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If you are going to travel with your cat you naturally want to have a cat carrier that is as safe as possible since there is the possibility of a car crash or maybe even them breaking out of the carrier.
What Makes A Cat Carrier Safe?
According to the Center for Pet Safety, a non profit company that focuses on pet safety they claim that cat carriers can offer “detraction prevention” which is important to preventing accidents. They also claim that carriers that are not structurally sound or have poor connection strength can affect your pets safety and the owners safety as well.
Cat Carrier Crash Testing
In 2015, the Center for Pet Safety performed a study on cat carriers that tested cat carriers and their safety based on:
- Testing top cat carrier brand(s)
- Crash testing and crash protection
- Testing the safety, structural integrity and crash worthiness of the carriers
CPS do not use live animals to do these tests but rather crash test dummies that are similar in dimensions, weight proportions and articulations to determine results. If you want to see a video of these test you can watch it in the video here:
Sleepypod has multiple vehicle accidents recorded with no injuries to pets using one of its carriers or safety harnesses.
The Top Performing Carriers
CPS published the first Crash Test Protocol and Ratings Guidelines for Pet Carriers. You would think that hard carriers would be the best performing out of all of these right?
The truth is the contrary of this believe it or not. The harder carriers would tend to fracture in car crashes and the softer carriers did better in the test overall. Here are the top performing carriers from the test.
1: Sleepypod
By far the safest cat carrier that you can own is the Sleepypod cat carrier. The reason why they are the best is because they have very strict safety standards on carriers. All of their carriers are CPS approved so you never have to worry about your cat getting hurt in some way.
If you didn’t think that was safe enough Sleepypod also has their own safety procedure program that has even more standards that they follow.
If you carrier has been damaged in an accident they will even give you a discount on a new one if this somehow happens.
If you want one for yourself you can click here to check the current price on amazon and if you want the In-Cabin version you can go here for the chewy.com link.
2: PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame Carrier with ISOFIX Latch Connection
This is another one of the carriers that did very well in the test. This carrier uses the same technology as child car seats to keep the carrier steady in a crash.
To take advantage of the safety features The easy-to-use ISOFIX-Latch Connection is essential. in CPS crash tests, only the carriers that were attached to the base passed.
If you want to get one of your own you can click here to check the current price on amazon.
There were a lot of other carriers that were tested as well and they failed to meet the requirements needed. You can find a link to these results here https://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/carriers/2015-carrier-study-results/#Sleepypod
Other Safety Focused Carriers
3: Gunner Kennels G1 Intermediate With Tie-Down Straps
This is a carrier generally for dogs but can work just as well for cats. It was also named “CPS Top Performing Crate Of 2015”. In crash tests, when properly secured, the crate stayed in contact with the floor of the cargo area.
You can fit a pet that is up to 75 pounds. This carrier is made out of 45 pounds of reinforced plastic. It also must be secured in an SUV’s rear cargo area with the compatible tie down straps to get the maximum safety benefits. The website is https://gunner.com/products/g1-intermediate-dog-crate
Conclusion
If I were to buy a cat carrier based on the safety these would be the three I would go with without a doubt especially the Sleepypod as they are the most safety conscious of any cat carrier brand.
Unfortunately, safety comes with a price and these types of carriers can get really expensive. Additionally, if you want to be even more safe I suggest that you put the carrier on the floor and to not strap the carrier in a seat belt.
