The Petmate Double Door Deluxe offers two ways to get a pet in and out of the carrier.

Few things are more important to your petŐs comfort and safety than having a sturdy travel carrier. This is especially true for cats and smaller pets such as parrots, ferrets and rabbits. But itŐs also true for large dogs, who may seem just fine on a leash.

The reason? In a disaster, the pet who travels with his own Ňhotel roomÓ is easier to deal with than one hanging out at the end of a leash.

I have always had all kinds of carriers, both in my van and in my home, where I can grab one in an emergency. When I travel with a smaller pet (such as my cat) on an airplane, I prefer to use a soft-sided carrier, such as the Sturdi (www.sturdiproducts.com). The flexible ribbing makes it possible to put the carrier under the planeŐs seat while still leaving as much room as possible for a pet.

For most all other uses, though, I prefer rigid carriers made of wire (from Precision, www.precisionpet.com, or Midwest, midwesthomesforpets.com) or hard plastic. Petmate (www.petmate.com) has long been the industry standard in hard-plastic carriers, and its large product line has something for every pet. With my big dogs, I use both wire crates and hard plastic ones, from all three companies.

For my cat, though, I prefer the Double Door Deluxe (small size is $30) from Petmate, which offers two ways to get pets into and out of the carrier. The Double Door carrier is also handy for when either my rabbit or parrot needs to see the vet. And for these animals, having their choice of doors makes what can be a stressful time for all just a little bit easier.