This is a very quick post, prompted by an e-mail message from reader Joe, who told me that when he took his cats to Costa Rico in 2007, they literally tore through the ventilation panels of the Sherpa Delta Pet Carriers he’d bought for them:

“My friend and I spent the whole 5 hour flight bent over physically holding the ripped areas closed to prevent them from escaping again. Miserable experience, to say the least.

I’m planning my trip back in a few months, so I contacted several vendors about the construction of their mesh ventilation areas.  Within hours I received a reply from Don at SturdiBag, who offered to upgrade the mesh areas with a heavier grade, more durable material at a reasonable cost. Most of you will never have a problem like I encountered on the flight to Costa Rica, but now I can travel with the peace of mind knowing that Brother Boy and Gringo will be safe and secure in their carriers. I can’t speak highly enough about the customer service at SturdiBag.”

I thanked Joe for his message, and told him I’d be passing on the word that SturdiProducts can do that kind of customization on request. Before I learned how to comfort Chloe during takeoff and landing, she had scraped enough at the front panel of her SturdiBag that it wore thin in a couple of spots, and I had it replaced last year at a local Seattle outdoor gear repair shop. They matched the material SturdiProducts normally uses, which is good-quality, substantial stuff — but if Chloe were still scratching, I might have passed this bag on to a friend and bought an upgraded version.