Carrier?

Me again! I am trying to find a cat carrier that meets all of the requirements (flying United) and it's a nightmare. No one kennel seems to have everything they need, and one I found that looks good specifically says United won't take it, not a clue why.

Can anyone let me know what carrier they used to transport cats on United? I don't care about price at this point, just about getting them!

Thanks!

Elizabeth

Not United, but we used these.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3086604

we still had the two (heavy) wooden crates that were used to transport our cats from Portugal to the UK in 1998, then to the US in 2000. Only 1 cat was still with us, and she was transported in the smaller of our crates.

These were made to now ancient DEFRA specification for dimensions, and far sturdier than anything we could have bought. What is acceptable for a US domestic flight might not be o.k. for an international flight.

If you have the skills to make a crate, that might be your best option. The transport will cost more due to the weight of the crate, but the actual cost of making it will likely be little more than a good crate from PetSmart or similar.

Do you need to meet their size requirements of:   27x20x19, which is basically impossible to find since they are all 28L x 20.5W x 21.5H inches now (measuring differently?). 

I got this one for my small dog: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3195394

I got my cats the one that is the size smaller (26.2x18.6x16.5) because that is what we could find at the stores in town, but now I wonder if I should get the same one I got my dog too (we had to order that one on-line after we decided the other was not tall enough)?  BA thought the size we got the cats would be fine but that is what they "thought." 

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

I'm afraid crate-making is outside our skill set, but it may be helpful to others!

We need something approximately 24x18x15 - not exactly, of course, but that's what we got based on their measurements. They are both relatively large, full grown, male cats. We got carriers that were easily big enough for common sense, but probably not big enough for the airline. I find the need for a huge carrier odd, given that cats feel more comfortable in smaller spaces (makes them feel safe). But, mine not to wonder why...

I would just get one that measures 26.2x18.6x16.5.  You can get it at walmart or any pet store really.  BA told us that they require all cats require that size because they had some bad cases when the crates were smaller.  My one cat is 9 lbs and needs a large crate!

the internet is a good place to get crates that are accepted by the airlines

Thanks for the input - my babies weigh nearly 15 pounds, so definitely need something large!

It's not actually the size I am struggling to find, it's the right size, with rear ventilation, with small grates (we bought one on amazon that said airlines accept it, but didn't have vents in back and my cats stuck their paws all the way out) etc., and according to several websites United will only accept kennels with metal screws, but the person at United couldn't tell me whether that was right or not.  :-\

http://www.petco.com/product/115436/Petmate-Ultra-Traditional-Vari-Kennel-Portable-Kennel.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3195394

Both of these have back ventilation and screws. 

The ones I got my cats have back ventilation and they can't get their paws through the holes at all.

I've seen the one at petco in person and the holes look small and I don't think my cats would get their paws through.

Hope that helps. 

I got my crate at Petco or Petsmart and I am ordering the metal screws and stickers etc through this company  http://www.dryfur.com/order_form.htm

I got an extra large crate for my dog because he is slightly snub nosed and the extra air around him is supposed to help him breathe even easier.

as I recall from last summer, metal screws are definitely a requirement because the plastic type can break.

I'm not sure where you are located or if it is convenient for you at all but when we shipped our dog over I bought the crate, drove it and the dog over to the airline that would be accepting the dog and made sure it was ok for when we actually checked in for real.  Its probably not gonna work that way for most people but it made me feel ALOT better on the day we took him to fly. 

I was also able to ask a lot of questions from the person actually doing the work not just the call center on the phone so it helped a lot.  With the screws we of course used the metal ones but also threw a few zip ties around the extra holes too just to be sure it would be fine.

Thanks for the website for the metal screws.  I am going to check with BA and see if I need them.  If I do, looks like I will have to return the kitty crates since they have plastic tabs and no holes for screws.  Good thing crates are 25% off at petsmart.  

BA doesn't require metal screws. 

as I recall from last summer, metal screws are definitely a requirement because the plastic type can break.

Which airline did you fly with?  Thanks.

We used Delta, but remember we used our old crate as well. We considered using one of our carriers, but didn't think they were up to specification, and the crate definitely was.

I seem to remember metal screws being required and that the plastic tab carriers were a no-no because they can come undone too easily. I have one for general use, and actually lost a tab just going to the vet, so personally would not trust one to the care and attention of baggage handlers.

Building a crate is really easy. Home Depot, Lowes, wherever will cut the wood to size. The wire mesh is also easily cut, and after that, it's just a screw it together job.