Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We have three male cats. They're all very large (12 lbs - 18 lbs), and two are pretty old (15.5 yrs). They're all 100% indoor cats, neutered, and pretty well behaved, but any amount of time in a carrier/car, and they cry. One of them becomes an anxious puddle and pees himself every time. It's basically a nightmare every vet trip. OR AT LEAST IT WAS... When we decided to move from Utah to Delaware, we had no idea what we were going to do, but with a lot of research (and other helpful amazon reviews), we found this kennel and everything changed. Not going to lie, one of them cried the whole first day, but after that it was smooth-going basically the ENTIRE rest of the road trip. I don't think there's any way we could possibly be happier with this purchase. Pros: - They all got to be in there together with PLENTY of room to spare, so they could walk around, stretch, cuddle, or get some space if they needed it. There was even room for some toys and stuffies. The older boys slept 90% of the trip, the younger boy played and looked out the window. - It's EXTREMELY sturdy, both as individual carriers and as a double carrier. I was able to carry the two lighter cats in one by myself and my husband carried the heavier cat in the other, but it's actually solid enough that we just started carrying them around in the double carrier. The cats enjoyed climbing on top of/around it in the hotel rooms and it showed no sign of collapse. It's VERY secure. - It is just the right width to fit on most luggage carts. Some we did need to squish it a little, but there is some give. It also fit perfectly in the back seat of our Rav4. - Love that there are so many ways to get access to them, and lots of mesh for them to see out of. I think they hate the plastic carriers because they're so cramped and claustrophobic, but there was none of that in this carrier. - Comfy. Again, the cats mostly just slept. And in the hotel rooms, when they weren't snuggled up with us on the bed, they were camping out in the carrier, which we left open for them. Cons: - It is big, but that's kind of the point. - It's kind of expensive, but it's definitely worth every penny. I have ZERO regrets. - Our younger cat DID figure out how to open the zippers in one section, but only because they weren't in the upper corner. Once I put them up there, he couldn't get the leverage to escape. Next time, I'll use a safety pin to secure it. Our other cats had no interest in trying to escape. Basically, this carrier is amazing and saved us so much head/heartache. TIPS: - We never drove longer than 8 hours in a day. Planning ahead was very important for this. - We also never drove more than 2 days in a row. This isn't always possible, I understand, but one of our cats is definitely showing his age and we wanted to make sure he had some breaks in between to rest... and it definitely helped. They all really got used to playing in the different hotel rooms and stretching out/getting some good sleep in between. - We didn't feed/water our cats in the morning to help them hold it during the day. We did, however, give them a lickable treat halfway through for some food/moisture. - They all got lots of playtime at night. - Disposable litter boxes are a lifesaver. We used those, crystal litter for their odor control, puppy pads, and a hand broom/dustpan to keep things super clean. Just throw the whole thing away at each hotel when we left. We also brought our own big garbage bags to make it super easy. - For the longer stay (two weeks in Texas), we used a couple of Skoon boxes, which worked out very well, too. - All but one of our hotels was the same chain so we could sign up with and take advantage of their rewards plan, which actually made the last two stays a lot nicer (free upgrades!). I called each hotel well in advance to make sure that they were okay with 3 cats instead of 2, documented it in the reservation notes, and if we were ever going to be late checking in, called to make sure they knew we were still coming. MOST of the hotels I called were very accommodating and kind, and only some of them charged additional fees. They appreciated that I asked. - For the carrier itself, we put puppy pads on the padded inserts and folded towels on top for comfort. On top of the carrier, we put a big blanket, which we could pull down/fold up depending on how much sun was getting in. - We also put under bed tubs full of travel stuff underneath the carrier on top of the seat, which elevated the carrier several inches. This let the cats look out the window and see the scenery. They seemed to like looking at the cars and people whenever we stopped for gas. This makes it harder to buckle them in, but you can still loop the seatbelt through the back and around the headrest (on both sides) for additional security. ANYWAY, we got all three of our boys to Delaware and they're all in great shape! We're still shocked. Our old tabby didn't even pee himself-- not even once!!! I'm still shocked. Highly recommended. A+++ Would buy again, except I don't need to since it's still in amazing shape and looks like it's going to last for a long time go come!