Cat Carriers & Travel

A cat carrier gets used more than most people expect - vet visits, moving house, a trip to the cattery - and the style that suits you depends far more on how you carry the cat than on the cat itself.

Carrier styles

• Backpacks - hands free, with mesh windows or a clear PVC panel and a skylight; some have an extendible rear room
• Slings and handbags - shoulder-carried soft bags with a mesh panel, for short trips and small cats
• Soft-sided carriers - collapsible, lighter than hard cases and easier to store flat
• Hard-case carriers - rigid shells that hold their shape, easier to clean and to strap into a car
• Trolleys and wheeled carriers - caster wheels for heavier cats or longer distances
• Strollers - folding prams for senior or mobility-limited pets, including double-decker and 3-in-1 car-seat models

Getting the fit right

A carrier should let your cat stand, turn around and lie flat. Check the stated weight limit rather than the external dimensions, and leave the carrier open at home in the days before a trip so it stops being an object that only appears before the vet.

Brands

Ibiyaya covers the widest span here - carriers, strollers, rain covers, organisers and bike adapters. M-Pets and Ferplast make the hard-case carriers, KONG the 2-in-1 carrier and travel bed mat, and the PeekAPaw range covers backpacks and slings.

• Ibiyaya strollers & carriers
• Cat beds & bedding
• Cat collars, harnesses & leads
• Dog carriers & travel