Feline Staff Test Travel Accommodations from Petmate

Two members of our staff often don't get the recognition they deserve. They did most of the product testing for today's two products. They tested them quite rigorously. In fact, they often use their claws, teeth and shedding capabilities to help us examine the durability of many of the items that come through our door. Morgaine and Fiona each tested a Petmate cat carrier as they made their way across the country to their new digs in New York.

Because she has a history as an elite escape artist, Morgaine occupied the hard-sided kennel - the Two Door Top Load 19-Inch Pet Kennel (in metallic pearl white and coffee ground). She enjoys the "stay out of the kennel" game, so the top-loading option in the kennel proved more fun for everyone concerned- a bigger challenge for her, as she spread all paws as far apart as possible, and more fun for us, since we stood a chance of winning. Once in, Morgaine gave us a long blow-by-blow vocal account of her experience, until, alas, she lost her voice. She disapproved of the lack of softness, and also of how securely the front latched. She did figure out how the mechanism worked, but cursed her lack of opposable thumbs when attempting to put the knowledge to good ends. Though the kennel has tags saying it's FAA approved, it did not really fit under our seat on Virgin Airlines. We somehow managed to make it onto the plane and through the flight, but we would not recommend others press their luck to the same extent. 

Fiona tested the Petmate Soft-Sided Pet Taxi (in black). She put up no objections to the comfort, and received lots of "kittttteh!" coos as she journeyed through the airport. She approved of the 360 mesh ventilation, which kept it a good temperature and provided her with a full view of the alien world through which she traveled. She also enjoyed that she could be cuddled through it. Once on the plane, the carrier fit well under the seat in front, as required. Like the hard-sided kennel, the Pet Taxi has both front and side loading options, both secured with zippers. The top option is secured with a flap that velcros down. While the exhausted humans fell asleep in row 19, Fiona was still hard at work product testing. It turns out that (no doubt coached by Morgaine) she was able to open the top and slip out, from the inside. We are happy to announce that a heroic flight attendant thwarted her attempts to make it into the cockpit around row two. While she was excited for an adventure, we must say that we cannot recommend this for airline travel without some form of further reinforcement on the closure.

Each of these carriers worked well for a day trip to the vet, but had severe downsides for air travel. Available for $44 on Amazon, the hard-sided carrier is durable and secure, and would be great for car trips, but should not be counted on to fit as a pet carry-on on a plane. The Soft-sided Pet Taxi, available on Amazon for $33, fit better and stores quite compactly, but ultimately provided the stuff of travel nightmares in the paws of a determined cat.