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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Practicalities of moving house and no catflap

16 replies

NCPuffin · 16/06/2018 21:45

We currently have a catflap which PuffinCat uses regularly throughout the day. We will probably be moving this summer and are not sure if we will have a catflap in the next place (rented). How do other people do this? I will be on maternity leave for a few months shortly after we move, so could do door duties then, but not sure about after that.

Next point is the practicalities of moving the cat. I think I've read on here that the cat should be the last 'thing' you move, so after all the furniture and boxes have moved. Is this the best way to do it? We would obviously keep PuffinCat indoors for 3-4 weeks in our new house, but should we confine her to one room at first?

OP posts:

Original poster

NCPuffin · 17/06/2018 10:47

Bump - so much good advice here usually!

OP posts:

Fadingmemory · 17/06/2018 10:52

Hi Puffin.

Not sure about rented. Does your new LL know about the cat? Assume so. Could you ask if you could have a catflap installed?

When we moved the cats went to a cattery for a couple of days. The layout here made it difficult to confine them to one room. Made sure the litter tray was the first thing they saw when they came here. One of them hid behind a box for a day but they both soon learned where they would be fed. I let them out after a week (both very outdoor cats) and they were fine.

Knowivedonewrong · 17/06/2018 10:52

If you can put a car flap in then I would. We did at our new house with our two cats.
Didn't confine them either just let them out their baskets and let them get used to the house. No problems at all.

Knowivedonewrong · 17/06/2018 10:53

*Cat

FacelikeaBagofHammers · 17/06/2018 10:56

I'l have the exact same dilemma next month. No possibility of putting cat flap in brand new triple glazed windows and doors. She has always refused to use a litter tray so am really worried about how this is going to work out. Also a really busy road out front too.

Judydreamsofhorses · 18/06/2018 22:12

We don’t have a cat flap - we have a utility room between the kitchen door and back door, so it would either mean two cat flaps or leaving the kitchen door permanently open. Our cat goes out first thing, usually about 6.30, then comes in when we leave, about 8ish. I get home at 5.30, and she goes out again then, but if it’s wet or cold she’s often not fussed. She potters in and out until bedtime, depending on the weather, then is in overnight.

It can be a bit of a pest having to let her in or out, but she tends not to go beyond our immediate neighbours if she’s not in our garden, and she comes to the window when she wants in. Occasionally we lock the kitchen door and leave the back door open if it’s a nice day and we’re going out at the weekend.

Singlenotsingle · 18/06/2018 22:18

We put a cat flap into the wall, as our doors are double glazed aluminium things. Our walls are about 2ft thick so we knocked the bricks out and put 2 catflaps in, one inside and one on the outside with a tunnel connecting them. Cats were a bit wary but got used to it. (We don't rent so no permission needed).

Girliefriendlikesflowers · 18/06/2018 22:23

Tbh having lived in a house without a catflap and have now finally got one I could never go back!! Unhelpful I know, in the no cat flap house I kept the cats in at night and would then let them out in the morning. It was a pita though....

TamzinGrey · 18/06/2018 22:30

She has always refused to use a litter tray so am really worried about how this is going to work out. Don't worry. I work at a cat rescue centre and they all use litter trays when there is no alternative.

Original poster

NCPuffin · 18/06/2018 22:30

We're viewing two places tomorrow, fingers crossed they will have cat flaps!

I like the idea of letting her out before and after work, but keeping her in during the day, that hadn't occurred to me before. Would also prevent scenarios like the one we encountered yesterday - dead bird and feathers everywhere!

Practicalities of moving house and no catflap

OP posts:

TamzinGrey · 18/06/2018 22:40

After the move I would suggest keeping PuffinCat confined in one room in the new house for a day or two, but no longer, just while you're getting everything unpacked and sorted out. Then keep her indoors for two weeks. After that she'll be fine to be let out.

Judydreamsofhorses · 18/06/2018 23:08

Our girl is a litter tray refuser, despite having been pretty much an indoor cat when we got her. If she is ever desperate she will actually go in the bath rather than use the tray, the wee madam, and during the snow earlier in the year I thought she might burst because she wouldn’t go out. (DP ended up digging a path, clearing her usual spot, and carrying her out. I frequently change the unused litter in the unused tray, she just won’t even entertain it.)

ifonly4 · 19/06/2018 10:57

If it works out that a cat flap really isn't an option, I'd ensure she has somewhere to shelter outside as there are times she won't want to come in and you really need to go to work.

We put our two in a cattery for two nights, I wasn't happy about it but in the long term it meant they weren't stressed out by lots of noise and I didn't have to worry about them being let out of a room. It also meant, I could get one room totally ready for them, so they could have quiet and adapt to a new room and smell without lots of being being unpacked, moved around.

My girl was quite happy in the room, my old boy was a lovely noisy creature and the next morning wanted to explore.

Cliveybaby · 19/06/2018 11:05

If they're not used to a proper litter tray, sometimes a box of earth will do!
(my mum once got given one of those grow-your-own mushrooms kits, and our cat took great delight in pooing in the box... we had to throw them away!)

CrazyDaisy2018 · 19/06/2018 13:01

I also put my cat in a cattery for a couple of days when I moved. Sod's law the little bugger would have run off just as my removal guys finished, and would have disappeared for hours! Much safer and less stressful in the cattery.

I think how long you keep them in, and whether you give them full access to the house straight away is dependent on your cat. Mine didn't want to go outside for weeks, so she kind of let us know when she was ready. We let her out of her box in the new kitchen with doors pushed to, rather than closed, so again she could explore as she felt comfortable to do so.

I can't add anything further helpful to the cat flap discussion. If it was me I'd probably frown on a house that didn't have one, but you can't choose a house purely on the fact that it has a cat flap... or can you?!

theruffles · 19/06/2018 13:36

We moved to a bigger place (rented) in January and moved our cat about halfway through most of the furniture going as she has a tendency to hide under things when things are happening around her that are out of the ordinary. We put her in a room in the new house where we knew she wouldn't be disturbed too much with her litter tray/food bowl until we were all moved in.

We kept her in one room for a couple of days before gradually introducing her to the downstairs area of the house and then the upstairs after about a fortnight.

Our new house doesn't have a cat flap so we've taken to just leaving the door open for now so she can come and go - we're not quite at the point of being able to shut the door so she can stay out for longer as she's quite a nervous cat and likes to know she can get back in if she wants! This is fine at the moment as the weather's okay but we'll have to see if she will stay out with the door closed in the winter. If we're at work during the day, we just keep her inside and let her out of an evening.

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