Transportation as a handoff
The work includes the animal, carrier, records, medications, supplies, timing, access, receiving person, and communication—not only the miles between addresses.
Locally operated in Portland since 2006
Critter Car was built for the part of pet care that happens between places.
Transportation is often the missing connection between home, veterinary care, airport travel, grooming, boarding, family support, relocation, and the next safe handoff.
A Portland pet taxi with a care-system perspective.
Critter Car began as a locally owned and operated transportation service and has served Portland families since 2006. Today it operates as part of the Cats in the City care system, connecting ground transportation with a broader network of feline boarding, grooming, sitting, relocation, rescue, and care coordination.
Why the service exists
Animals still need care when the guardian cannot provide the ride.
A guardian may be working, traveling, managing a move, unable to drive, coordinating a complicated appointment, or living in another city. A pet may need to move between multiple professionals and locations. Critter Car turns that logistical gap into a defined transportation service.
Support matched to the trip
Some routes are curbside pickup and drop-off. Others require crating help, waiting, parking, appointment attendance, cargo-office coordination, or a custom regional plan.
Boundaries stated clearly
Critter Car provides ground transportation. Veterinary decisions, airline acceptance, regulatory paperwork, and third-party care remain with the responsible professional or guardian.
Connected to Cats in the City
One transportation service inside a larger care system.
Critter Car can connect directly to Cats in the City services. A cat can be picked up for boarding, transported to grooming, moved to a veterinary visit, returned home, or connected to a relocation plan without requiring every step to become a separate logistical problem for the guardian.
Operating principles
What the rebuilt Critter Car identity stands for.
Prepared before pickup
Complete addresses, realistic timing, approved equipment, live contacts, and a confirmed receiving plan reduce avoidable stress and failure.
Secure during transit
Animals travel in appropriate equipment and the route is adjusted to the actual animal, vehicle, weather, and access conditions.
Accountable at handoff
The receiving person or care team is identified in advance, and records, medications, carriers, and instructions are transferred deliberately.
Transparent about price
Base rates, mileage, billable time, add-ons, direct expenses, deposits, and custom-route factors are described before the trip.
Honest about capability
Critter Car does not present ordinary ground transportation as veterinary care, airline authority, regulatory expertise, or a guaranteed emergency response.
Local knowledge, regional reach
Portland traffic, PDX, local clinics, neighborhoods, care providers, and metro geography shape the route, while longer trips are considered individually.
Contact
Two lines connect the transportation and care systems.
Critter Car transportation
503-567-8111
For route questions, current-day communication, and transportation-specific coordination.
Cats in the City care
503-214-2003
For Cats in the City boarding, grooming, sitting, relocation, and connected-care questions.
admin@catsinthecity.com
For non-urgent written communication and coordination.
Need transportation that connects multiple parts of a care plan?
Tell us where the pet starts, where the pet must go, what must happen there, and who will receive the handoff.
