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    This Pet Carrier Is Expandable, Airline-Approved, And Totally Transformed How I Travel With My Cat

    Ah yes, travelling with your cat: the great Zillenial pastime...

    When my college roommate and I (very secretly) rescued a kitten whilst living in the dorms of our university, we knew he'd need to be a go-with-the-flow kind of cat. So just our luck, Fitzgerald grew up to be the most finicky feline of all time. In his youth, he was the star of San Francisco's public transport, always taking travel in stride. Then around his first birthday, he decided he'd rather never move again, and three years later, here I was needing to drive him across the state to my former roommate's new home.

    Thank the feline gods I found this amazing airline-approved expandable travel pet carrier! When I was getting ready to drive from California to Oregon with Fitzgerald, I was totally panicking over just how big a standard cat carrier would be, and just how little packing room I wanted to sacrifice for it. This ingeniously compact carrier gave Fitz and me both all the wiggle room we desired.

    We (the cat and I) were picking up my boyfriend on day two of our drive, so I needed a carrier that could give Fitzgerald room to stretch out in the passenger side while it was free, but not render my boyfriend seatless when the time came. The expandable sides on this carrier were *PURfect* for that!

    Of course, this purchase wasn't a complete cure-all for my travel-weary cat woes. Fitzgerald still took his time to very loudly complain about being in the car at all, let alone a carrier, for the first 15 or so minutes. But he looked cute as ever inside of his cozy accommodations, and soon he was a shockingly silent and seemingly satisfied passenger.

    Day two of driving relegated Fitzgerald to the back of the car on top of all his co-owner's belongings, but he seemed pretty happy to suddenly have a view. It definitely didn't hurt that he got two more directions to stretch out towards (I cannot over-emphasize how great these expandable sides are).

    Finally, we reached our destination! Fitzgerald had the full run of the house again, and yet he still seemed content just to hang around his carrier.

    And Fitzgerald isn't the only cat who has been won over by his new carrier. Amazon reviewers overwhelmingly agree that this product is *so* helpful AND quite adorable to watch your pet pals use.

    Plus, though it's certainly too small for my 6-month-old lab puppy, it works for cat-sized dogs as well!

    Honestly, this carrier is ~versatile~ and any and all suitably sized animals will most certainly appreciate the expandable space!

    Fitzgerald still totally loves his carrier and likes to inspect it regularly, regardless of if he's going anywhere.

    Unfortunately for him, our 6-month-old puppy likes to inspect it as well...

    If you have a small- to medium-sized pet of any kind and you're planning on traveling with them soon, or dreaming of a future where you could travel peacefully together, I highly recommend this fantastic pet carrier. Whether you're flying, driving, sailing, whatever method of transportation floats your boat, this carrier will keep you and your companion compact AND comfortable.

    The carrier expanded on the sides on the writer's floor

    Get one for your furry friend on Amazon for $40.95+ (available in two sizes). Happy traveling!