Moving home

[MrsChemist]

We are potentially moving home in a few months and I'm slightly concerned about our cat.

The reason being, is that we're only moving about 500 yards down the road. A very busy main road. I know you are meantt to keep them in for a while, which I will do, but as soon as he leaves he'll recognise the road and no doubt run back home.

Does anyone have any advice? He already occasionally makes death defying sprints across the road and I'd like it not to be a regular thing.

We moved house last year, across the main road and round the corner from where we used to live. Both cats used to get on well with our neighbours and both sulked and made regular visits for at least 8 weeks to the neighbours across the main road - we were really worried that they would get hurt. But they gradually settled, realised that they would get fed at the new house and not with the neighbours, and the death defying visits tailed off. Both safe and well a year on. I'd say don't worry too much about keeping them in, we only managed 36 hours house arrest because our 2 boys don't get on and were keen to go outside and explore, and that's what we ended up doing - letting them get used to the new territory. I hope this helps and all goes well

Ours has moved twice in the last 16 months both times we kept her in for over a month and she was perfectly content to accept her new home, just make sure the new home seems better than the old one.

Use catnip spray from your local pet shop and spray prominent locations around the house. Also try Feliway, some people swear by it. You can also buy dried catnnip flakes, our cat loves eating them. Make sure the litter tray is very clean so your cat doesn't consider going anywhere else like his old spots and make sure there is plenty of food and maybe leave treats around the house for him to find.

When you do eventually let him out, do it just before one of his regular feeding times so he'll come back quick for his food.

I think also the most important thing is to give him lots of love and attantion so he knows that is his new home.