PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller review

A couple of months ago, I bought the PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller for the cats. I originally ordered the slightly more compact and elegant Carino2, but after it arrived it was obvious that it was too small for both of my cats. I exchanged it for the bulkier, but more roomy forest green Tanto2.

Black tabby cat in PiccoloCane Tanto2 stroller

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Why did I even get a pet stroller?

The reasons

I love to travel, but it’s difficult and expensive to find cat sitters where I live, and I don’t really feel very comfortable leaving the cats alone too often anyway. I decided that I could take the cats with me if I travel to some nearby towns by public transport. And the most comfortable way to transport them (for both them and me) is something like a pet stroller.

In addition, there is a large forest with a lake and a farm in my area. Rigel loves to go outside on his harness, but he hardly walks like a dog on a leash. To transport him to farther forest spots for walks is much more comfortable with a pet stroller.

K2 is more shy and is less of an outdoor-loving cat, but only because right around the time that I’d be harness-training her to go out as a kitten, Rigel was very sick. All of my attention was on Rigel and she didn’t get the same outdoor-walks habitation as he did when he was her age. She does get very curious once we are out, but it stresses her out. I thought that giving her a comfortable chariot that she feels safe in would help her feel more relaxed outdoors.

I used to have a pet stroller for both of them when they were kittens, and knew that was a success. But the same model would be much too small for them now. Hence the Tanto2.

Required features

Frame foldability
Large - fitting two grown Maine Coons.
Ability to detach the carrier part of the stroller. Some regional buses don’t have room for a full stroller to fit, so I’d need to detach the carrier with the cats to bring onboard and store the folded frame in the bus cargo compartment.
Large wheels that can handle rough terrain. The forest paths nearby can get bumpy, muddy, and gravelly. This thing needs to be able to traverse that.
Comfort. The size is a huge part of this, but when going through aforementioned gravelly areas it would also be nice to have some suspension for the cats.

The Tanto2 checked all of those boxes. In fact, out of all the strollers I looked at, it was maybe the only one that offered a detachable cot/carrier.

The Tanto2 pet stroller quality

The quality of the frame seems excellent. This is a full on, heavy duty stroller that still manages to fold to a really nice size that fits in a closet. I wish the suspension was a bit lighter - the cats aren’t heavy enough to really weigh down the springs enough. But I understand that this stroller was meant to be for large dogs, not cats.

The quality of the fabric on the cot itself is fairly low and frays easily. The cup holder ripped a little when I was just putting it on the handle, and you can see fraying stitches in the fabric of the main cot as well.

Things I don’t like

Obscured view for unknown reason

The back side of the cot (the one that doesn’t open) contains a mesh triangle that would be perfect for the pet to look through (so that they can see out of both sides), but behind that mesh was attached a piece of solid fabric! Why?! I ended up cutting that extra piece of fabric out to open up the view.

Likewise, the half of the top that does open is also largely solid. About half of it is a mesh that the cat can see through, but the other half is opaque fabric. I would have liked for this to be mesh as well, to give the pet a better view.

Inconvenient cot closing mechanism

The cot is closed with a zipper that attaches the bottom side of the frame to a soft piece of mesh fabric. This zipper is difficult to attach the first time, and that soft quarter of the cot ceiling is in general flimsy and inconvenient.

One half of the upper part of the cot is attached to a rigid frame (which can be lowered). This is perfect. I wish that the other half of the upper part of the cot had a similar frame mechanism.

It’s secure enough, it’s just not the nicest usability-wise. Our previous stroller had the edge of the cot top stretched around a frame that could be lowered and attached to the bottom frame via a latch. This was much more convenient. It was also easier to fold up neatly when you want to let the pet peer out on the walk. The Tanto2 flimsy zip top kind of just hangs there and sometimes gets in the cat’s face. You can kind of see what I mean here:

Red cat looking out of a PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller

See the mesh hanging loosely behind K2? Here is a close-up of the zip mechanism. Aside from preferring a more rigid frame here that could latch, the zip is also very small and thin. A more heavy-duty zipper might feel more sturdy and convenient to zip up:

Close-up of PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller zip

This is my biggest issue with the stroller: this zip/closing mechanism and low quality fabric. Now, let’s move on to the positives.

Things I like

The size

The stroller can fit both cats comfortably (or it could, if Rigel wasn’t a giant jerk who hates sharing and ends up hissing and complaining the whole time when put into the stroller with K2 instead of just relaxing).

Maine Coon perched on top of PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller

The adjustable handle

The handle of the pet stroller is can pivot to about 3 different angles:

Red cat in PiccoloCane Tanto2 stroller

The fold

I’m too lazy to get a picture of the fold right now, but suffice to say the frame folds nicely flat and easily fits in my closet. I usually keep the cot out to keep it as a safe space for the cats. Sometimes I’ll leave the whole thing out and unfolded for the cats to sleep in. This gets them used to being placed in the thing when we go out.

The wheels

The wheels are nice. I like that I do not have to pump them, although I realize it probably makes for a rougher ride.

The storage space in the bottom

At the bottom of the stroller is a pretty large storage space where I keep extra leashes, treats, Kindle, etc when we go out. It is accessible in full by removing the cot, or through zipper entry at the back of the stroller. You can sort of see it in the first picture I posted.

There is also an elastic pouch in the front for smaller items, like gloves:

Black tabby cat in PiccoloCane Tanto2 stroller

The cot removal mechanism

The cot is really easy to remove by pressing in two buttons on either side of the frame and lifting. Likewise, attaching it is quick and painless: you fit the thing into two quite sturdy brackets to latch it back in. It feels secure.

Conclusion

Overall, The PiccoloCane Tanto2 pet stroller has been great. The quality of the fabric and unfavorable closing mechanism aside, it has all the features I was looking for in a pet stroller for both travel and shorter walks. I took K2 on a little adventure to a nearby farm yesterday. If curious, read on!