How do you secure carriers with a seat belt?

[CatMonkeys]

Originally Posted by Dexter

I have never done that I have always held the cat in the box on my lap or we have made room on the floor in the car and we put the box there but 9 times out of 10 Dexter will sit on my lap and look out of the window. ( he doesn't pee if he sits on my lap and he calms down)


please tell me if i am being really irresponsible I really don't want to put my cat in any unnecessary danger

Are you holding the cat while driving, or are you a passenger in the car?

[scottd]

I usually just buckle them in the best I can in the back seat. We only put 1 of the dogs in a carrier when it goes though. Tina likes to move around too much and she is more likely to run away if she was to escape the car than the dogs.

[spirite]

I strap them in like children too, in the back seats. The open fronts face inside so the girls can look at each other, and so I can see them in the rearview mirror. The shoulder restraint keeps the carriers (hard) from shifting or tumbling if I have to brake suddenly. This has happened to me, and the carriers stayed put. I pull the part of the seatbelt that goes around the waist tight right under the place where the top and bottom lock together.

For those who run the seatbelt through the handles, the carriers don't shift around if you have to brake hard or make a sudden turn? If not, maybe I'll try that. It sounds easier than fussing with the position of the seatbelt.

[Susan]

Originally Posted by spirite

For those who run the seatbelt through the handles, the carriers don't shift around if you have to brake hard or make a sudden turn?

Mine don't, although it might depend on the type of carrier/handle. My carriers are made out of a hard plastic and the handle is not just screwed onto the top; rather, the handle and the top are all part of the same mould. So the handle itself can't move. It's a bit hard to explain, so below is a little picture of the carrier (P.S. the teeny-weeny fluffball to the right of the carrier is baby Abby!). I put my carriers in the backseat lengthwise, so the front seat prevents them from moving back and forth, while the seatbelt prevents them from moving side-to-side or up into the car ceiling (in case of accident).

[rightsaidfed]

My carrier has a seat belt tab on the top that the belt just slips under. I also loop through the handle.

Depending on the size and style of the carrier, you may have to go front or side-facing to make sure it fits properly.


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[spirite]

Originally Posted by Susan

Mine don't, although it might depend on the type of carrier/handle. My carriers are made out of a hard plastic and the handle is not just screwed onto the top; rather, the handle and the top are all part of the same mould. So the handle itself can't move. It's a bit hard to explain, so below is a little picture of the carrier (P.S. the teeny-weeny fluffball to the right of the carrier is baby Abby!). I put my carriers in the backseat lengthwise, so the front seat prevents them from moving back and forth, while the seatbelt prevents them from moving side-to-side or up into the car ceiling (in case of accident).

Wow, that's cool. My carrier is the type with the handle that's made to lay flat, either to the left or to the right, so if you lift it, it's easy for the carrier to tilt to either side. When the kitties move around inside while I'm holding the carrier, it wiggles around, so I feel like the seatbelt looped through it wouldn't be as effective. Maybe someone has a carrier like mine and has tried this method?

Originally Posted by rightsaidfed

My carrier has a seat belt tab on the top that the belt just slips under. I also loop through the handle.

Wow, cool again. I may have to check out new carriers. We only make short trips now (about 3 miles to the vet), but people here don't know how to drive - they tend to cut you off and turn without signaling, so I do want to make sure the carriers are well-secured.

[bkitty]

Give up on the dream of using the seat belts & go out & get elastic tie down straps from the lumber yard or hardware dept. They come in both a elastic cord style & a thick flat rubber style (AKA tarp straps which can be ordered on line from any shipping equipment company) with S-hooks on both ends. I strap the carriers into the back seat. Feed the straps thru the handles & hook under the back seat. If you don't have handles then use duct tape to secure the strap to the top of the carrier. I also run a short strap from the front of the carrier & underneath to the locked seatbelt to prevent the possibility of the carriers sliding forward. Since we travel a lot with our cats we have found that we can get 6 carriers in the back seat double stacked in an SUV.

[rdswan14]

Originally Posted by rightsaidfed

My carrier has a seat belt tab on the top that the belt just slips under. I also loop through the handle.

I put the seat belt around it, but it is a struggle to clasp so mu husband drives and I sit in the back seat with the carrier. There is a flap of some sort on the top. I'll have to see if that is for the seatbelt.