"Tracy101" wrote in message
However, I have discovered that some cats are totally terrified of
carriers
and are better off being simply let loose in the car.

I definitely don't agree with this. The first priority is to control how and
where you drive without undue interference from outside sources. An
unrestrained cat, no matter how terrified it is, a loose cannon inside a
car. Case in point. I remember some years ago driving along taking my cat to
the vet. He managed to get out of his carry box and the first thing he did
was to search out a place to hide. That happened to be right underneath the
brake pedal on my car. I was coming up to an intersection with a red light
at the time. Fortunately, I don't easily panic in such situations. I reached
down and grabbed him by the tail and hauled him out of there. Sure, he
shrieked, but that was much preferable to be being crushed under a brake
pedal.

After that, I made absolutely sure when driving that he was securely held in
some type of carrier that he couldn't get out of.