray paint a color you like on the kennel. There's no reason not to, really. It's on my 'to do list' for this summer - so our mismatched hand-me-down kennels look less like....hand-me-down kennels. lol

I use hard kennels with a towel in them. I also have a top loading kennel, and I do love it. Partly because it has 'easy latch' clasps instead of the more typical screw closures. I put Jitzu in that kennel and it's nice and easy to just pop the lid off to give the vet access. The previous options were shaking her out of the kennel (BAD idea...very, very bad.) or unscrewing (and promptly losing pieces of) the little screw closures. Equally unhelpful since I now have 1/2 the number of screws on all of my other kennels. *sigh*


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## Lynn770 (Jan 13, 2015)

BotanyBlack - Oh! I didn't see that one in my search. That's kind of cute. I guess I could decorate it myself, I'm just lazy. LOL.

When I was a young college student, I had several very used, small dog size, hard-sided carriers for my 3 cats, which definitely made me feel safer in my little geo that would have been smashed into tiny pieces if I had ever been hit. Thank God I never was. I don't worry much about that these days since my monster truck will be doing the smashing unless an 18 wheeler or train takes me out and then I'll probably be gone too. I always buckle them in but I haven't had a kitten in almost 20 years. None of my other kitties ever really tried to get out of the carriers that we have. They all have front or top loading options and I've never had any problems getting them in there. 

Having a kitten again is a whole new adventure! She was the biggest in her litter! She's just over 4.5 months and 7 pounds! Just 3 pounds more and she'll be bigger than her 10 year old sister! And I have a feeling she'll be putting those pounds on in no time. Thanks for the suggestions!


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## Lynn770 (Jan 13, 2015)

Sharon - I hadn't seen any with the flap before, I'll have to look around some more. Also, I've never had any of my cats micro-chipped before but we recently moved to the country and I'm deathly afraid that they're going to get out around our house and I don't think they would survive very long out there considering their cush life and all the varmits. The 10 year old never goes near the doors but there's always a chance that someone will break into the house and she'll be frightened out. I've been really thinking about micro-chipping a lot since the kitten likes to be-bop right along behind us when we're walking through the house and I'm afraid that she's going to keep going when we're not paying attention to her by the door. Are there any dangers associated with microchipping? I was going to ask my vet about it when we went in for the rabies shot. We have 2 cat only hospitals in the Houston area and I've been going to one of them since 2000. It's a bit of a drive from the country now, but I like that they have that special focus on cats and that they know me and how I like to care for my cats.


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## agotor (Dec 2, 2014)

Hi Lynn,
I would bet that your cat will remember how to break out of a soft cage and will do it again. I use hard plastic carriers only as they are far more secure than the soft type. I like the one TabbCatt found with two doors. The top door would make a nifty place to load or unload your cat and the additional vents holes on the top door would be great for air circulation. I live in SE TX too and the summers here are a real danger to out pets. I have 3 hard cases, drive a pick up truck and the only place my animals travel is in the cab.

Microchips are fabulous. I just had my kitten spayed at a Wellcare Clinic. I asked them to check the microchip which was inserted at the animal shelter. They said sure in one swipe of a wand the correct code number for my kitten was displayed. Not bad considering multiple frequencies are used by different microchip manufactures.

I lost an very young Australian Shepherd 13 years ago I would have probably gotten back in a couple days if she had a microchip installed.

Needless to say I will always have my pets micro-chipped.


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## katdad (Jun 13, 2013)

I think safety is better than style. If you have to use a hardside carrier, do it. Maybe as was suggested, decorate with flowery decals or whatever. Hey, the cat won't know it, or care.


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## tgwillard (Oct 18, 2012)

We have a large soft sided carrier. Our problem was getting Emily into the carrier. Once inside she is content and hasn't tried to get out. Getting Emily into a smaller hard sided carrier was not a pleasant experience. 

Our soft sided carrier has flaps which can be lowered to cover the mesh. This might prevent a more aggressive cat from biting through the mesh to make his or her escape.


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## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

Ooh,if you want a soft sided carrier that looks cute but is more sturdy what about a sleepypod? 
Sleepypod® Luxury pet carrier | Cat Carrier | Dog Carrier


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## Des_Esseintes (Nov 27, 2009)

Speechie said:


> Ooh,if you want a soft sided carrier that looks cute but is more sturdy what about a sleepypod?
> Sleepypod® Luxury pet carrier | Cat Carrier | Dog Carrier


I have one of these, and it's fantastic.


It definitely has withstood Artemisia's attempts to escape, but I don't think she ever tried _that_ hard...

One of the nice things about it is that you can take the top off and use it as a catbed so that your kitty will get used to it and won't flee in terror the moment you get it out. To be honest, though, Artemisia never really took to it as a bed (typical kitty! :wink.


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