I have seen the future of cat carriers — and I’m wearing it on my back.
Like most cat owners, I was dreading my 4-month-old kitten Wally’s first trip to the vet because of the claws-out, all-out panic that usually ensues when trying to place one’s furry bundle of joy into a carrier.
Some hide, others get wild and act out — scratching, hissing and biting the hand that feeds them.
And I suspected Wally wouldn’t be a cool-headed exception to the rule.
After adopting him from the ASPCA on East 92nd Street in December, he meowed and scratched his way all the way home to Astoria, bloodying his nails as he paced back and forth in the dark box.
So my boyfriend and I knew that we were going to have to do some serious research before taking him to his first checkup.
As I was researching, I stumbled on a new concept in kitty carrying — a $130 backpack developed by U-pet, a company that boasts that its product is more than a carrier, it’s a “mobile pet bed.”
U-pet carriers sold out quickly when a picture of one of its kitty cabs was posted last year on Reddit.
Other companies noticed, and began to offer similar but cheaper models.
And so I decided to take a flyer when a deal popped up online for a $50 Texsens Innovative Traveler Bubble Backpack.
I left it out for a few days before daring to go to the vet so Wally could sniff around, and he quickly began taking cat naps inside.
And getting him inside it last Saturday turned out to be a cinch. He actually jumped right in.
“If he likes it so much, you should take him for walks in it,” my vet suggested.
When we finished with his appointment and were back on the street, Wally looked out of the globe at the outside world for the first time, pressing his nose against the little holes in the plastic.
“Oh my God, there’s a cat in there!” a passerby shouted. “He looks like an astronaut.”