moving house....... with a cat!

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Soldato
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So hopefuly in August I should be on my merry way to a new house.

my only concern really is my cat.
he is 13 and VERY set in his ways, oh and also very spoilt :D

i've read online you are ment to keep them in doors at the new location for 2 weeks and only allow them to look outside of the windows so they can get a bit
familular with the new location, that sounds fine.

i'm going to get him chipped and for the first couple of times in the garden (which is massive) im going to get a cat lead :D

i was just after some personal experiences of people who have moved with a
cat and how the transitional period went ?

thanks.
 
No idea from the owner perspective but when one of our neighbours moved despite them keeping it indoors, etc. at first it would forever end up back here and keep coming back to us when no one would let it in where it used to live til its owners collected it again.
 
Tom cats are territorial and take a lot of time to earn their territory, moving a Tom cat from his long term area can be problematic, hopefully yours is too old to care.

but if not, he will go out and not come back, until he finds his way back to his old haunting ground, I have had this happen with three Tom Cats now, sad but true.
 
Soundood said:
Tom cats are territorial and take a lot of time to earn their territory, moving a Tom cat from his long term area can be problematic, hopefully yours is too old to care.

but if not, he will go out and not come back, until he finds his way back to his old haunting ground, I have had this happen with three Tom Cats now, sad but true.
Click to expand...

Which is why responsible owners get their cats "done". We've moved 4-5 times with our tom and he's never wandered. We've always kept him in at least a month after moving.
 
Found an old video - every couple of weeks or so would hear a noise at night and the cat would be out there trying to get attention after no one let it in where it used to live:

 
Shove it in a cattery for a few days whilst you move, means when you are there the door isn't constantly open and he's got a more settled environment. Get him back out when things are calmed down in the new place, keep him in doors for a few days then at a weekend let him out in the garden and sit outside so he knows where you are and keep the door open so he can go back inside if he wants.

We did this with our two tom cats, never had any bother.
 
He won't like a collar lead so alternatively use the harness type that doesn't go round his neck
 
When I last moved with a cat I put him in a cat box with a load of cat nip in it, he was off his box and didn't want to come out once in the new house! :o

Kept him in for a week and he went straight back to the old house which in fairness was only a few streets away,he always came home for a feed though. :)
 
Another shout for putting them in the cattery the day you move at least.

Get a feliway plug in and plug it in in the house the first thing you do, so it can start to take effect before you go pick kitty up.

I kept mine in for two weeks when I moved. They could see outside from day one so they got used to what it looked like. Then I had to have a new cat flap fitted, which I did a couple of days before they were due to go out.

Let them out for the first time when they were hungry. They didn't go far at first, but were soon coming and going and were fine.
 
My cats were extremely stressed for about 2 weeks until they settled. Constant meowing all night, but they have always been especially vocal.

You should get the feliway diffiuser/sprays. It simulates cat pheromones which makes them feel more at home. After a week or two they will start rubbing their faces against stuff to make their own.
 
The first bit of advice I would give, is no matter how robust the arrangements are on moving day - put them in a cattery for a night or two. Then if something goes wrong and you end up stuck in a hotel for a couple of nights (as happened to us last time, oh boy did our solicitor have a field day with the seller) the last thing you need to be thinking is, "What the hell do we do with the cat". It also avoids having to find somewhere to put the cat out the way of the movers who aren't usually that careful where they put their Size 12 boots when carrying in heavy sofas, etc.

As to the rest, procedure pretty much as when you get a new cat. Keep him in at first, if there's a conservatory or similar he can have access and see the outside. It also gives you a chance to fully suss out the street from his safety point of view. That nice quite residential through road might suddenly become a traffic rat run at school time, or a convenient short cut for HGV's going to the local industrial estate. Not something the vendor would tell you about or notice on a quick inspection, but not good for the cat's life expectancy. Even a cul de sac could have it's resident boy racer who thinks it's cool to come round the corner on two wheels, race to the top at 40 MPH and finish with a handbrake turn. Again not good for the cat, especially a 13 year old who's hearing and other reflexes aren't likely to be pin sharp any more.
 
Get some Feliway and keep the doors closed for a while.

Recently bought a house and got our cats back from the people who were looking after them for a year. 3 weeks kept in and now they are loving the new house, garden etc.

it'll be fine but keep him in for a few weeks
 
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