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sofiecusion

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Removable, machine-washable liner!

I use an old towel in the bottom of Zissou's carrier, and I don't think I would buy a soft-sided carrier if you couldn't take out the liner and wash it. Also pockets for treats, leash, etc.
This would be my main concern with a carrier is cleaning it. Summer in particular has "accidents" everytime she rides in a car. That and the zipper reasons listed above is why I won't buy a fabric one.
 

jugen

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Please help a friend of mine by answering this question. She is a pet products designer, and before embarking on a line of carriers designed just for cats, wants to know if there really is a market.

Would you use a specialty carrier? Would you use a carrier made of fabrics? Do you ever consider taking your cat with you to the mall in a small carrier(as some folks do with tinier dogs)?

What features would you want to see to make you consider using something other than a vari-kennel, pet taxi?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this, it will really help my friend.
You know what I'd like to see? A cat carrier designed for cats that are 22 or more pounds. Right now I'm using an old dog carrier that my MIL gave me and it's the best thing I've found for Twig to be in and I'm comfortable putting him in, but it's old, past it's prime and I can't find anything else to replace it with. Plus it's terrible to get him in or out of, since it only has the front door, not one on top.
I am not sure I'd use a carrier made out of fabric, just because all of my cats are over 10 pounds (with the exception of Neffie who is 7 pounds) and the strength of fabric just makes me nervous, I'd have to have something more durable, like hard plastic. But it could be a nice color, with a nice fabric liner in the inside. It's also got to have two doors on it, one on the top so I can get my kitty inside with minimum stress(and scratching) and one on the side so they can just stroll out when we get home. They should be one piece of plastic, not two bolted together, they should be roomy enough for a 22+ pound cat (on down the weight scale) to stand up if they want to and turn around, things like that, but still be compact enough to be able to lift by one person. It should have a handle, or strap so it's easily carried, and the zippers should have a hook to attach them to so the cat can't maneuver it opened.
I don't know, it's very hard for me to shop for carriers. Right now I have four but I don't like two of the four. I only keep them because Brad's mom gave me one and Neffie fits in the other. I need to get two different ones. Actually three, I never put my cats in the same carrier since Twig attacked Isis( I think, maybe Rocket) at the vets one day because he was mad at what they did to him and took it out on the other cat in the carrier. Not pretty, let me tell you. Two confined cats, fighting is really scary and I wasn't a happy camper to say the least.
 

abymummy

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Removable, machine-washable liner!

I use an old towel in the bottom of Zissou's carrier, and I don't think I would buy a soft-sided carrier if you couldn't take out the liner and wash it. Also pockets for treats, leash, etc.
Oh yes, please for this! Not only, removable but also attachable to the bottom of the carrier too! My Abys tend to tear up the liners and make a little nest of them!
 

Moz

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I don't even use the carrier we have now that much, only when one of the kits go to the vet. A fabric carrier would be nice though, as it could double as a hidey hole/cat bed.
 

sarahp

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I don't like soft carriers. I've never used one admittedly, but they look too flimsy for me.

I look for a carrier that's airline approved for a start (they're nice and sturdy), has good ventilation, and can be easily taken apart to clean it if need be without being so easy to take apart that it seems as though it'd just fall apart...

Something I'd REALLY like to see in a carrier is hooks to put seatbelts through. I like to strap my kitties in, but the only way is to put the seatbelt through the top handle. What would be really good is a couple of places that allowed a seatbelt to go through or some sort of strapping that you could ATTACH to a seatbelt.

For me, safety and security is big on my list of must haves in a carrier.
 

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I use a soft sided carrier for Damita as she will bloody her nose on a plastic one. I use plastic ones for the other kitties. I wouldn't take any of mine to the mall, mostly cuz they seem to often have something contagious.


What exactly are we talking about as far as a specialty carrier? I'd kill for a plastic on that is padded & has something on the bars to prevent Damita from doing serious damage to her nose.
 

bonnie1965

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I don't use the soft-sided carriers because Seb is heavy at 14 lbs. He is also very strong. I worry he would rip the netting if he was startled or scared.

So, if someone could make a soft carrier that is rip-proof, heavy-duty, guaranteed to not drop a cat out the bottom and close securely, I would buy it
I live in a small apartment so something that folds down would really be a space saver. May also work on public transportation
 

starryeyedtiger

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I do not use fancier cloth carriers because for the most part they are harder to clean than the plastic ones. I prefer the plastic ones because i keep my infant foster kittens in them- when they need to be cleaned- i can just disinfect and wipe them down or take them outside and spray them down. I don't have to worry about washing it everytime they have a mess and running up my water bill. Also- cloth holds germs/diseases better and since i foster Soooooo many different animals -that is a huge concern- it's easier for me to keep plastic clean.

