BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Sorry to hear about your kitty's diagnosis.

The trailer sounds like a good idea. I would put the cat in a carrier and then put the carrier in the trailer. Even if your cat is normally placid and docile, a bike trailer is a new and potentially frightening experience. You don't want the cat tearing around crazily, defecating in the bike trailer, using its claws and teeth to try to get out of a moving bike trailer, and then have difficulty getting the cat out of the trailer safely once you get to the vet's. Use a carrier and contain any potential craziness.

When I had a cat, I would put her in a carrying case and velcro it on my bike rack to take ither to the vet.

A very unhappy kitty, but I'm not sure if she was more unhappy than she would be driving to the vet.

http://www.datamusicata.com/storage/motorcycle%20cat.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1207805165145

Sorry, haven't the hang of posting a photo. This guy is real, and so's motorcycle cat. Saw him in Baltimore.

That said, a carrier firmly secured to a rack works for most my beasts, and the skittish one gets a sheet over the carrier to keep her from freaking out. Works like it does for birds. They appreciate having the front of the carrier facing forward, it seems, and that keeps the door closed too.

It is legal to bring a cat aboard a bus in a carrier as well, which I've done too, so that's an option.

They also make backpack style carriers.

I used to carry one cat in a backpack carrier, one in a front pouch carrier meant for small dogs, and one in a traditional carrier. Watching me get into the vet's office was hilarious, I'm sure. Now I'm imagining that on a bike...

Poor kitty! He/she is lucky to have you.

I too have grappled with the cat on a bike question... One of our cats will allow me to do anything I want to him, and not really fight (or move). He's the type that would have placidly spent his life dressed like a doll attending fake tea parties if he'd landed in a family. Him I'd just put in the front basket and go.

The other cat we have will not tolerate any change or noise. All movement is evil and terrifying. Any restraint is a near death experience, and there is always a good reason to have a heart attack. No amount of coaxing or pre-exposing or trial runs would make any experience (like riding in a trailer on a bike) acceptable without heavy sedation. She once saw my bicycle in a corner of the basement that it hadn't been in before, hissed, and hid for four hours. I don't entertain the thought of biking with her anymore.

I guess I'm trying to remind you to be a good judge of your cat's personality and tolerance for new experiences. A trailer could protect the wee beastie from the elements, assuming you won't have figured something else out and this will still be an issue in the colder months.

Good luck, luckily it's manageable (both cats on bikes and diabetes ).

Someone pulled into the Bike To Work Day event Market Square this morning with a Yorkie in a small zippable carrier. Would work for a cat, too, I'm sure. Depends on the cat; see @ejwme's post, above.

I had a cat that would go with me anywhere. Motorcycle, unicycle, pogo stick, shoveling snow (in Buffalo). Others I cannot even hold onto for a walk from one room to the next. YMMV ^H^H^H^H YCMV.

This cat seems to have the right idea:

or hopefully this works:

Lou you made my day. Seriously glad I waited to take that slurp of soup.

I know basil makes a few animal intended baskets with caged lids. Not sure how fun of an experience that is…

http://www.adelineadeline.com/baskets.html

sorry to hear about your cat. mine had the same. two shots a day for ten years or so. i have taken my current cat cycling across europe in a pet/grocery carrier which goes on the handlebars (Rixen Kaul Reisenthel). Its not really designed for expeditions as its too small but it worked ok with stretch breaks. i keep a leesh on her and wrap it around my wrist so that it doesn't dangle and potentially get caught but its largely redundant as she is used to travelling. if your cat is heavy a rabbit leash may work also. i also sometimes use a shoulder bag with leash for short journeys but its a bit bouncy as your knees hit it when peddling. you can get the shoulder bag from trixie and peanut in manhattan. would keep the cat in view, especially if he/she is feeling bad. so not sure about trailer or backpack carrier. Although if you put your hard carrier inside the pet carrier trailer it might feel snug. The trailers are usually designed for dogs and have a plastic cover. In addition, cats are often more comfortable sitting a few feet above the ground so a trailer may make them nervous if they can see out but all cats are different so there are no hard and fast rules. you can also get chest (baby bjorn style) carriers but they are harder to find. would be wary about starting too many new things when she is already unwell. if you have a decent front rack you could bungie cord your hard carrier if you really want to cycle. a soft shoulder carrier and leash on the bus might be a better option depending where you live as it will be less bumpy and less scary.