FAQ: Carriers & Crates for cats

Take the carrier apart, wash all parts in warm water with a mild, pet-safe detergent, rinse well and let it dry. Avoid strong-smelling chemicals and products with ammonia, as the smell can put the cat off the carrier.

The removable covers or pads of some bags can be machine washed, but the whole bag with its frame usually needs washing by hand. Follow the care label and dry the bag thoroughly before using it.

First wash the carrier with water and detergent, then treat any lingering smell with an enzyme cleaner made for pet stains, following its directions. Ordinary cleaners do not break down the odour molecules, so the cat can still smell them.

First wash off all dirt, then use a disinfectant suitable for animal areas, following the label on dilution and contact time. Rinse and air it well; if the illness is contagious, ask your vet what to do.

Check that the door clicks shut and all latches or screws joining the top and bottom hold, that the plastic is not cracked, the mesh and zips are intact and the handle is firm. Plastic ages over time, so inspect a carrier that has been stored for a long time especially carefully.

Yes, there are folding soft bags and hard carriers that fold flat or come apart to save space. They suit small flats and travel, but check that they are rigid once set up and will not collapse while carried.

Replace the carrier when it is cracked, the door or latches no longer hold, the mesh is torn, the handle is loose or the cat has outgrown it. Also replace it if an absorbed smell cannot be removed.

A used hard carrier can be fine if it is not cracked, the door and latches work and it can be washed and disinfected thoroughly. Used fabric bags are harder to clean, so pay attention to smells and stains.

It is best to have one carrier per cat so all of them can be moved at once, for example in an evacuation or a house move. When taking one cat to the vet, use its own carrier, which smells of it.

A new carrier smells of the factory or the shop, and cats often dislike unfamiliar smells. Wash and air it, put the cat's bedding inside and leave it open for a few days so it takes on the smell of home.

Yes, and it is one of the best ways to get a cat used to it: add soft bedding and take the door off or leave it open. The cat then sees the carrier as its own safe spot rather than a sign of travel.

On moving day, shut the cat in a quiet room with its carrier so it cannot slip out through open doors, and move it last. In the new home, first let it out in one room with a litter tray, water and familiar things.

Yes, but travelling to another country usually requires a microchip, a pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination, and some countries have extra rules. Check the requirements with official sources and your vet well in advance.

Yes, a label with your name and phone number helps if the carrier gets lost or the cat is handed over to others, for example at an airport or a boarding cattery. A microchip remains the most important way to identify the cat.

Make sure in advance that the hotel accepts pets, and in the room first check for gaps the cat could squeeze into. Leave the carrier open as a safe spot and ask the staff not to open the door while you are out.

Many cats are more attached to their territory than to travel, so on a short holiday they are often calmer staying home with a sitter. If the cat is used to its carrier and travelling and the trip is long, taking it along can be the better choice.

Put the cat's bedding or something that smells of home in the carrier and ask if it can stay with the cat for the whole stay. Bring vaccination records and the cat's usual food, so the change of place does not come with a sudden change of diet.

Outdoors or in public it is not safe: a frightened cat can scratch, wriggle free and run off, and catching it somewhere unfamiliar is very hard. Even a calm cat can react suddenly to a dog, a horn or another noise, so it should travel in a closed carrier.

Common mistakes are bringing the carrier out only before vet visits, choosing one that is too big or too small, not securing it in the car, swinging it by the handle, pulling the cat out by force or leaving it in the carrier in a hot car.

Briefly, yes, but try not to set it on cold, wet or hot surfaces or near dogs and busy spots. A raised carrier, for instance on a bench, feels safer to the cat, and it feels less vibration and cold.