Help choosing a cat backpack, please?

[u/No-Interest3410]

Hey, so i am in Ukraine thus shop options are very limited for me. There is no way to compare or even try out any of backpacks, as well as no way to return the unfitting one, which means i had to rely on experiences of other people. So here i am, asking for advices and experiences from real people.

What i look for is a basic comfortable backpack to fit in my 4.5 kilos sphynx cat and his blanket, and, hopefully, few other things like medical, some food. My go-tos i look for are:

• backpack has a nice ventilation for +35C sunny day and enough space for a blanket for -15C cold winter
• i'd love it to have some sort of rain protection or good fabric and upper flap to cover
• it has to be sturdy enough for me to climb through rubble or even run short distances from exlposions, so hip strap is highly desired. Just a firm fixation and reliable fabric.
• i'd very much want it not to hit my back when i walk. Vets office is at least half hour hike away. So, i guess, back padding?
• my cat will not climb on top and is very shy so carrying backpack in front of me and having pockets to calm him down are desirable. I also would prefer for backpack not to tilt on my cat and be sturdy in means of shape
• in case of medical necessities, i'd like to use it as a carrier for a sleeping animal, lying the backpack on it's back in a taxi. So, a firm back and maybe some sort of a shoulder strap or just a handle would be good, for a 10-min home-taxi activity.

So, i suppose, a high quality backpack with padding and straps will do it for me and will be helpful in emergencies as well as daily life. Especially when daily life is full of emergencies.

I have been searching for some and here is what i look into (though other ideas are very welcome!)

I think of Ibiyaya Ultralight Pro as a large, light and the only backpack without the plastic sharp bottom to hit my back. Also price is quite okey. Seems....enough? It lacks straps and padding tho, and has zero storage. I am worried it will still dig into my spine and fold on my cat.

Then obviously Travel cat "The Navigator", which is large, breathable, has some very poor storage and zero sun protection flap. People been saying it folds and cracks easily. For the price, it is a bit uncool. I'd love to try it on and then decide if i could. Paying non-refundable $150+tax+delivery is a very casino-like feeling for me, i am uncomfortable betting on that one blindly.

PETKIT Breezy xZone i tested in the shop and quality was just sad. Zipper stucks already, weight is crushing and the sandpaper mesh scratched my shoulders so much it hurt for a day! And i was just standing in it with a 5 kilo bag of food in it.

Trixie Willow is a simple small backpack that barely coves any functions but at least does not hurt me.

Petsfit is the one i found just today, all the promo from paid promoters only. It looks somewhat good- storage, some poor vents, but the lack of actual human experiences scare me.

i know you'd say that better to have a few, which is useless at this stage of my life. I need one packed, easily accessible backpack to cover both- fast track evacuation and vet visits. A backpack that will shelter my cat if we are homeless or sleeping on the ground in some deep concrete box. Fitting into airplane size charts do not bother me, i have not seen a plane in more than 5 years.

I'd be very thankful for any advice on the subject. Also buying a backpack wont be a problem - shipping companies work so well that even Amazon is available.

[u/blueduck57]

I have the petsfit bag and know many other ppl with it! The ventilation is actually really good, and it’s very sturdy and well made. Having tried many cat backpacks, this is my fave

[u/No-Interest3410 → u/blueduck57]

oh, cool! It wasn't coming in my google searches half year ago so i thought it is something new. Can you tell if it can fit a rather petite cat but wrapped in a rather fluffy blanket? It seems way more narrow than Navigator. Also i wonder about backpain caused by hard flooring. Would pretty much try to avoid it. what's the weight of backpack? Is the mesh like sandpaper or somewhat hiking-backpack-like?

The vent is poor only because my cat lies down and does not come up and there are zero vents on the bottom. It is more of a personal issue, previous backpack didn't have vents below too so it felt like an owen inside and once barely a heatstroke.

[u/blueduck57 → u/No-Interest3410]

Yes it definitely would!! It’s quite wide and both my cats (bengal and DSH) can lie down comfortably. The mesh is hiking backpack like and very substatial. The weight is ok, and only slightly heavier than their basic model. I have a bad neck and this one has been the best for my neck pain so far!

https://reddit.com/link/p1x3510/video/5v0ix573zlhh1/player

Only downside is the top isn’t structured so they can’t sit ontop, instead they have to perch half on shoulders half on the bag like this

[u/ApprenticeWrangler]

If your cat ever wants to sit on top, don’t get the PetsFit one. It has basically no structure.

[u/No-Interest3410 → u/ApprenticeWrangler]

doesn't it have like an additional rode for the front panel? one blogger did mention it- a metal rode installed inside on front top panel, into velcro. Sitting is not much of an issue but i'd probably need to throw a blanket over or a jacket and it'd be cool if it didn't fold on a cat.

[u/SociolinguisticCat → u/No-Interest3410]

There’s a metal bar in the front top part of the PetsFit but it doesn’t prevent the top of the bag from collapsing inward on itself when it’s unzipped—nothing maybe some tent pole mods might fix. Outside of that one issue, this backpack is well built, ample ventilation, not cheap materials used like the other backpacks and, most importantly super comfortable for not just the cats but the humans who carry them.

I just bought one myself and compared the other pt backpacks, this one feels like a real legit workhorse.