Moving with cats -your best tips, please

Annonnimoouse42 · 2022-09-04T10:48:06+00:00

we're moving 300 miles with 3 cats soon. I want to make it as stress free as possible for them. They've each got their own carrier, I've got Feliway spray, and plug ins for new house, and they'll have 3 litter trays in new house. What are your tips/ stories about pet moving? how long do you keep them inside in new house?

Techno56 · 04/09/2022 11:51

I moved locally so a bit different but I would say shut them in one empty room at the old house on the day the house is being emptied. Get some sedation from the vet for the journey if you feel they will need it. Then put them in a cattery for a few days while the chaos happens at the new place so the first experience they have there is pleasant not loud/stressful/being moved from one room to another.

Mine were in a cattery from two days before the move to three days after. They were scared when they arrived to the new house but this lasted less than an hour as they had all their things in place and our old furniture was there and smelled the same to them I guess.

They were not allowed out for two weeks, possibly a little longer and then only when hungry and supervised for a bit til they got used to it all.

Swannning · 04/09/2022 11:56

Great advice from Techno. If you can't / don't want to put them in a cattery, then put them in the bathroom at the new house with instructions for nobody to open the door whilst stuff is being brought in the house and only let them out of the room when the door is no longer going to be open.

We fully intended to keep ours in for the recommended 3 weeks so hadn't organised for the fitting of the cat flap until then but had to call out an emergency plumber two days later, who despite instructions to not open any doors, did so and the cats got out while I was at work, which was very stressful. Thankfully they came back after disappearing for a couple of hours.

FuzzyPuffling · 04/09/2022 11:59

We moved 300 miles with our two and they were good as gold.

Old house...shut in empty bathroom with food,beater and litter tray while the house was emptied. Huge notice on door..."Cats in here. DO NOT ENTER".

New house...They then came with us in the car and were allowed to wander through most of the new house overnight. When the furniture arrived the next day, they went back in the bathroom ( with the notice on the door) until everyone had left.

We kept them in for a week or so and then let them out under supervision!

When we had builders in, we used some calming drugs hidden in lick e lix which might have helped.

We hope to be moving again in the next few months and will employ the same tactics.

Original poster

Annonnimoouse42 · 04/09/2022 12:07

I really appreciate all the advice. We have somewhere we can put them in new house until movers are done. They're moving to the very rural countryside from town, so once they settle they're going to LOVE it

OP posts:

GOODCAT · 04/09/2022 12:12

When we moved we moved ourselves and spent most of the weekend packing most of our stuff into the van we had hired. By moving day we had completely cleared one room and she got put into that while we cleared the rest.

We moved locally, but the money didn't go through until the very end of the day so the poor cat spent 6 hours in the car in her cat carrier. She soiled herself several times and there was nothing we could do to help her. When we finally got in we put her in one empty room with her litter tray at one end and her bed at the other and water along another wall. We then unpacked.

Our plan had been to slowly let her into other rooms so she wasn't overwhelmed, but she did it her way and essentially wanted to be with us. We basically opened doors as she showed interest in moving around. We tried to put her things in the equivalent place to our old house. The one thing we got wrong was her litter tray as she chose to soil in a different place so we moved her litter tray there.

We didn't let her out for six weeks but it was helped by it being winter.

On the plus side she went from wanting nothing to do with my husband to being his biggest fan overnight.

SummerMagnolia · 04/09/2022 17:21

The Cats Protection website has some helpful information. It's my 'go to' for anything cat related.

Creepymanonagoatfarm · 04/09/2022 17:22

The night before the move empty one room. Moving day shut them in there.

RainbowSlaw · 04/09/2022 17:47

I know of a family who moved their cats a similar longish distance, so put them in a dog crate in the car rather than car carriers, just to make it a bit more comfortable for them, and the two could then be in together for comfort. Apparently worked really well!

RainbowSlaw · 04/09/2022 17:48

*rather than CAT carriers, not car carriers

SwelegantParty · 04/09/2022 17:55

I took mine to a cattery in my new area a couple of days before I moved, and picked them up a couple of days later, when I'd got vaguely straight. They were very pissed off about the cattery (the only time they ever went in one), but it didn't do them any harm in the long run, and it was much less stressful than trying to juggle them and movers.

RandomMess · 04/09/2022 18:03

I used a kittening crate in the car so they were together and had a litter tray. Main benefit is that they did not sing the song of their people for 4 hours like they would have in their individual carriers.

Original poster

Annonnimoouse42 · 04/09/2022 18:40

mmm. a dog crate might be a good idea for 2 of them. They're sisters and would be happier together. My old boy wouldn't appreciate being in with the terror twins tho

OP posts:

RandomMess · 04/09/2022 18:57

Have you done 4-5 hours with singing cats 🤣

Subbaxeo · 04/09/2022 19:43

Mine went to her cat sitter the day we packed and moved. Then we brought her home-but difficult if moving 300 miles! I think the large crate with a tray is a fine idea and then put them somewhere warm and safe in the new house until your stuff is all in and furniture in place. We kept her in for a week then let her out with us for an hour-she played quite happily but we didn’t let her out of the garden. It was about another week before we let her out on her own. We also put an AirTag on her collar which she’s now lost! The cat sitter gave me a valerian diffuser which chills them out, apparently.

Techno56 · 04/09/2022 21:15

Subbaxeo · 04/09/2022 19:43

Mine went to her cat sitter the day we packed and moved. Then we brought her home-but difficult if moving 300 miles! I think the large crate with a tray is a fine idea and then put them somewhere warm and safe in the new house until your stuff is all in and furniture in place. We kept her in for a week then let her out with us for an hour-she played quite happily but we didn’t let her out of the garden. It was about another week before we let her out on her own. We also put an AirTag on her collar which she’s now lost! The cat sitter gave me a valerian diffuser which chills them out, apparently.

Be careful with valerian ...it makes mine go absolutely crazy like catnip does, but in a wild aggressive and bitey way 😾

bedtimestoriesforbears · 04/09/2022 22:22

Great tips here - only one I would add which sounds a bit odd but worked with our brood is:

Take some used (wee not poo) cat litter with you - put it in new house (litter tray) so they know it's their scent when there.

Use the remainder to scatter round garden/outside areas

Keep them in for two weeks if you can and stick to it

Good luck OP!

Stripedbag101 · 04/09/2022 23:12

Some great advice here.

I moved quite a short distance and sent the cat to stay with my sister for two nights.

when she arrived in the new house she spent hours just sniffing everything - she recognised all the furniture and her bedding.

I took her blanket and rubbed her scent on the carpets. I also hid some of her favourite treats around the house so she lived exploring.

kept her in for a month - but there were a few escapes!! She came back pretty quick.