Review on 🐾 Akinerri Airline Approved Soft-Sided Pet Carriers for Medium-size Dogs and Cats: Collapsible & Travel-Friendly Pet Carriers by Monica White

6/19/19 I have to say right away that I spent little time reading reviews or product descriptions. I looked at the average score of 4.8 from over 200 reviews and thought it was amazing. I was so surprised when an extremely strong chemical smell hit me straight in the face when I took these tote bags out of the packaging. Although my inquisitive cat would usually jump into EVERYTHING to explore, she wouldn't get any closer than a few inches and blinked hard as she sniffed the thing. She came out immediately and looked annoyed as I pushed her through the upstairs window. Another cat, more cautious, didn't let me put him in once, but it's really difficult to persuade him to climb into anything (except boxes). I didn't expect tote bags to be made almost entirely of plastic; Based on the photos and reviews I assumed it was a canvas. I washed the holders and pads (after removing the hard internals) with soap and LOTS of water; now they are dry. Let's see if the smell goes away partially or completely and I'll update. I'll also see if I have any issues similar to those described by other customers (the transport company breaks during transport or unpacking a cat is just crazy; I can't believe anyone could have done this after this experience with rate more than three stars). Overall I feel deceived by the extremely high rating and would exchange it for another model straight away if it wasn't for the fact that the day after tomorrow I have to move my stuffed animals to our new apartment and I don't want to risk not having carriers for them . Ever since my cats outgrew their first soft carriers, I've made do with a donated hard case, and that's enough as I rarely have to carry both cats at the same time. However, they are VERY restless in it and tend to injure themselves when they hold their face against the vents because the edges are hard. I really expected them to be good. The first unpleasant surprise was the smell, and then disturbing stories in the reviews. I will either increase my rating to four stars if they survive the move or downgrade to two if anything bad happens to me and me. So far there is a star deduction for the fragrance and a star to help other buyers not give up their research just because of the high rating of the item. In fairness though, the construction is pretty precise and all the parts fit together nicely. Zippers feel very strong if you take care to fold them right side over the rib and handle them gently. the holders hold their shape well when the bottom is firmly inserted (which i also appreciated as our old ones tended to fumble all the time). There are slight changes to the shape of the top, but the halters are still usable. I smell them as strongly as I would expect from such a plastic so the initial strong smell is gone after washing but there is definitely a residual smell. I sedated the cats during the move and we had no history of escapes, whether because of their good medication or the design of the carrier. Upgrading the rating to 4. You will be notified if anything changes in the usage process.