Petsfit Small Expandable Cat Carrier for Air Travel, Up to 9 lb

Update: just flew again (1/5/2026). With this carrier. The delta plane we were on definitely had smaller under seats. So it was a little harder to get it under the seats. The height under was fine but it was thinner from left to right so we had to put the carrier in long ways where the expansion side could not be opened basically. Carrier is still very nice! Original review: Really like this carrier! We used this to travel with our dog on Delta. Our mini golden doodle got a little bigger than we anticipated right at 25 lbs, but he fits in this a lot better than the last carrier we had. In fact, I would say our pup is quite comfortable in here! He tends to take naps in it on his own at home. He likes to be curled up and snuggled so I think he feels quite safe in these types of spaces. He can’t stand in this but he can turn around just fine. And when the expansion is opened up there’s a bunch of extra room! Quality of the carrier is nice and sturdy with a not cheap feeling zipper. Note that in the pictures we added wheels from another carrier. This one DOES NOT come with wheels and a handle, we just used the one from our old carrier. I’ve only flown with Delta and have not had a problem with his size. We’ve flown 6 times with him, but this is the first time with this carrier and it went over smoothly! Check-in agent didn’t ask us to take him out or weigh him or anything else. If you’re worried about your pups size being denied at check-in this is a pretty nice option for these 2 reasons: 1) The mesh windows are not super see through which means the agent may not notice the size of the pet inside as much. 2) this carrier (the larger size) is definitely a tad bigger than most recommended sizes for planes, but because it’s bigger your pet looks smaller in it so that helps… also it’s a soft sided carrier so it should still be able to fit under most seats in most planes. Again, I’ve only flown Delta with him. And one final point… the carrier entrance is sturdier and more open than others I’ve used. So because of that there is more room in there for your pet. It’s good to note each airline is different and most importantly each gate agent is different. So it really is up to them if they want to give you a hard time or not. I would say that 90 percent of the time the agent doesn’t care as long as the pet is in the carrier and being behaved. YOU know your pet more than ANYONE else. So if you think your pet is comfortable and safe in there I say give it a shot! It also wouldn’t hurt to butter up your check in agent! Ask them how their day is and be genuinely nice. They put up with a lot of unpleasant flyers, so I’m sure they will be more inclined to let your “larger” pet pass through if you are courteous and friendly. Anywho, that’s my 2 cents of advice! And yea the carrier is great! A+++

This is our Review of the Petsfit Soft-sided Expandable and Foldable Pet Carrier The Petsfit Expandable Carrier comes in several sizes, I purchases the largest which is 19 x 12 x 12. Will say I love this unit and have not purchased a 2nd one sense we have multiple cats. Heres a youtube vidoe to check out more of the details. I wish I had this before when shopping. https://youtu.be/yWnnLx_zR2U This unit is also kitty approved. Our guys love it so much, I leave one out all the time for them to use like a bed. Ok here are some of the great benefits 1. It folds up very small for storage 2. Its easy to put together, zip up the 2 sides and your done 3. Its very sturdy and it does allow you to compress it a bit for air travel 4. The expanding side easily zips out and/or up. It has a liner inside that keeps this part from pushing in on the pet when closed, a very handy feature. Plus it helps prevent escapes while setting it up 5. The bed liner is very nice, its zips off for cleaning and there is a fold out part that goes into the expanding side 6. A convenient tie is inside for clipping onto the pets collars 7. The zippers are of very nice quality and zip up with no hassle 8. There are 2 different ways to carry, you have the hand straps on each side and a shoulder strap that’s removable and can also be used to secure in your vehicle by placing it behind your head rest. 9. It’s a very high quality, well designed unit that we highly recommend over the other available on the market. We personally love it and so do our kitties. UPDATE FROM THE REVIEW... I increased my stars from 4 to 5 because the carrier is turning out to be more useful than I could image. Im now using it not only for traveling, which on long rides my kitties are enjoying the ride so much more with the extra room. They are just more comfortable. BUT Im also using it to help our one skiddish kitty adjust more to the outside so when we do have to take him on a trip, its not traumatizing. I take him out on the patio in the carrier and open up the expanded side, he has gone from scared to comfortable and sunning himself thru the tented area. He is so much more relaxed now outside in the this carrier and any other. Normally he would hide in the back, but now he is stretched out and looking around. It really is a great tool to assisting in helping those kitties adjust to different environments. GREAT PRODUCT!

