cat travel and snookums's fraidy cat nature coming to the fore

[cimorene]

I've seen some great pictures of other people's Cornish rexes outside on leashes (they're way too delicate and in Snookums's case clumsy to be outside otherwise) so some years ago we bought two little harnesses and a couple of small leashes for Snookums and the BB. However, once they got here, because Snookums freaked out so badly just at having the harness buckled on indoors three times in a row, the idea of taking the cats on walks was set aside.

But we bought a small soft-sided pet carrier when we acquired the bunnies in late 2015, and since then the BB has also gone to the vet in it twice. When I got ready to take Snookums to the vet last week I discovered he wouldn't fit in the soft-sided pet carrier along with a fleece blanket, and since it was well below freezing he couldn't go in it without one and had to be carried in the big plastic car-ready carrier box in which the BB was sold to us in 2009. (It's a fetching lavender and both cats consider it a kind of play house, so he was fairly confused about the fleece blanket and the door being closed.)



(Since we brought him home in 2011, he's only ever traveled in the larger car box with the BB, where they snuggle together in the same box.)

Well, I've gotten in the habit of carrying the soft carrier, which is feather-light and comfortable to carry and comes with a cross-body strap (although I would prefer easier access to the cat: Wax typically has taken cats out on foot just in a regular tote bag, but Snookums seems to be alarmed to be put in a totebag where the late Tea and Lily would happily just sit in a bag dangling from a hook on the wall), and carrying the big sturdy box was such a pain that I pretty much vowed to never take it anywhere on foot again.

What with all the full-time worrying about starting Snookums on insulin, though, I had kind of forgotten to do anything about buying a catstronaut bag or soft bag for Snookums and now he has to go back for his first checkup this Friday. I'm not sure if I can get him used to riding in a tote bag or a backpack before then, but am determined to try.



Brother- and sister-in-law bought their two young Burmese cats a catstronaut bag for Christmas and I should have just stolen the idea right away when I saw it. I'm now kicking myself for filing the idea for later instead. Why didn't I realize I was going to have feline diabetes and vet trips to worry about?!

Comments

[sciatrix]

We have the Sleepypod Air carriers for our crew, and they're honestly really really great for this--there's a removable soft furry pad in the base over a flat structure so the cat can stand while being carried, they're big enough to fit the roommate's ridiculous gangly fifteen pound giant into in a pinch, they have both a reasonably comfortable soft top handle and a comfortable sling, they're actually crash tested by the same tests that human car seats have to go through, they're rated as fine for all airline travel and they come in an engaging array of colors. If your cat is not constantly leaving unspeakable fluids in a carrier, it is perfect. (It is washable but kind of a pain to wash.)

They are also like $200 new, which is why after we bought one for Peter's move to the US I set up a Craigslist alert and bought the next two that came up for like... I want to say $50 each? But that was spread over two years. So quite possibly too spendy for you, but if you want a carrier rec, they are damn fine pieces of cat nerd carry tech.

[cimorene]

Well they probably should be, but we tend to spend excess income on splurgy things rather than putting it into savings, so this is totally the type of thing we could conceivably buy in future! Although perhaps we would opt for a less fantastic one given the infrequency with which our cats travel.

[mecurtin]

I had to google catstronaut bag to figure out what you're talking about. So they put the two cats in one backpack? and they can see out if they want to? It looks ADORABLE if the cat doesn't go nuts.

[cimorene]

Oh, no, it's just sized for one cat! It's just that both the cats get to take turns in it.

At least, I'm pretty sure they can't fit them both in at once. Like us, they have one who's on the husky side.

[cesy]

He looks so cute in that backpack!

[cimorene]

Thanks! (Yes doesn't he!)

[tripleransom]

Oh, no - I didn't realise Snookums had diabetes. That's too bad.

At least managing feline diabetes is not as difficult as it used to be, now that they have long-acting insulin. Once you get the dosage correct, giving the shots at home is pretty easy and vet visits are minimal. I had a cat with diabetes 30 years ago and keeping him regulated was very difficult, but even so, he made it for 8 or 9 years, to almost age 20, with a good quality of life.

I love the carrier. All I have is hard ones - maybe I need to look at upgrading also.

[cimorene]

Yeah, he just got his diagnosis a week ago! So I didn't realize either. I hope I can get the hang of it soon!

As for the carrier, I'm still planning to buy one, although carrying him a messenger bag today was better than in a box last week.

[msilverstar]

Those packs look great, yay for ingenuity!

[cimorene]

The backpack is more comfortable for me than for him unfortunately, since he wants to lie down in a loaf. On the day in question he rode in a messenger bag, which doesn't distribute weight as well. But they both work fine from a logistical perspective, which is a relief.