Moving house - but very close - how do I help cats to move too?

[oopsCENSOREDagain]

We have just got a tentative date for moving, it's about a month away. We are quite literally moving across the road. (it's a fairly quiet road BTW). The lady that is buying our house has a cat which she says is "quite territorial".

We have an elderly gentleman (OopsCat), who is 17 and blind and arthritic and will be confined to the garden and house - so for him, it is the same as if we were moving across the country, nothing will be familiar. I am worried about the stress this will cause him (yes I do have Feliway on hand). We have a territorial bruiser of a lad, who fights with the other cats in the area and defends his home and food with tooth and claw. And we have a scatty teenage lady who wanders the neighbourhood and suns herself on every available surface and steals food whenever possible.

So - how do I make them all realise that this house isn't "theirs" any more, that the new house is their new home? This house will have a catflap, I suggested a magnetic one but the new owner's cat won't wear a collar.

I reckon our cats will learn pretty quickly where their dinner is served, but they are used to pooping in our garden, and I suspect they will be visiting regularly to 'go' there!

Microchip controlled catflap and offer to make a contribution to costs in the interest of neighbourliness?

We already have a microchip catflap installed, she doesn't want it - she asked if we could replace it with a regular catflap instead. I'm not sure why! It would seem to be the obvious solution.

Do you think she really understands what they are - may not realize that her cat can use it without a collar? On the other hand, she may not have her cat microchipped and be unwilling to do it for some reason.

I think this may be a case of going to see her with a bottle of wine and some literature and opening negotiations. If she has a territorial cat it would be the best thing for her all round. Save her having half the neighbourhood cats there and spats actually in her kitchen.

Do you think you need to keep them all in for a bit at the beginning, as if you had moved somewhere completely different, until they get used to the new house? It might cut down on some of the confusion.

I was considering that, Redwings. They'd be climbing the walls but it would be the most sensible thing to do. But they won't share a litter tray so I'd have to go and buy two more... and put up with the YOWLING when they realise the doors are locked.

I'm not sure I have the willpower!

Do you have a garden? if so then (this is quite unsavoury but very effective) save some of your cats litter (not the lumps obviously) and scatter them over the flower beds when you move in. This will help yours understand which garden is theirs, and the ex-cats will smell other cats there. also I've found a turned on hose pipe works wonders against unwelcome visitors.

They don't use litter, they use our garden. And they all use different bits of it - they won't poop where each other have pooped. Flipping cats!

The new house currently has a ginger cat which is the sworn enemy of our territorial cat, so there will be issues with his scent being everywhere.

I have absolutely no problem with the new owner of our house turning a hosepipe on my cats. And i will tell her so. It's only water, and it will maybe prevent a few catfights when HER cat starts getting territorial.

Life would be so much easier if fewer people had cats! Easier... but not as nice.