We have a 16lbs Jack Russel Terrier and fly extensively between the US and Europe and within Europe with our JRT in cabin. We have also used this bag on European train rides. In most cases, cases pet travel for free in Europe as long as they fit in a bag. Most expandable pet carriers have 4 expansion panels, one on each side. While this looks great on paper, the reality is that only one panel can be open during a flight due to space restrictions. The 3 other panels stay closed and take up space inside the bag (and add weight). This bag is one of the few that only has one expansion panel which is all that is really needed. We hesitated quite a bit between the medium size bag (our dog did fit but it was a bit tight) and the large version which quite frankly is palacious for a 16 lbs dog. The dimensions of the large bag are 12X12X19. On its website UNITED states: "The recommended maximum dimensions for soft-sided kennels are 18 inches long x 11 inches wide x 11 inches high (46 cm x 28 cm x 28 cm). Soft-sided pet carriers can exceed these dimensions slightly because they are collapsible and able to fit underneath a seat without blocking the aisle". Most airlines have this approximate language in their policy. Others have stated in their review that in order to fit the large bag under the seat, you will need to remove the 2 rods that provide rigidity to the top side of the bag. If you do that, this bag will fit under a normal airline seat. US airlines go by bag dimensions as opposed to weight. European airlines are more generous in terms of dimensions (as long as the bag fits under the seat) but will theoretically limit cabin access to dogs of 8kg (18lbs) or less including the weight of the bag. From a practical point of view and after many flights, I never had a situation where the ticket agent either measured my bag nor put it on a scale... The only issue when the two top rods are removed is that the top of the bag tends to sag. It is not a real issue as the dog will lie down in his bag anyways. I was considering getting an additional carbon fibre rod (available on Amazon) that I would cut a bit shorter than the original rods to allow some movement from the sides of the bag. I would place it on the side facing me (as opposed to the side under the seat) to keep the sagging of the bag to a minimum. This would be an improvement but it is not a requirement. I find the quality of this bag to be excellent including the zippers. It is also amongst the lightest which is a plus in the unlikely event a ticket agent decided to weigh the bag. Please note that the bag must be opened to slide the top rods from their pockets. My only wish is that the rods could be removed from the outside with the bag closed. This would allow me to keep the rods in place until the last minute when the bag has to be pushed under the seat. At present I keep the rods in and remove them from the bag right before boarding. I have photos taken on a plane with the rods still in place. you can tell that the bag does not fit entirely under the seat. Once the rods are removed, the bag does fit under the seat but does sag a bit but again this is definitely not a showstopper.

Everything works! Only a few minor details that kept it from getting 5 stars. The Great: No questions about size when I got to the airport, fit perfectly under the seat in front of me on a regional Delta flight. Easy to use and set up. Very stable when closed and carrying. Hardware (zippers, clasps) are solid and look good. Windows and vents are strong and well proportioned. The plush removable board inside is washable and sturdy. The Grey Color looks very good in person. The Less than Great: The shoulder strap is very long so adjusting it to a shorter length was a bit of a pain as the buckle needed to get to the other side of the shoulder pad which there is no easy way to do. No easy way to buckle it into a car with a seatbelt. The straps for the handles are bare with no padding or way to connect the straps together for easier carrying. There is just the one pocket and it is a minimal sleeve. No dedicated external loops or anything to attach a AirTag or PetID or anything like that. Details could use a little more, especially with so many cheaper options out there.

We now have two cats so this is our second carrier. We were satisfied with our first one we purchased over two years ago, so we bought another one (but different color) for our newest cat. Our primary use is airline travel with our Burmilla cats. We have flown on three airlines and never had issues regarding size/airline requirements. We really appreciate the foldout side for inflight and layovers to give the cats a little extra room. The “netting” is durable and has been tested from time to time when the cats get a little restless at the end of a trip. There is one difference in this model or color than our older one. The “wall” on the pocket end in our older one is mostly or solid fabric, but this one is all “net”. I don’t like the netting on this end as much because we store treats in the pocket for traveling and the cat knows they are there, even though we have them inside of a ziplock bag - so now I keep the treats in my carry on bag.

