4 Pet Travel Carrier Options That Won’t Crowd Your Apartment

A pet travel carrier is a must for any pet owner, even owners of completely indoor pets, since at some point you’ll have to take your pet out to visit the vet. However, when you live in an apartment that’s lacking in space, having a huge carrier can prove impossible to store. Invest in any of the following options so that you won’t be short on space:

1. Soft Side Carrier

Small- to medium-sized pets are perfect candidates for a soft side pet travel carrier. These carriers are simple to flatten and store out of the way, under furniture, on shelving or in the corner of a closet. These carriers frequently come with removable hard flooring inserts for the carrier, which will help your pet stay comfortable when the carrier is in use. J

ust make sure that when the carrier is fully extended, your pet can stand and comfortably move and flip around. At the same time, you don’t want to have too much space, not just because you won’t have the extra space to store the carrier, but also because your pet is more liable to be jostled when traveling and hurt herself.

2. Easy-to-Assemble Carrier

If you prefer a hard-sided carrier, which is easier to clean than a cloth carrier because you can wipe it down with a hard surface cleaner and which is sturdier (a must for a larger or heavier pet), invest in an easy-to-assemble carrier. These types of carriers are usually comprised of two to four large pieces making up the top and bottom and a detachable door. They may be held together with a series of clips or possibly screws. When you’re not using the carrier, you can disassemble the carrier and stack the pieces inside of the others so that the carrier is about 1/2 or 1/4 the fully assembled size.

3. Collapsible Carrier

Another type of convenient pet travel carrier is the collapsible carrier, which like the soft side carrier, has sides made of cloth or mesh and a removable or static hard bottom. However, the wires in this type of carrier are designed for even easier collapse and springing open, often collapsing into a zip-up cover to keep the carrier as small as possible when not in use. Just be aware that these types of carriers are best for small- to medium-sized pets, so they may not be an option if your pet is on the heavy or large size.

4. A Storage Unit or Garage

If you need a very large pet carrier or you don’t want to disassemble your carrier, you can think about your storage options so that the carrier isn’t in your way in your apartment. If a garage comes with your unit, you can store your carrier in there. If you don’t have a garage and you have a number of other items to store, you may want to consider renting a self storage unit. However, this is only convenient if you don’t use your carrier very often or your unit is easy to access.

Your pet’s comfort in her pet travel carrier is of utmost importance, but you won’t have to sacrifice a space-saving feature to insure your pet’s comfort. Just make sure that the carrier can be made large enough for your pet to be comfortable in before you buy.