Dog crates and cat carriers—love ’em, or hate ’em, they’re a necessity to keep pets safe. With vacation time just around the corner (do you take pets with you to visit family on holidays like Easter?), consider updating your pet-safety accomodations. I recently received a Passenger Travel Carrier from DIGGS, known for their innovative and high-quality dog products—and now the Passenger option for smaller dogs and CATS.
Cat Carriers Reduce Vet Visit Stress
Mee-wow! So much to love about this carrier, especially the fact it received a five-star crash test rating (highest score possible) from the Center for Pet Safety. In fact, the Passenger Travel Carrier passed on the first try. For cats and small dogs, the best and safest option for car travel means riding inside a carrier that you seatbelt into the back seat–or, if small enough, fits on the floor behind the front seats. The Passenger Travel Carrier fits both requirements.
Dogs often like car rides more than cats do (Shadow-Pup adores them), and you can learn how to help dogs learn to love car rides here. Many of the same car ride tips apply to cats. You can also refer to cat carrier training tips here.
Diggs Passenger Travel Pet Carrier
Diggs Passenger Travel Pet CarrierThe Diggs Passenger Travel Pet Carrier comes in three stylish colors: navy, blush, and slate (pictured above). It accommodates small pets up to 18 pounds in weight, but that upper limit may prove crowded for some pets that want to move around. I love the design allows you to attach it securely with your car’s seat belts. You also can slip it over a rolling suitcase for convenient travel to and from the car.
A soft bed on the floor attaches with Velcro, for easy removal for cleaning. We know that cats visiting the veterinarian prefer getting in and out of the carrier on their own. The AAFP recommends carriers with a top, front, and side opening: check, check, and check! The Passenger has a zipper opening on the top, the front, and also the side. It has multiple pockets for all the pet necessities: leash, treats, wipes, and your wallet to purchase more treats. Did I mention TREATS? (Karma-Kat made me write that).
Passenger’s Pet Carrier Pee Pad System
Passenger’s Pet Carrier Pee Pad SystemFor extra long trips with young pets that might have “accidents” in the carrier, the Passenger has you covered. The innovative pee pad system probably applies more to puppies and dogs than to cats.
The bottom of the carrier holds a plastic board in the bed’s base, to which you can attach a Diggs pee pad to help keep your pet clean. You can swap out the soiled one for a fresh pad using the side panel, without disrupting your pet too much. Be sure to clip the inside tether to the pet’s halter to the interior D-ring to prevent an escape, though!
It weights 4.5 pounds, and won’t collapse for storage–but after all, you want to leave this out ALL THE TIME so it doubles as a cat bed. That way, your cat already accepts the carrier as a safe, happy place. I pulled mine out of the box, unzipped the top, and dropped in a couple of treats, and Karma-Kat jumped inside within 10 seconds. Yes, that’s why Shadow wanted inside, too!
This cat carrier has the look and feeling of luxury, and the price reflects that at $186 on Amazon and a bit higher on Walmart and the DIGGS site.
Reducing Cat Carrier Fears
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) provided the nifty infographic, below, as well as a great article YOU CAN SHARE on your blogs, tweets, facebook and anywhere else. Please read and share 5 De-Stressing Tips for Cats.
Now…have you called your vet for an appointment? Ready–set–CALL!
A Colleague Weighs In on the Diggs Carrier
My friend Jacqueline Mason Munera asked abour recommendations for carriers some time ago, and I pointed her to this one. I just want to update you on my experience with the Diggs carrier that I purchased for Jazzy on your recommendation. We loved it!
But also… last week when I used it for one of my other cats for a vet trip, poor kitty had a massive vomit. When I went to clean it i realized that the inside base that comes out has a firm component and it can’t be put in washer. That’s not a great design element. BUT I emailed them asking for advice on cleaning it and they explained it’s spot clean only. THEN asked me for info on my order number. I sent it and they are immediately sending me a replacement piece! 
So not only is their product really great, their customer service is excellent! Another cool thing is that the way the straps and buttons are it is able to be secured to our stroller base. I wasn’t looking for that but it was an awesome bonus discovery!
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Stay up to date with the latest book giveaways and appearances related to my September Day pet-centric THRILLERS WITH BITE! Amy Shojai, CABC is a certified cat & dog behavior consultant, a consultant to the pet industry, and the award-winning author of 35+ pet-centric books and Thrillers with Bite! Oh, and she loves bling!
Looks okay, but I don’t understand why the darker color is $10 more on Amazon. I prefer to use my hard carriers. I don’t know if they give any more protection in a crash, but I’m happy pretending they do. 🙂 And the hard ones did hold up in a rollover crash I had a few years ago.