Moving house with elderly cat

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Hello all. A long-projected house move is looking like it might actually happen and I'm concerned about how my DCat will take it. He's sixteen this summer, and the current house is the only one he's ever known. Logically, I know that he will be fine with me as his slave, his favourite chair and a garden, but that doesn't stop me worrying. Does anyone have advice, please?

The photo is of him in his younger days, waiting for birds to fly in and eat the rabbits' food so that he could catch them

We moved house with two 16 year old cats. When we first moved we confined them to the utility room for a couple of days. They then decided that the utility room was their home, and as a result, 2 years on, they never leave the utility room and they don’t go outside. They were definitely slowing down before we moved but they’ve never got confident in the new house.
It might be easier with one cat because he will have to come to you to company?

Some good advice here> www.google.com/amp/s/www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/moving-house-and-travelling-cats%3famp

Following as we will hopefully be moving next year and although our boy is a fair bit younger than your's this is something I've been thinking about

Lovely cat btw

Thanks for the link, and for admiring my cat. Obviously, I think he's the loveliest one in the world!

I've moved house several times with old cats. Keep him inside the new place, for as long as possible. Put all of his familiar things in a room with him to begin with & see how he goes. He'll let you know what he wants to do. He might surprise you & adjust really quickly. If you've got a big travel box, put him in it, out of the way, on the day of the removal, just so that he won't be able to do a disappearing act.

I'll be doing the same with my old boy this year, hopefully.

He looks lovely.

Hi OP, we moved our cat a year and a half ago, he is 18 now and settled down pretty quickly. He was born in DP's house and like your lovely boy had never lived anywhere else. We made sure everything was unpacked as far as possible in the parts of the house he would be in, to minimise any disturbance when we brought him in. We used a Feliway plug in and kept all his blankets etc unwashed so that they smelt familiar. We put an old unwashed t-shirt of DP's in his travel crate and moved him last. We brought him into the open plan kitchen and left him to settle down from the journey for 20 minutes as he hates being in the car. For the first fews weeks we kept him in the kitchen diner living room area which is all open. He had a couple of accidents on his first night, but nothing since. It took him time to find out which are his favourite places in the house (he has access to it all now) but he spends most of his time on the settee next to us! Wishing you very good luck with your move.

Pic of him in his happy place!

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to respond. I'm feeling a bit more positive now

I think it will be fine. If it's going to take a while to get sorted and make the house safe maybe he could go to a cattery for a couple of days or overnight, so you're ready? Depends how far you're going/is he used to the cattery? If possible I would take him to one he knows and then move him to the new home.

I moved twice once when she was 18 and then again when she was 19.
First time she hid behind the bed for half a day and was then fine cuddling with me.
Second move she wasn't bothered at all and just owned the place. She only really cared about being with me bless her.