Review of AmazonBasics 23-Inch Two-Door Top-Load Pet Kennel

We have an older cat and she has never liked any carrier. Getting her in and out of her old carrier was a nightmare for us and our cat. She’s getting older and she’s starting to have some medical issues which meant more trips to the vet. We just love our kitty and needed to find a better way to get her in and out of a carrier. We wanted something that keeps her as calm as possible while getting her in and out, it had to be safe, easily secured in our vehicle when we transport her and be as gentle on her as possible to and from the vet. When we saw the AmazonBasics 23-Inch Two-Door Top-Load Pet Kennel with the open top feature and so many great reviews we decide to give this a try. When it arrived I put it together which was very easy. I opened the top, door, put some soft towels and a t-shirt I wore inside to make her comfortable. Within a few minutes she walked in on her own with no incentives (treats) and took a nap. Ever since we got this carrier she sleeps in it everyday. Even after a trip to the vet she still goes in on her own and sleeps or just hangs out inside the carrier. I think its because of the open top, open door, she can see through the holes on the sides, and back which make her feel safe. At one point she spent so much time in the carrier that we had to call her repeatedly to get her to come out. After a few weeks she went back to being our very social kitty although she still sleeps and hangs out in her carrier everyday. I would recommend this carrier to family and friends. If you find this review helpful please like the review. Thank You! One other tip to get your dog or cat into the carrier or make them feel more secure in the carrier is to place a t-shirt or any other article of clothing that you and/or family members have worn overnight or for six or more hours in the carrier. By doing this your pet will smell your scent which will make them feel more secure. This work well with pets that need to be crated or placed in a room for periods of time, just like the carrier place any article of clothing that has been worn for six or more hours inside the crate/room.

I have four rescued cats who are all fearful of being confined. They are very hard to load into a carrier to go to the vet, and sometimes mess in the carrier out of pure terror. This is the best carrier I have found for them. It is very sturdy and will not leak a mess onto my car seat. The top door will stay open so that I can pick up a cat , quickly take it to where the carrier has been out of view, and drop it in before it knows what’s going on. The door is then easy to shut and lock without losing the cat or injury to me. They can leave by way of the front door once at the vet’s, and two of them will even walk back through the front door to go home (the other two just plain hate being in a carrier, going home or not). Please don’t think I’m just incompetent at loading cats. I’ve had several purebred cats born to tame mothers, and I never had problems putting them in a carrier. Wild born cats (especially my 10-year-old who had been wild-born and then abandoned by the first person who adopted him) can be extremely sweet and loving while indoors in a secure home, and still terrified of strangers and confinement.

When I adopted Nemo back in May, the shelter gave me a cardboard carrier. Ever since then that box has been his favorite hide out place. He goes there when he’s afraid or when he wants to take a nap. He is very shy and easily frightened by new environment. Over the past six months I’ve laid out several different size of Amazon boxes in his playroom: smaller, larger, wider, narrower, etc. He would sniff them for a while, maybe headbutt/scratch around the corners, but he would not get in any of them. When I assembled and put this in his room, he also hesitated at the beginning, but all I needed to change his mind was a few cat treats. Now this has become his new favorite hide out spot! Nemo is 13 pounds, and I was debating whether to get the 19″ or the 23″ one. I finally settled for 23″ just to give him more room and I am glad I did. He looks very relaxed in it.

Excellent pet carrier for the price. I was hesitant after some poor reviews but took a chance anyway. I am glad I did. Assembly is not difficult if one has common sense. No need for directions. The tricky part is assembling the door. Put the top and bottom of crate together on one side while slipping the fixed rods of the door into the holes. Then squeeze the door handle to pull those rods in and close the door. The space at the top and bottom of the door must slide over the tabs of the crate (Picture 1 and 2). Then secure the other side of the crate with the latches. After closing all the latches you can use the supplied screws to permanently hold top and bottom together (picture 3). I did this as it ensures the unit will not come apart accidentally. As far as the unit coming apart when carried from the handle goes, it sounds like user error. Be sure the top locks are secured and snapped in place (picture 4). I did this and loaded the crate with 15 pounds of weight plates and swung the unit around by the handle. It held up without any problem. I then placed my large cat ( 12 pounds) inside and she fit in comfortably. This is a great unit for the price if assembled correctly.

There are two serious design flaws in this carrier: