Blog

How Would Your Cat’s Carrier Fare in a Car Crash?

posted by: ingrid king. last updated: November 1, 2022 by crystal uys

Sleepypod-air

this post is sponsored by sleepypod

For most cat owners, putting a cat in a cage is stressful. we can try to train our cats to accept the carrier, we can try to manage our own energy so that our cats don’t notice our stress, we can use calming remedies like stress stopper and feliway, but the reality is that, although all this helps, it will continue to be a challenging experience for most of us. But have you ever thought about whether your cat carrier is safe, in case you have an accident? Do you know which carriers are safe and which are not? Do you know the safest place in the car for your carrier?

according to the Center for Pet Safety, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and advocacy organization dedicated to companion animal and consumer safety, pet carriers can offer distraction prevention, which is important to prevent accidents. however, proper restraint of the pet passenger is critical to successful crash protection. carriers that are not structurally sound or have insufficient connection strength can directly affect pet safety, and put the human occupants of the vehicle at risk of injury, should an accident occur.

In 2015, the Center for Pet Safety conducted an independent study of carriers that claim “testing,” “crash tested,” or “crash protection” in their marketing materials. the purpose of the study was

  • examine the safety, structural integrity, and crash resistance of roof racks where the manufacturer makes no “testing,” “crash test,” or “crash protection” claims.
  • determine the top performing carrier brand(s).
  • cps does not use live animals in its tests. they use crash test dummies that simulate the dimensions, weight ratios, and joints of a feline or canine body.

    Sleepypod-crash-test

    The results of the study may surprise you. Most of us would probably think that rigid roof racks are the safest in the event of an accident, right? but that is not necessarily true.

    high performance operators

    in July 2016, cps published the first crash test protocol and classification guidelines for pet carriers. The best carriers in the study were the sleepypod mobile pet bed with pprs handilock and the petego jet set forma frame carrier with isofix latch connection. In addition, that same month, Sleepypod voluntarily certified its entire line of carriers with the Center for Pet Safety.

    If you’re not in a position to buy a new carrier right now, Center for Pet Safety founder Lindsey Wolko has this advice for you: “Don’t wear a seatbelt to fasten your carrier. place plastic kickstands and soft-sided stands on the vehicle floor behind the front driver or passenger seats.” Wolko admits that he’s counterintuitive, but the two crash test videos she shared with me—one for a soft-sided carrier (with a crash test kitty), one for a hard carrier—offer compelling evidence. Warning: Although the videos use crash test dummies, they may be disturbing for some readers to watch.

    To learn more about the Center for Pet Safety and to support their important work, visit their website.

    sleepypod-atom

    sleepypod: security matters

    sleepypod understands how important your pets are to you, so safety is our top priority. Your Pet Passenger Restraint System (PPRS) is a safety system designed by SleepyPod to secure a pet in a vehicle and restrict harmful movement resulting from a sudden vehicle stop or frontal collision. All carriers and harnesses for sleepypods include pprs components and features to enhance the safety of pet passengers.

    in addition to participating in the cps survey, sleepypod has its own security testing program, which requires each of its products to meet the highest standards. all of their testing is done at accredited research and testing sites.

    sleepypod has recorded multiple car accidents with no injuries to pets using one of their carriers or safety harnesses. all accident information was voluntarily shared with sleepypod by its customers.

    sleepypod will even replace or offer a replacement discount on any carrier damaged in an accident, regardless of brand.

    for more information on sleepypod stands and to purchase, visit their website.

    ftc disclosure: This is a sponsored post, which means I was compensated for featuring this content. regardless of payment received, you will only see featured products or services on this site that I believe are of interest to our readers.

    about the author

    Related Articles

    Back to top button