STURDI PRODUCTS Sturdibag Small Pet Carrier, Hot Pink

**THIS IS A REVIEW ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WITH CATS WHO LIKE TO CLAW CARRIERS!!**Okay. So I bought this carrier (one small for a 6 lb cat and one large for a 13 lb cat) to bring them on two flights from DC to Portland and then from Portland to Honolulu (both 5-6 hour flights). I had flown with the big cat many time and he is a living breathing nightmare. Best cat in the world but he must have some kind of claustrophobia because he clawed through not one, but TWO carriers mid-flight and I can only tell you what an absolute disaster that all was. He also received various sedative during both of those escapee experiences. Full disclosure: we FINALLY (after literally 5 different medications) found one that knocked him out - Acepromazine 15mg (sharing this for those who may be at their wits end as I was) and he was happily sedated for both legs of the flight. There were a few moments before the sedative kicked in when both the big and little cats tried to claw at the mesh, fortunately with no success, though the big cat was sedated enough where he never was able to give it the full effort he had given to carriers in the past.The design of the carriers is great; as other reviewers have mentioned, the unique "U" shape allows the pet maximum space while still allowing flexibility for the carrier to fit under the seat and be moved around as needed. We flew Alaskan Airlines and had no trouble either staff-wise or space-wise with either the large or small carrier. The large also seemed to provide enough space for a 13 lb cat. The roll down panels were a nice idea as well ALTHOUGH when the carriers first arrived I was disappointed that the solid panels didn't zip into place as the mesh did (I was hoping for kind of a camping tent situation where you can zip either or both the mesh and the opaque outer panel). If the big cat WAS able to claw through the mesh then the few velcro patches on the panels would NOT have contained him, so this seems more like a nice design feature for ventilation for dogs or calm cats (whatever those are). I read some comments about how it was hard to put together and I cannot attest to that; my very handy spouse put it together but did admit that it might not be easy for a person of average-handiness.At one point the little cat, who was not (initially) sedated, somehow managed top get her little paw between the zippers and sneak out of the carrier. Fortunately the folks behind us thought it was adorable so we heard their "awww look! A kitty!" and were alerted to her escape attempt and were able to grab her as she started her run down the MIDDLE OF THE AISLE. Nice. In defense of the carrier, it does come with a little silver clip to keep the ends of the zippers together to prevent this very occurrence, we simply underestimated our little Peanut.Long review, but I know that I spent MONTHS reading up on sedatives and carrying cases and also spent YEARS trying out different sedatives and cases with no luck, so I really wanted to share my experience of two very long flights with one (and a half) very bad travelers. (PS - This flight was for a multi-year move and we did debate leaving the cats with friends and/or family but just felt the right thing to do was bring our little rescues with us rather than dump them on somebody else.)Take away: when it comes time to move back to the east coast from Hawaii in a few years I plan on using both of the SturdiBag carriers and sedating the cats with Acepromazine, for all of our peace of mind. I would recommend this carrier for anyone who needs a pet travel bag.

We have 2 Chihuahuas, just under 7 lbs and 6 lbs. We were going to fly on Southwest, and were told the amount of space under the seats had changed, and that the small hard crate we used last time was not going to fit. I decided to try this bag because of the way it's made to give, but not squish the dogs inside. I would describe it like a tiny tent. There are sturdy wires that run the length and width of the bag, so you can push down on it, but it still keeps its shape. The wires are a little bit of a challenge to get in, but we managed without too much trouble. The bag has several areas where you can have the canvas closed so the dogs can't see out and nobody can see in, but they roll back and attach with Velcro so the screen is exposed. The bottom of the bag has a rigid board which zips into a separate pocket on the bottom of the bag. That means you could technically take it out of the bag without the dogs escaping. It comes with a memory foam, fleece-covered pad that Velcros to the bottom of the bag so it doesn't bunch up when the dogs move around. It comes with a little clip that you can put through both zipper pulls in case you have a cat who can figure out how to open the zipper from inside. The bag has hand straps, and also a 4-point, padded shoulder strap that is removable. It has straps that you can put a seat belt through for car travel. This size bag has PLENTY of room for our 2 small dogs. They could easily lie side-by-side, and had plenty of extra space the long way to turn around and curl up end to end. There is one door on the end of the bag, and also one on the top of the bag. We were very pleased! The attached photo shows the bag fitting perfectly under the seat on a Southwest flight. You can also see we have one of the 2 top windows open so the dogs could keep their eyes on us during the flight. Recommended!

