Frequently asked questions about Critter Car.
These answers cover common local, airport, veterinary, and regional transportation questions. A written confirmation controls when a particular route needs different terms.
Services and animals
What Critter Car transports
What kinds of pets do you transport?
Critter Car primarily transports cats, dogs, and other small companion animals. Species, size, equipment, behavior, health, temperature needs, and route are reviewed before confirmation. Some animals or equipment may exceed available capability.
What kinds of trips can I request?
Common requests include veterinary visits, grooming, boarding, PDX airport travel, airline cargo-office handoffs, home-to-home moves, care-facility transfers, family handoffs, supply delivery, and selected regional routes.
Do you only serve Portland?
No. We serve Portland and commonly consider requests throughout the metro area, PDX, Southwest Washington, and selected regional destinations. Exact service depends on the route, date, driver, animal, and support required.
Do you provide 24-hour service?
Service is appointment-based with flexible scheduling. After-hours, early-morning, evening, and Sunday requests may be available and carry a published $100–$250 additional fee. Availability is not guaranteed.
Can you take a same-day request?
Sometimes. Same-day and urgent requests are considered only when a suitable driver, vehicle, route, receiving destination, and safe transportation plan can be confirmed. Submitting the form does not guarantee service.
Carriers, pickup, and passengers
Preparing for the vehicle
Does my pet need a carrier or crate?
Yes, cats and small animals must travel in an appropriate secure carrier or crate. Dogs and other pets must use equipment approved for the trip. An exception requires explicit advance approval.
What if I do not have a carrier?
A standard crate or carrier rental may be available for $15. Size, sanitation, airline acceptance, and suitability must be confirmed. For airline travel, the airline’s requirements control.
Can you help get the pet into the carrier or onto a leash?
Pre-arranged crating or leash assistance is available at $25 per pet. Disclose behavior, escape risk, mobility, bite history, hiding, and handling concerns before the trip. Assistance may be stopped if safe containment is not possible.
Will the driver come inside my home?
The base service is curbside. Interior access, stairs, elevators, parking constraints, crating help, key use, or other pickup support must be arranged in advance and may add time or fees.
Can a person ride with the pet?
Sometimes. An accompanying passenger must be arranged in advance and is subject to seating, route, insurance, animal, and driver conditions. Many Critter Car trips are pet-only chaperoned transportation.
Can multiple pets ride together?
Yes, when the animals, carriers, vehicle space, and route are compatible. The published additional-pet fee is $15 per pet. Each animal must have suitable secure equipment unless another plan is approved.
Veterinary transportation
Appointments and medical chaperone
Can you take my pet to the veterinarian without me?
Yes. The guardian must tell the clinic that Critter Car is transporting, authorize communication and record release, establish payment, provide written questions, and identify a reachable decision-maker.
Can the driver attend the appointment?
Yes, medical chaperone attendance is available and billed at $1.50 per minute. We can relay written questions and return records, medications, and instructions, but we do not make independent medical decisions.
Is Critter Car an animal ambulance?
No. Critter Car is ground transportation, not a veterinary ambulance or medical provider. For a potentially life-threatening condition, contact an emergency veterinary hospital first and follow its instructions.
Can you transport medications or medical equipment?
Yes, labeled medications, records, diets, and reasonable equipment can accompany the animal when disclosed and safely transportable. Drivers do not invent dosing instructions or provide unplanned medical treatment.
PDX airport transportation
Flights, cargo offices, and airline rules
Do you transport pets to and from PDX?
Yes. Airport transportation has a published $349 base rate plus mileage, waiting, parking, after-hours fees, and other applicable costs.
Will you take the animal into the terminal?
Only when airport and airline rules permit and the specific handoff requires it. PDX states that animals not traveling with their owner or being shipped by air are not allowed inside the terminal. Some handoffs occur at an airline cargo office.
How do I know whether pickup is at baggage claim or a cargo office?
Call the airline in advance. PDX directs people collecting an animal to confirm whether pickup occurs in the terminal or at the airline’s cargo office and to obtain the correct address and directions.
Does Critter Car book the pet with the airline?
Not as part of standard ground transportation. The guardian or shipper must reserve the animal, confirm airline fees and acceptance, and meet carrier, health, documentation, weather, and timing requirements unless a separate written relocation agreement says otherwise.
Can you guarantee the airline will accept or release the pet?
No. Airlines and cargo providers control acceptance and release. Delays, refusal, missing documents, changed flights, weather holds, or incorrect handoff information can create additional waiting, parking, return, or alternate-care costs.
Rates and booking
Payment, mileage, and waiting
What are the current base rates?
Published rates include $125 one way, $175 round trip, $349 airport transportation, and $249 for veterinary appointment round-trip transport with up to one hour of waiting. Mileage is $4.99 per mile.
When is waiting time charged?
The published waiting, idle, and medical chaperone rate is $1.50 per minute. It can apply when the driver must remain for pickup, appointments, airport or cargo delays, parking, paperwork, discharge, access, or receiving-party delays unless time is included in writing.
Is a deposit required?
Yes. The booking process requires a $99 non-refundable deposit. A request is not valid until the deposit is paid and Critter Car confirms the service.
Why can the final total differ from an estimate?
Estimates depend on the details provided. Actual mileage, waiting, parking, tolls, route changes, added stops, access problems, changed pet count, different equipment, after-hours timing, or a changed service scope may alter the total.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Contact Critter Car as soon as possible. The $99 booking deposit is non-refundable. Any additional cancellation, rescheduling, credit, membership, or package terms are governed by the written confirmation for the service.
Long-distance and disruptions
Custom routes and real-world delays
Do you offer long-distance or interstate ground transport?
Selected regional and longer routes may be available by custom quote. Pricing can include mileage, driver time, return travel, lodging, waiting, parking, tolls, ferries, equipment, and other direct costs.
What if traffic, weather, or a flight delays the trip?
Critter Car will use reasonable efforts to communicate and adapt, but timing is not absolute. Traffic, collisions, weather, closures, flights, clinics, cargo operations, parking, and mechanical issues can change arrival time and cost.
Can Critter Car refuse a trip?
Yes. Service may be declined, changed, paused, or ended when the animal, equipment, route, weather, access, receiving arrangement, information provided, or requested task cannot be completed safely within available capability.
Still have a question tied to a specific animal or route?
The most accurate answer comes from the actual addresses, date, timing, animal, carrier, and handoff plan.