I had to take my cat on a long plane ride. I had never put her in a carrier, and I researched like crazy. Then I found this one. I can't find a single negative about it. It is sturdy, and the open up extra "room" is SO great and easy to open and close. And it looks great too! I saw so many bad reviews on carriers saying cats scratched through the mesh in 10 minutes, or they were weak and fell apart, or the zippers broke. I had no such issues at all with this one. This carrier was a joy to use, and I'm so glad I spent a little more on it than most of the other ones. It was well worth it.

The first time I received this product (size Large) it was defective and sewn wrong. It wouldn't zipper together and stay upright. BUT I ended up getting another one and I LOVE IT so I'm changing my review from 1 star to 5!! My tall Pomeranian loves it too. He goes with me everywhere, and I love that this carrier expands so my doggy can be comfortable. I'm a petite person, about 5'2" and this bag was at first a little difficult for me to carry (mainly bc my doggy was a lil heavy on my shoulder). I live in NYC so I do a lot of walking, and a better support padding on the shoulder strap makes it more comfortable to carry. The pocket is able to hold my doggy's water dish, his leash, my phone, and ID at one time, or my doggy's water dish and treats. It only closes with velcro in the middle, so be mindful of that so your things don't fall out. I've tried multiple carriers and I feel that this one with the expansion is the most comfortable and well made for my doggy. He loves it, I even leave it open at home so he can relax in it if he wants (although I wouldn't leave him home alone in this carrier, as he could probably break out), and when I pack it up to leave he gets very excited. He loves to be carried in it, and to peek his head out through the top. He has never tried to jump out, so I think he feels safe in it. The only thing with this carrier is that the door for my dog to get in is a little small. If he goes in/out with his harness on, sometimes his harness will snag on the top of the doorway and he will get stuck. But he is tall and I just watch him carefully as he gets in/out and it's not really an issue, just a minor annoyance. While in the carrier he fits comfortably which is good. This carrier may be a bit confusing on how to put together and use properly at first, but there are videos and things you can watch that will help explain! And if you get a defective product like I did and it still won't stay together or something, just order another one and decide what you think when you have a working product in front of you. After trying multiple different carriers, this one seems to be the perfect one for my doggy! He loves it and I love that I can take him everywhere with me!! So many adventures!

Perfect for what I needed, accommodated my large cat, and fit under the seat in the plane. Good quality too. Sturdy

I have two small cats (under 10lb) and thought this would be a comfortable and easy to carry option for them to fly in especially with the extension. Upon getting the bags, something is just too small and does not appeal to them. The extension is kind of low. I ordered size small. I am returning them. I then ordered the other petsfit carrier with two square expandable sides (it is currently one size only) which is an inch or so longer and higher and it is exactly what I was looking for. The cats would not get into the bag I am reviewing, but are climbing into and hanging out inside the other one. Definitely try the slightly larger model with square extensions for adult cats.

I bought this bag a couple of years ago after having bought and returned so many other bags. This bag however we loved it immediately. It looks nice, light, very sturdy, easy to put up or flatten, nice quality material, 2 openings....and my dog just loves sitting inside. We used it several times for overseas long haul flights and my dog is very comfortable in it. I especially like the opening at the top (and front) so that I can easily pet her thru the opening. We were in business class on both trips so the bag didn’t need to be squeezed under the seat so cannot comment on economy seats. When we don’t travel, I leave it in the living room where she uses it as a den. She loves it! I thought I should write a review to help others looking for a travel bag.

ce sac est super malheureusement mon petit shitzu ne se laisse enfermer dans aucune cage. malheureusement il ne m'en avait pas parlé avant. pas de regret quand même j'ai voulu le gater.

Superbe sac, plus spacieux que les cages habituelles pour chat! De plus, ne prend aucune place replié. Je recommande vivement

It was good, very cute, cat likes it, I’m vibing