My issue with a lot of carriers, that I viewed in stores, is that our cats use their paws like fingers and I KNOW they'd be able to open many of the carriers that we looked at. The zippers on these bags are very sturdy and have tough clips for each opening to secure the zippers CLOSED (close the zippers and put the clip through the opening at the base, not the tips, of each zipper pull, both of them together - it will keep the opening closed). The mesh and fabric likewise is claw proof. We had to carry three cats on an international, 14 hours plus flight ... which they did not appreciate... and not only did these carriers defy their escape attempts, the various flaps allowed each cat to get attention and/or be hidden as needed. The carriers fit well under an economy plus seat, although you obviously lose foot room. Many flights will no longer allow pets in business class simply because there is no 'under seat' space. Because the carriers are flexible, it was also easier to pick the whole carrier to comfort the yowling cats. Animals cannot be removed from the carrier in flight, so I had to hold two of them, in carrier (petting them through the mesh), for the bulk of the flight, and I appreciated being able to move the carriers easily in the cramped space. The padding was soft on the inside for the cats' comfort, and the straps made carrying the bags easy on us... which is appreciated as we obviously had other bags to carry as well. One cat was carried comfortable by our 11yo through airports in this carrier. And after the trip? (plus a few vet trips beforehand) These carriers still look like new. Do be aware that assembling them is not exactly easy, but it's still worth it. The outside pocket is not huge, but is big enough to hold a small canvas leash, and something else small, like a baggie of food, or other small items, like a toy or collapsible water dish. I highly recommend this product.

I have an 11 lb., 18-19“ long (from nose to tail stub) tabby cat that I brought in cabin for a 22 hour flight (including one 3 hour stopover), but from door to door it was about 30 hours, and worried for nothing that she wouldn’t stay comfortable for that much time. This Sturdi Products PetCarrier had her not wanting to get out. At 18” long, (it took some digging to find a carrier at that length while meeting the airline’s maximum height allowance of 10”), it allowed my cat to stretch out comfortably and stand up enough to turn around. In order to allow for extra headroom in it, I exchanged the hard, removable base with a puppy pad. This allowed the carrier to stay waterproof. The soft, comfortably made, removable cushion lay on top of it and when she peed, the cushion absorbed it to a dry feel down to the puppy pad. I used the single family washroom at the airport to change her puppy pad and found a partially enclosed one at the Seoul airport to do the same - I blocked the space beneath the door with a carry-on and the carrier. It was there that I also fed her some dry food. I tried to give her water but she didn’t want it. I was prepared to ask for an ice cube from the flight attendant to slip into her carrier if I felt she’d need it but she didn’t seem to, so she went without water for the entire journey.

I believe I ordered the small so it was perfect for when I first picked her up until she was about 2 years.

Carrier worked extremely well for our cat Olive. She is 13 years old and basically she slept from beginning to end of flight Toronto to Victoria. She also used carrier as her bed while away from home. Carrier was very easy to put together except the rods at the top and this required some strength. The top zipped area allowed me to give her food and water before and after flight.The carrier is light weight and Olive is only 8 lbs, so this made it easy to carry on board and stow under the seat in front.

Great quality carrier. Perfectly suits my needs to transport small breed puppy,

Fantastic quality. Great for traveling on a plane.