Moving house. How to help cat settle

[Soubriquet]

We are moving house next week and I’m worried about the cat.

She spends 90% of her time outside so it’s going o be a shock for her to have to stay indoors for two weeks and use a litter tray.

We also have two dogs so we’ve said the cat will have the upstairs and the dog can have the downstairs.

I know I have to keep her in for a minimum of two weeks but what else can I do to help when she’s first released outside

When we moved we did a few things to help the cats - get some feliway plug ins and/or spray to help them feel more relaxed about being kept in. When we first let them outside in the new house we did it when we were home all day and let them out when hungry then after a short time called them back for treats and food. We restricted their outdoor access for a while so only had them out in the daytime for a few days just until we were sure they could find the house and not run away etc. Then once we were sure about that we went back to normal and let them stay out as much as they liked.
You can put some of the used litter out into the garden to help them know it's their territory too before letting them out first time. We didn't do this but if you are concerned you could consider a gps collar so you can keep an eye and make sure your cat comes back and you can find it if it doesn't.
We also did get a harness thinking our cats would like some outdoor access during the 2 weeks of house arrest - to be honest that didn't work too well with ours as they didn't like wearing it but again something that could be worth trying as it's a way for your cat to start getting used to the new garden and smells while you can still keep them safe.

I can’t put any sort of collar on her. She will panic so frantically that she could actually seriously injure herself.

When we got her spayed, I had to remove the cone of shame as she tried to shoot upstairs and in her panic, caught the step with the cone and fell down.

She is terrible

If she doesn't like disruption she may find the moving day a bit much with boxes and moving things. We opted to book ours into a cattery for 2 nights so they went before everything was packed into the van and then we were able to unpack at the new house a bit before picking them up. They would have been distressed by all the noise and disruption. If that's not an option I know a lot of people shut the cat into one room in the old house with litter and food/water and feliway so they are kept safe away from packing and movers etc. Also helps you to manage the risks of cats running away when moving stuff around.

Well...so far...

The cat has been outside like normal. All good

She’s come home to be fed..and I’ve caught her and shut her in a bedroom upstairs with her food and water.

She is NOT impressed.

She is going to be a delight being shut in for two weeks

Little update for anyone interested

Toots is not as stressed as I thought she might be

She is eating, drinking and using the litter tray.

I’ve got her shut in one room at the moment (mine) as the dogs are downstairs and this just gives her the space she needs.

I wasn’t impressed last night when the little shit kept pouncing on me but that’s another story

My cat spends most of his time outside. I found putting him into a local cattery helped. Once the living room and bedroom were unpacked, we brought him back. Plug ins helped to ease the stress and after a good sniff around, he was quite happy. Cattery's are good because it means the cat is not around all the noise and disruption and once they have a room they can retreat to, it gets easier for them.