Best Cat Carriers for Vet Visits, Car Trips and Flying

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A good cat carrier makes vet visits calmer for your cat and easier for you. The right one depends on where it goes: most cats only travel to the vet and back by car, and a few fly in the cabin. This page covers what feline vets say to look for in a carrier, what to avoid, how to carry it and secure it in the car, and our picks for vet visits, for a sturdy all-round kennel and for flying.

The short answer: for vet visits and car trips, the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FelineVMA) recommends a sturdy, well-ventilated, easy-to-clean carrier with a secure door and a top that comes off, so your cat can stay in the bottom half during the exam. A hard carrier with a top door, such as the Petmate Two Door Top Load Kennel, fits that well. For flying in the cabin, a soft carrier that fits under the seat, such as the Sherpa Original Deluxe, is the usual choice. Put the carrier on the floor behind a front seat, and only use a seat belt with a crash test certified carrier.

How we wrote this: the advice comes from the FelineVMA carrier guide and its position statement on transporting cats, the Center for Pet Safety and published reviews, linked where they are used. We did not test these carriers ourselves, and we do not list prices or ratings. If your cat is very fearful of travel or vet visits, ask your vet: the FelineVMA says medication before the trip can be discussed with your vet’s office.

What to look for in a cat carrier

The FelineVMA carrier guide for caregivers lists what makes a good carrier:

• Safe and easy to clean. Sturdy, well-ventilated, with a secure door that prevents escape. Easy to clean, leakproof and water-resistant.
• A removable top. It makes checkups easier and lets your cat stay in the bottom of the carrier during the appointment.
• Floor-level entry. A door your cat can walk through on their own gives them more sense of control.
• Comfort. An absorbent towel or blanket that smells like home, which stays in place and does not slip.
• Privacy. Covering the carrier with a towel helps your cat hide and blocks stressful sights and sounds.
• One carrier per cat when you travel with more than one.

Cats.com adds that a top-loading carrier is usually the easiest to get a cat into, and suggests looking for more than one entry point.

Carriers to avoid

The FelineVMA guide lists three kinds to avoid: soft carriers that do not hold their shape, collapse easily or are hard to clean; backpack carriers, which let the cat move too much and see too much; and carriers without removable tops.

Hard or soft?

Hard carriers are the better fit for vet visits and car trips. Cats.com says they resist clawing and scratching and are easier to clean, but they are usually too big to count as in-cabin luggage on a plane. Our view, not a quote from the sources: most two-piece plastic kennels are bolted together, so the top half can be taken off at the vet, which is what the FelineVMA asks for.

Soft carriers are the usual choice for flying in the cabin. Cats.com says they are best for air travel because they can flex a little to fit under the seat in front of you. It also warns that “airline approved” usually just means the carrier can contain moisture, not that every airline will accept it, so compare the carrier’s size with your airline’s in-cabin limits before you book.

Sizing

Our view, not a quote from the sources: your cat should be able to stand, turn around and lie down comfortably, but a carrier much bigger than that is heavier to carry and lets your cat slide around. Check the interior size, not just the outside, and the maker’s weight range. For a flight, the airline’s under-seat limit comes first.

Carrying it and securing it in the car

The FelineVMA guide says to:

• support the carrier with two hands under the bottom and never hold it just by the handle;
• keep it level and steady, and drive smoothly;
• secure it on the floor of the car, behind the driver or passenger seat.

On seat belts, the FelineVMA position statement on transporting cats is clear: if seat belts are used, use them only with carriers that are crash test certified, because a seat belt on a carrier that is not certified may crush it. The Center for Pet Safety keeps the list of carriers it has certified. None of our three picks below is on that list, so put them on the floor behind a front seat and do not belt them in.

Getting your cat used to the carrier

The FelineVMA guide says that if the carrier only comes out for vet visits, your cat may become fearful when they see it. Leave it out in a main living area, put a familiar blanket in it with the top off, reward your cat for going near it and lying in it, then add the top, close the door briefly and build up slowly. Some cats learn fast and others need weeks or months. Our step-by-step guide on how to get a cat into a carrier covers training and what to do on the day when there is no time to train.

Our picks

Petmate Two Door Top Load Kennel

Best for vet visits. A hard plastic carrier with a steel front door and a steel top door, for pets from 5 to 15 lbs, in 19 and 24 inch sizes (Petmate). Cats.com named it the best hard cat carrier: the top door is wide enough to reach in with both hands, and the halves are held together with wing nuts and bolts. It also says the carrier is not crash tested, has no attachments to secure it in a car, and is not suitable for in-cabin flights.

Best for: cats that refuse the front door, and owners who mainly drive to the vet. Skip if: you need an in-cabin airline carrier.

Petmate Pet Porter Kennel

Best sturdy all-rounder. A hard plastic kennel with a plated steel door, a squeeze latch and side vents, in sizes from 19 to 26 inches for pets up to about 25 lbs, which Petmate says meets most airline requirements (Petmate). Popular Science named it the best plastic crate, pointing to the ventilation on all sides and the one-hand latch, and said to confirm airline approval before you fly.

Best for: large cats, homes with a cat and a small dog, and cargo travel. Skip if: lowering your cat in from the top matters to you, since it has a front door only.

Sherpa Original Deluxe Pet Carrier

Best for flying in the cabin. A soft carrier with a spring wire frame that pushes down to fit under airline seats, mesh panels, top and side entries, and a washable liner. It is covered by Sherpa’s Guaranteed On Board program (Sherpa). Cats.com picked it as its best cat carrier for air travel. The Points Guy says the medium suits pets up to about 16 inches long and 16 lbs, and Cats.com notes it is not crash tested and runs small.

Best for: in-cabin flights. Skip if: the carrier is mainly for vet visits; a hard carrier with a top that comes off is what the FelineVMA recommends there.

For dog carriers, leashes and harnesses, see our leash, harness and carrier buying guide, and for bigger dogs our best dog crate guide.

FAQ

What kind of carrier do vets recommend for cats?

The FelineVMA recommends a sturdy, well-ventilated, easy-to-clean carrier with a secure door and a removable top, so your cat can stay in the bottom half during the exam. It advises against soft carriers that collapse, backpack carriers and carriers without removable tops.

Is a top-loading carrier better?

For many cats, yes. Cats.com says a top-loading carrier is usually the easiest to get a cat into. The FelineVMA also values a door at floor level, so your cat can walk in on their own, which is why a carrier with both a top and a front door is a good choice.

Should I seat belt my cat’s carrier in the car?

Only if the carrier is crash test certified. The FelineVMA says a seat belt on a carrier that is not certified may crush it, and recommends the floor behind the driver or passenger seat. The Center for Pet Safety lists certified carriers.

Can two cats share a carrier?

The FelineVMA says to use one carrier per cat when you travel with more than one.

What does “airline approved” mean?

Cats.com says it usually just means the carrier can contain moisture. It does not guarantee that your airline will take it in the cabin, so check the airline’s size limits and pet rules before you fly.

My cat panics in the carrier. What can I do?

Go back to training: leave the carrier out, use a familiar blanket, and reward small steps, as the FelineVMA guide describes. Cover the carrier with a towel during trips. If your cat stays very fearful, ask your vet; the FelineVMA says medication before the trip can be discussed with your vet’s office.