Reddit reviews Petmate Two Door Top Load Dog Kennel

Cats hate change. HATE it. The first thing you need to do is catch him and put him into a small room (bathroom closet, laundry room) with food, water, litter box and a bed. Cats can be easily overwhelmed and should never be let out into a new house at large. They have to be introduced slowly.

He's likely peeing on everything room stress and fear. Put him into a small room and it should stop.

As soon as you're settled, get him to a vet. (And please buy a regular carrier to transport him.) He needs to be neutered and checked for a urinary infection or crystals. Either of these can also cause a cat to pee everywhere. Intact males want to mark everything as their own. If he's got a urinary issue, that can also make him pee all over because he hurts.

We used this carrier for our trip. To get them used to it, we left it open on their play area with toys inside until they felt safe and happy to be inside. They were able to explore it for almost two weeks before leaving.


We originally bought two for each pair of sisters, but both parties violently rattled the bars like caged animals until we let them be together in one. It was nice to be able to return the second. The carrier fits a space pod, their stuffed elephant, and has space to hang a tunnel.

>The shelter and all the pet stores in town only have the small triangular litter boxes which no one likes. How come stores are not stocking the larger square litter boxes anymore??

FTFY: Which no one likes I don't like.
 

"Small" is pretty vague, so I'm not sure which litter box you are referring to as they come in various sizes. In fact I think there is an even larger triangle style box above the size I normally buy in the stores.

 

I have these Triangle Litter Boxes, which I wouldn't say are small. It is 10" x 10" x 14" which in my opinion is just fine and doesn't take up too much real estate in their cage. They are also great for your corners as my girls seem to use the ones I have around the room more than the one in their cage. I even used one in this Hard-Sided Travel Carrier after I put Velcro tape on the bottom of it to attach it to the carrier. I was able to put their favorite bed and the litter box in there. I also hung a hammock from the top and hung their food and water bowls off the door. It was only a 5 hour drive, but just another reason I love these litter boxes.

I have the same one! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062JFGM0/ref=twister_B01NALSLDD?th=1

Here you go OP

Something like this with a top and front door helps with cats in my experience.

https://smile.amazon.com/Petmate-Two-Door-Load-Kennel/dp/B0062JFGM0/

I work in the veterinary field and at my hospital we have strong opinions about cat carriers. The best, in my opinion, are the hard-sided ones that open both on the front and on the top. It's easy to get the cat in and out via the top door, it's roomy and stable (won't fall over or get crushed), and it's easy to clean if the pet urinates or defecates in it. I have this one (in addition to four others, some soft-sided) and am very happy with it. You can put a towel or blanket in it to make it comfier for the cat.

Edited to add that I'm also a fan of the last one you posted, mostly because the top is very easy to remove and put back on and it meets all the other criteria above for hard-sided carriers.

We always just use a small, hard-sided cat/dog carrier (something like this) with a perch screwed into one side. They're nice and sturdy, dark (I really don't understand why so many parrot travel boxes are clear), and don't cost an arm and a leg.

A carrier would be the safest way to go. One with a top loading feature is easiest with kittens. https://www.amazon.com/Petmate-24-Inch-Kennel-Metallic-Coffee/dp/B0062JFGM0 is the one I use. There are also temporary cardboard carriers that vets and shelters use sometimes for adopting out new kitties. You could call your vet and ask if they have any like that.

I just moved seven hours with my two kitties and I was so stressed about it ahead of time. One kitty is extremely skittish and shy and BOTH are terrible with the car. I have to say I was absolutely shocked with how well it went, so here are the basics of what I did. I highly recommend talking to your vet for advice as well, as they will have good suggests based on your individual cat. Anyway, here goes...

A few months before our trip I took both kitties to the vet for check ups (they were overdue) and asked my vet for advice (one cat pooped on herself on the way there btw). He said seven hours without a litter box is totally fine and that the cats should travel in their regular carriers. I have this carrier and another similar one. He said after the first hour or so in the car to offer water and/or wet food to keep them hydrated, but to expect they might refuse. He also suggested prepping the cats by taking them for short car rides in advance. He did mention sedatives, but I too was skeptical and didn't plan to use them.

