Hi everyone,
Today we are looking at a fabulous cat carrier from Maelson.
Each time we’ve adopted a cat we’ve bought a new carrier. At first I was determined to get something a bit sturdier and roomy that the small plastic crates with a metal grill that we’d seen in some shops. Our first cat was brought home in a large plastic carrier which appealed to my Sci-Fi loving side. It turned out to be rather heavy and not so easy to use. With our second cat came a switch back to basics the plastic crate mentioned above. Both lacked in features needed to transport a cat to the vets. The biggest one being the need to be able to have some contact with your cat while keeping them in the carrier.
(Nubia: It also serves a perfect solution as a higher resting space for me! <3)
Unlike our previous two carriers, the Maelson SK52 is made of a steel frame with a nylon cover giving it the appearance of a rather high quality sports bag. This gave it a significant advantage over our first carrier in terms of weight. The fact that the SK52 can also be collapsed to a much smaller size when not in use means it also takes up a lot less space in the cupboard.
The feature which really impressed me though was the ease of access to the carrier. There are 3 ways in – short end, long end and from the top. All of these have a mesh door and 2 are further covered by a flap which can be rolled up to provide more access and light. The mesh flaps themselves can also be folded up and held out of the way with Velcro. There’s also extra security in case your cat is clever enough to try and open the flaps from the inside and a number of straps available to anchor the carrier using seat belts when in a car. Our two hard cases have carry handles which are ok for a short period but cut into your hand after a while. The SK52 has 2 strap handles which can be held together with a Velcro flap to make holding with one hand easy.
Maelson’s products were originally designed for dogs but the small size we tried is perfect for most cats. The fleecy lining seems particularly well suited to feline tastes. It’s usually a bit of a drawn out process to get Nubia into a carrier as he know what it means (usually a vet trip). When I used the SK52, I opened the flap and went to fetch the usual toy and treat combination to entice her in. I needn’t have worried. When I came back Nubia was quite happily lying in the carrier making herself at home.
She obviously didn’t mind the fact that the badge above the door said “smart dog solutions” (Though all new carriers have the smart dog & cat solution branding so Nubia should be happy hehe). At the vets I was able to open the top flap just enough to put my hand in for a little head rub while we were waiting. One thing I was a little worried about was the fact that as it’s a soft carrier there is some movement in the base while moving. Nubia didn’t seem to mind this at all. I just had to remember to be extra careful when putting the carrier down. However rest assured that Nubia was safe the whole journey! 🙂
As you can see Nubia likes the carrier so much that she enters from any possible location. 🙂
While trying to check out all the openings for the original review both of them decided to go in at the same time. LOL
One of the reasons why the kitties may like to go into the carrier with such an ease is the fact that Maelson are only using material that would be safe for children toys avoiding material that contain too many pollutions and could therefore negatively impact our little (or big) family members. 🙂
Overall verdict:
If you want a pet carrier with easy access, light weight to carrier and can be strapped in securely on a car journey this is one to consider!
So if you’d like to purchase one of these yourself they are available in various sizes through different retailers in worldwide locations through the Maelson website by clicking here. Once there you will see a menu for all available countries and who distributes these in your selected country.
Additionally you can find Maelson on Facebook by clicking here.
Thanks,
Iain
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Sounds good for vet trips. However, since we were discussing taking kittens over the boarder – you need an Airtravel-approved carrier for that – IATA has a site for that:
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live-animals/Documents/pet-container-requirements.pdf
Very true! Though if we move with them it won’t be for quite a few years to come. 😉 I am happily employed in the UK atm haha.
But thanks for pointing out the IATA requirements just in case we ever need it. 😀
You know, the UK is contempleting leaving the EU.
Sigh. Politics nowadays just make me wonder… Everyone just seems up against each other 🙁
Wow! That looks like a carrier I wouldn’t hate. (High compliments from a cat, mind you.)
Thank you Carol! Have you seen the very important caption it contest in last nights post btw? 😉 it needs a bit of your humour 😀
I’m on it!
😀
That looks great, I might try one for our two dogs – one each obviously though 🙂 We use them mainly for keeping them safe and secure for trip in the car- so comfort is everything!
Thanks Suzanne! 🙂 And yes this one would be perfect for that! You can safely strap it in on a car journey 😀
That’s a nice carrier…or PTU (prisoner transport unit) as we like to call it. We like that it’s soft and light weight, but still keeps its shape.
I think you may find that this one is as good as a cat cave! So may get you over the PTU 😉 It did for my two and they don’t even mind the dreaded trip to the person with the v-word job title! 😉
I could never get my cat to voluntarily get in one. Carrier meant vet. I like the nylon fold up.
Great review ! That’s a nice PTU (and we checked a reseller website, it’s not expensive) ! Purrs
The cat looks contented in it…just as if he were in a good box! 😀
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