Bonding with your pets - alternative use for baby carriers

I am not really sure why everyone laughs when I share that I sometimes put one of my cats in a baby carrier. I've tried it with all my cats and it has usually gone over well. The first time, I did it for a lark just to see if it would work, not really expecting the cats to like it, but they did!

Then I found it a useful way to protect a new kitten from an older cat who was really out to get him. It was just like having a new baby and needing to both bond and protect him from a jealous older sibling.

And recently, I'm back into wearing my "kitten", now a 9 month old huge Maine Coon cat who is too proud to sit on my lap but loves to be held. Putting him into a baby carrier is a great way to get some together time on his terms which dictate that I have to be standing the whole time. Today, I had him for about an hour and then needed to get on with things so my daughter took over and they enjoyed another hour of closeness before he'd had enough.

There really aren't any pet carriers suitable for cats and most of the ones I've seen that are designed for dogs are pretty horrifyingly uncomfortable for both pooch and person. I have had good luck with pouches like the Karma Baby Pouch and buckle carriers such as the Ergo Baby Carrier. I just grab something out of my stash and pop kitty in.

If you have a story about wearing a pet, please share it!

Babywearing may be over but the baby carriers are still needed!

My beautiful Maine Coon cat died in late December after a long and wonderful life. A perfect 17 year friendship! I guess I moped a fair bit because my family is thrilled to see me smiling again.

Why?

We got a new kitten! We are all in love.

Oh.

Oops. Not all of us are in love, actually.

Our two year old kitty is purty darned pissed, actually. We brought the new kitten home yesterday and she was, ah, rather rude. I have never seen her make such distasteful faces, and the things she said? Well I am not going to put them up and risk offending you. Most unbecoming! Well anyway, we are all taking turns to try to keep the little guy safe and help our old grouch to remember we still love her.

I found myself holding the adorable little baby in one hand while lifting storage bins with the other. He was being stalked. She's already clocked him good a few times and left his head spinning.

It dawned on me that there was something familiar about this situation. I was needing both hands but one hand was busy holding this sweet little kitten. What to do? What to do? Oh yeah! That's right! A baby carrier! Well, okay, Stacey of Karma Baby did ask me to take some photos of my new baby in a pouch but I didn't realized it would be a safety thing to have him in there!

He loved it! Looking down from on high while safe and warm was a relief for a little while, anyway. Of course, he's still a cat, and a little one at that. So curiosity got the better of him and down into the fray he went. Quick! Off to give some huge cuddles to our old grump!