After the vet visit I kept both carriers out in our living room. I also gathered up a bunch of old towels and placed them around the house where the cats like to sleep so that they would smell like home. I put treats in the carriers every day or so and also started feeding them in there a few weeks before our move.

I wasn't sure if I should take the vet's advice to go for practice rides, as it seemed to me like it would add more stress. About a week before our move I had to pick my husband up from work, so I decided to pack up the cats to come with me for the 20 minute drive. I couldn't catch one at all, so I just brought the other. What a nightmare! He pooped, peed and vomited on the short drive. When we got home he was a total mess and was drooling and foaming at the mouth. Just the kind of confidence I needed before our seven hour trip. That's when I decided to go for sedatives.

I got the sedatives from the vet and did two test runs with my kitties , one at the lowest dose and one slightly higher, but not the max. It didn't really seem to do a whole lot, but I was nervous to give them the highest dose.

A couple days before the trip I lined their carriers with puppy pads and put in some of the old towels. This gave them a day or so to get used to the set up. Our movers came the day before our drive, so we kept the cats in our house and stayed in a hotel that night. They were pretty freaked out by the empty house, but I left some boxes and towels to make them more comfortable.

On the morning of our move, we went to the house about 90 minutes before we planned to leave, fed the cats their morning wet food, took away their dry food, and gave them the sedatives. Chasing them down for this was a bit tricky, but I just did it really quick.

After that, I cleaned the litter box in hopes that they would go before the trip (ever notice how cats get in the box RIGHT after you clean it?). This worked for one cat, but not the other.

The sedatives seemed to hit a little harder the day of the move and one cat was a total rag doll. I don't think they ate as much that morning since they were already stressed out.

Once they seemed a little loopy we packed them up and were on our way. One cat meowed constantly, but they were both a lot calmer than usual. He quieted down a bit after the first two hours or so, but would still meow off and on.

After we were on the road for about one-two hours we stopped to check on them. I planned not to open their carriers once we were on the road, so I put empty bowls in there and squirted water through the cage into the bowls. Neither were too interested in it. One was so drugged that when I accidentally squirted water in her face she didn't flinch. I also offered them wet food on tiny spoons through the cage. One ate, but the other didn't.

I'm proud to say that we arrived at our final destination in one piece and without any kitty bodily fluids being emitted. One had a slightly raw nose from pushing it against his carrier, but that was minor. He also had the holder from his bowl around his neck, which gave me quite a panic, but he was totally fine. PSA: Do not buy these bowls.

Oh! I almost totally forgot. I bought two Feliway diffusers and put one in our new home a few weeks before the move and one in our old home around the same time. I also purchased rescue remedy and put a few drops behind each kitty's ears before we left. I have no idea if these steps helped, but since the move was overall very smooth, I wouldn't discount them.

One kitty was pretty much at home in our new place right away, but the other took a few days. We didn't have our furniture for about five days, so they had to get creative with hiding places. Our girl cat shoved herself into a tiny cabinet in the bathroom.

Sorry this is so long. I hope I didn't forget anything. I was so stressed about moving my fur babies and it was totally fine. Hopefully you will be too! Let me know if you have any questions!

Modern guinea pig cages are huge, and many people now use fleece bedding. My cage has four Fleece Flipper floor panels and one kitchen area that I cover with Carefresh bedding. I ordered the cage here: http://www.guineapigcages.com/ There are also DIY instructions there, if you want to buy the parts for less at Home Depot.

This approach is a little expensive to start, but it's super easy to keep clean. I sweep the flippers every morning (five minutes), change the Carefresh bedding every week (5-10 minutes) and I swap in clean flippers and put the dirty ones through washing machine every other week.

No guinea pig rescue will give you one guinea pig unless you already have one. I paid our local rescue $100 for a bonded pair of neutered male and female. I guess a same-sex pair that is not neutered would cost less. You can find a rescue at this link: http://www.guinealynx.info/rescue_organizations.html

...adding: I see you asked about a carrier. This one is perfect for two guinea pigs: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0062JFGM0 and this mat fits well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y8YK2W

I use a top open cat carrier, like this (of course, get the right size for your bun). I line the bottom with a towel, but you can use fleece blankets or whatever to help them get more traction. For longer trips, I also put carefresh and hay on top of the towel.