Moving house advice

[Gingerbreadcandle]

We are going to be moving house in early September and I am very worried about my lovely cats especially one who is very shy and nervous. We live in an area with lots of open space at the back so they spend a lot of time outside roaming around at this time of year.
they are 11 years old and have always lived in this house. One is very close to my oldest dd but she may or may not be back at uni when we move, although I might ask her to be here to be in charge of cat welfare. I am so excited about moving house but so worried about my cats and keeping them in and being safe so I want to make sure it is as least stressful for them as is possible.
we are moving about 8 miles away. I am wondering if they should go to a cattery for a few days but they haven’t been to one before as a friends daughter looks after them when we go on holiday, so my pampered cats have never had that experience and I don’t want them to be confused.

am I overthinking it, and are my cats are overly spoilt ? (probably yes and definitely yes) but I would be grateful for any advice or tips you can give.

thanks in advance,

[Tdcp]

Some cats will be more stressed than others. I usually move the cats first and lock them in a bedroom and let them out at the new house after everything is done, though I've just moved with my 8 year old cat and 9 month old cat, honestly they took to it like a duck takes to water. I kept the older one inside for a few hours to settle in a bit and then she was fine, they've been golden since. I usually keep cats in for a couple of weeks after moving but neither will use a tray. I think a cattery is unnecessary stress though.

[AverageJoan]

I put my cats in the Cattery for a few days while we moved so it would be a little less chaotic for them than all the noise and people at home then collected them once things were a bit calmer. I opened their carriers in the same room as their litter tray and food so they could have a good sniff around and get used to everything but it didn't take long before they were off exploring the rest of the house and deciding on the best new sleeping spots.
Mine are indoor cats so it's slightly different but I think the general advice is to try keep them in a week after you've moved so they can get used to the new place before being let outside but I'm sure you know your cats best ☺️

[rumred]

I moved 6 years ago and was worried about the cats but they settled quickly. They were about 7/8 at the time. I planned to keep them indoors for a week but they were fine going out after a few days as they seemed at home and OK.
If I remember rightly i kept them in one room once we came over and the removal people were unloading. Then gave them the run of the house once theyd gone. Lots of treats too. I tried not to be anxious around them and it worked.

I wouldn't put them in a cattery as theyll be completely confused, especially if they've not been before. Just plan for their needs on moving day.

[Ganymedemoon]

House moves can be very stressful for animals for sure. They do adapt but it takes a while. My cat peed all over my sofa, literally all over it multiple times when we moved and he was young, around 1 yrs old. However my old cat took moving in her stride, she was very much a people focused cat, so I think as long as she was with me she was fine.

I think having your daughter around would really help, I would also try feliway, in my experience it does help.

Yes you need 1 litter tray per cat for sure and they need to stay in for 3 weeks. Mind you we let mine out after 1 week as the furniture could not take it and he was fine.

Does the house your moving into have any pets now living there. Our house had 2 cats here and I think that was what distressed my cat most.

Other things you could do would be to get a towel and go to the house and get the houses scent over it, if you can then let your cats have a smell before you move? I have not done this myself but it may help?

[crj123]

Oh also IME two cats will use the same litter tray but eek it is not going to be a lot of fun for whoever cleans it

[crj123]

If you can't spoil cats, who can you spoil?!
The experience of moving (all the packing up, moving of furniture etc) I have found to be very stressful for cats. In your place I have put them in a cattery for a few days, then brought them to the new place as soon as there is minimal disruption. Then they had a room to themselves for as long as they wanted it, but I didn't let them out for a good couple of weeks.

[Itsvalentino]

No advice, but I’ll be following as we’ll be moving soon, my cat is 13.5 and has a brilliant routine.

Out the back door, lounge in the garden for an hour, over the back gate and in through the front door.

She has also learnt to tolerate the neighbours cats (she’s a feisty so n so) so I’m really worried about the move.

[Gingerbreadcandle]

Oh and they never use a litter tray, so they will need to get used to that? Do we need one each ?