What i would LOVE to see though would be some nice thick/warm beds that fit perfectly into those smaller kitty carriers though- i have yet to ever find any!!! The closest things are the little fleecy cuddle beds that are still a bit too big. now that i would buy in a heartbeat!!! also- it'd need to be VERY durable material (preferably fleecy to keep warmth well) that holds up to multiple washings. Also- it would be nice to see some durable/nice hammocks specifically designed to use in metal cages. Right now the only thing close i can find are ferret hammocks at our local pet stores- i put them in our small kitten cages for when i have several kittens at a time- it really saves cage space and makes the cage more fun. Kittens love them too!!!! I KNOW shelters/rescues/ and foster moms would LOVE those
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Please help a friend of mine by answering this question. She is a pet products designer, and before embarking on a line of carriers designed just for cats, wants to know if there really is a market.

Would you use a specialty carrier? Would you use a carrier made of fabrics? Do you ever consider taking your cat with you to the mall in a small carrier(as some folks do with tinier dogs)?

What features would you want to see to make you consider using something other than a vari-kennel, pet taxi?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this, it will really help my friend.
Yes I would
... would she like to do a designer cat stroller as Zoey isnt keen on whats avail:_)

I have both soft and hard ... with a cat I find hard sided easier ... but I do have a heavy tapestry with steel tubing I love ... Yes I would love to take her out and about but FT Knox might have trouble with her
 

alice_curiouser

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Well I have both the soft-sided carriers and the hard ones. Use both. But as far as taking them in a bag in the shopping mall......no places in our area would allow that (other then Petco/Petsmart).
One advantage to having a fabric one, is that it COULD be made to look more like a large handbag. That being said, I would never take my cats to the mall, as it just seems unneccessarily stressful for most cats.

I WOULD use one to go to the vet, if the cost was reasonable. I also agree with the posters above who wanted seatbelt holes, and "plus size" carriers.
 

catsarebetter

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Just as an FYI, there *is* a line of "soft" sided carriers. They're made out of a canvas, with a mesh at the top. The zippers are heavy and not "easy" to slide out, but easy enough to open for a human... it's a canvas material over metal framing, which also collapses. It's very lightweight and also since it collapses down, will fold up and hook so it is a space saver. It was a fairly expensive carrier, but we got it at PetSmart. It doesn't have a shoulder strap or wheels, though, which is a downside. I like it *much* better than the hard sided plastic carriers though. My only real complaint besides that, with it, is that it's difficult to "release" the metal bars to collapse it and consequently, difficult to put them together to expand it.

It's quite nice other than that.

BTW, there are some hard sided ones that come with a removeable liner or "bed" so that you can take it out and wash it. We have one of those too, and they're available in different sizes that correspond to the different sized carriers.

All of these came from PetSmart, so your friend may want to look there to see what all they're selling.
 

lunasmom

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Removable, machine-washable liner!

I use an old towel in the bottom of Zissou's carrier, and I don't think I would buy a soft-sided carrier if you couldn't take out the liner and wash it. Also pockets for treats, leash, etc.


Originally Posted by Abymummy

Oh yes, please for this! Not only, removable but also attachable to the bottom of the carrier too! My Abys tend to tear up the liners and make a little nest of them!
and
Your friend could make $$$ if she did it with interchangeable liners. I.e. corduroy for the winter, linen fir the summer.
 

kaylacat

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Would you use a specialty carrier? Would you use a carrier made of fabrics? Do you ever consider taking your cat with you to the mall in a small carrier(as some folks do with tinier dogs)?
I would use a carrier made of fabric. I think it would be nice to have a few around for emergency type situations..not as heavy and might be easier to carry a couple at a time. But it would have to have a strong bottom.
I wouldn't ever take any of my cats to the mall or anything though because unlike a dog that you can take outside to go to the bathroom it would be kind of hard with cats. Plus I don't think that my cats would like that.
 

gailc

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For me I only have two carriers but 4 cats. If I had an emergency I would be getting the cats in only those two. What would be nice is a durable one,collapsable for storage to use in emergencies but also have a pockets for spare bowls, food storage, place for vet records and meds in case the cats (or small dogs) -it would be their home for a while (think Katrina). This would need to be affordable (say $20). It could be marketed with these features.
 
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