Van NessPets Calm Carrier Max with EZ Load Slide Out Drawer, Hard-Sided Travel Crate for Cats and Small Dogs

Excellent idea that works well for our skittish kitties!! The "kitty drawer" is SO much less stress for them AND me than putting them through the door of a standard pet carrier. Only issue is that the carrier is somewhat lightly-built, with thin plastic sides and fairly light steel wire; I want one just like this but built for heavy duty.

It was getting really hard to put our elderly cat in his old carrier and he has a lot of health issues so we wanted something that didn't add to the stress of his trips to the vet. This carrier is amazing! It's so easy to get him in and out of and our Veterinary clinic loves it too!! Initially a bit irritating to put together, but it didn't take long and it's super sturdy. We have four cats so I expect to get a lot of use out of it. Very happy with our purchase!

Great product

I will be moving soon and will take my cats with me. Some of my cats are tame and can be handled easily. Some are gentle creatures that simply do not want to be touched. This carrier (I purchased the large size) should make the process of confining the cats for travel less stressful for both the cats and me. I did try the carrier out when I received it and it seems to work as described by the manufacturer. I agree with a reviewer who commented that the carrier is not as sturdy as it could be. But I think it will hold up just fine. My indoor cats are not aggressive. Could a frightened feral damage the carrier? Possibly. But I won’t be using this carrier for that type of cat, nor would I recommend it for an adult cat bent on escaping.,I will be ordering several more large carriers. I do have kittens that will fit in the smaller size carrier but the large ones are more useful since they accommodate all size cats.

I bought this carrier for my 'large-breed' senior cat with arthritis. I like the concept of sliding the drawer base in, and it was definitely easier to gently place my cat onto the foam bed (purchased separately) in the carrier compared to front- or top-load carriers I have used. Our vet also liked the concept because they could leave the cat in the carrier (where they felt more secure) for the exam and injections. There were a few things I wish were different, which is true for every type of carrier I've tried over the years and with numerous cats. I found assembly a bit frustrating because the instructions are mainly pictures with arrows, which resulted in some trial-and-error interpretation. If the manufacturer ever makes a revised version that addresses my concerns, I would buy it without thinking twice.The carrier was large enough for my cat to stand, turn around, and stretch out. It has good ventilation.The drawer was easier to slide into place when the carrier was on carpet than on a hard floor. I had to make sure the vet techs knew not to try to slide the drawer all the way out. There's a stopper, but it's not as sturdy as I would like (the plastic is very flexible) and once it's popped loose, I had to take the whole carrier apart to get the drawer back in properly. I also left the sticker with how-to-open instructions on for their benefit, and will likely re-write with a marker when the sticker wears off.The plastic of the carrier overall felt thinner and less rigid than other carriers I have. It flexed more under pressure (e.g., cats standing on top), and there was some side and bottom bowing, especially when it was lifted from the handle while my 16-lb cat was inside.Speaking of handles: the handle popped off when the carrier was lifted with the cat inside. Twice. So I wrote a caution note on the top for the vet techs to not use the handle.Based on the thin/flexible plastic tab connector system, I was also concerned about the top separating from the bottom, either if the carrier was dropped when the handle came loose, or if my cat got spicy, so I used a luggage belt to keep things together. Just in case. Ideally, there would be a few bolts or clips to reinforce the tab connectors keeping the pieces together. (Note: I use a belt for our top-loading carrier too, because I don't trust that the lid won't randomly pop open when the carrier is being lifted. I may have cat carrier trust issues not specific to this purchase. But seriously, who wants to try to catch a terrified cat in a busy parking lot after it crashed to the ground in a busted carrier?)The spring-loaded bars that fasten the drawer closed are tricky to align with the base, every time. This is where the extremely flexible sides were an advantage I guess. Fortunately, I am able to get the drawer mostly closed before spending time fussing with the closure.I would love to have a door that's designed to be removed easily (this one is tough to snap into place and I wouldn't recommend doing it regularly as that would stress the plastic channels) so I could leave the drawer slid into the base and use the carrier as a cozy cat cave when not needed for transport.Bottom line: if you have a cat that is calm in a carrier, and doesn't panic when being placed in a carrier, and you don't mind not using the handle to carry, then this one will probably work fine. If your cat is spicy about being loaded, you may not be able to slide the drawer into place fast enough to prevent escape or injury to you or them. Spicy cats might also be able to escape a closed carrier, which is possibly why the product information says it's not recommended for "aggressive" animals.