Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

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

Original poster

What did you do with your cat on moving day?

35 replies

NailyDale · 24/09/2023 05:48

Bennet is rather timid and mostly hangs out in the house and garden. She will loathe moving day.

She is extremely frightened of the cat box, so I don't want to pack her away too early. It's hard to get her in it (one chance, and if we stuff it up she hides).

I think the plan that will be least stressful for her is to let her bugger off in a huff while the men are here; she'll probably hide under the house. And once the big truck has gone I reckon she'll emerge wondering if it's food time, at which point we'll grab and stuff her in the box. She'll be the very last thing to be moved.

Worst case scenario is we leave some food for her and she can spend the night in the empty house, and we'll come back for her the next morning. The kids will hate that, but I think she'll be fine. She has a cat flap, and she's really not very bright. As soon as it's quiet again it won't occur to her to do anything other than hang around until we get back. And hopefully it won't come to that anyway.

Does that sound okay? What did you do?

OP posts:
floofbag · 24/09/2023 05:56

Get a dog cage with a basket food and litter tray ( seconds hand off fb if needed ) and shut her in the smallest room before she has a chance to escape . Then at the last minute put her in the carrier , travel there and reverse procedure at the other end .

Get a catio for that interim if you are worried they will escape at the new house

Cover the cage with a blanket soaked in cat nip

Also I asked me get if I could drug my highly stressy cats when we move and he said yes we could get something to take the edge off so I'm going to do that as well as the above .

floofbag · 24/09/2023 05:57

In the past they have gone to the vets for 24 hours and I've paid but they hated that last time so I'm trying this now

Melony75 · 24/09/2023 05:57

Yes, sounds like a good plan. if people aren't moving in straight after you have time to go back and get her.

Original poster
NailyDale · 24/09/2023 06:03

Our cat carrier is a huge dog one, but she still hates it. Like, stress diarrhoea level of hate. The less time she's in the box the better. Great idea to get some calming tabs for her though, I'll do that.

We're not moving far and we can def come back early the next morning if we don't manage to take her at the end of moving day.

OP posts:
floofbag · 24/09/2023 06:43

I wouldn't risk leaving her , what if new people have a dog and she doesn't ever come back .

I'm 100% going to drug mine because they are so stressy and I think it's kinder but I'll make sure I have them captive first thing . Little feckers will never come back otherwise and we are hopefully going 1/2 hour car drive away

jollyjeffrey · 24/09/2023 06:53

My two went to my MILs house for the day. We shut them in a room (with food and water and a litter box) and only opened it when we came to bring them back to our new house. Then we shut them in a room again here while we finished moving boxes to make sure they didn't get trapped behind them.

Longwhiskers · 24/09/2023 06:59

I put them in the empty bathroom with their tray and told all the removals guys not to go in there. And put a notice in the door saying don’t open the door! It was fine. Once the house was emptied and packed I put them in their baskets and we drove to our new home (a two day journey but made it in the end!)

Billybagpuss · 24/09/2023 07:02

I took cat first and shut him in the bathroom of new house while all the crap was going on.

blobby10 · 24/09/2023 07:05

Emptied the smallest room and put signs up telling removal guys there was a killer cat in there so don’t open the door! Cats in there with their (never used) beds, litter tray, food and water. Worked ok each time. Biggest problem was the kids wanting to go and check the cats and letting them out 😩

Contraryjane · 24/09/2023 07:06

I put mine in the cattery for a couple of days. They were safe there.
Then when you bring them into the new house, the furniture will smell and look familiar.
I really wouldn’t risk them running away.
You need to keep them inside after that for six weeks if you can.

MiniBossFromAus · 24/09/2023 07:07

Longwhiskers · 24/09/2023 06:59

I put them in the empty bathroom with their tray and told all the removals guys not to go in there. And put a notice in the door saying don’t open the door! It was fine. Once the house was emptied and packed I put them in their baskets and we drove to our new home (a two day journey but made it in the end!)

This ^

Bristolchick · 24/09/2023 07:10

We put our cat in the cattery for a couple of days. He was a rescue and hated noise and people. Once we had unpacked the new house, we introduced him to the house where he spent the whole afternoon exploring and meowing.

TerfTalking · 24/09/2023 07:13

Cattery. Went the day before and came to the new home the day after with the old furniture and us in situ.

Was as stress free as possible for them and us.

UndercoverCop · 24/09/2023 07:13

Took him to my brother's around the corner first thing, once everything was packed and moving truck on its way, we collected him on the way to the new house

FallingAutumnLeaf · 24/09/2023 07:16

Emptied our bedroom first thing. Shut cat in there, with food and litter in the ensuite, and access to bedroom. She hated it, so sent kids in there too. Happy cat!!

Put her into the carry case last thing. But she still had hours in it, as there was nowhere safe to release her at the new house.

She hates the cattery (as in food strikes) but think that might have been better.

eurochick · 24/09/2023 07:17

Longwhiskers · 24/09/2023 06:59

I put them in the empty bathroom with their tray and told all the removals guys not to go in there. And put a notice in the door saying don’t open the door! It was fine. Once the house was emptied and packed I put them in their baskets and we drove to our new home (a two day journey but made it in the end!)

This is what we did. And then repeated the bathroom set up as soon as we got to the new place.

Whyohwhyohwhy123 · 24/09/2023 07:20

We put them on an empty room and then when everything else was packed up, put them in their baskets. We did the same at the new house.

RosesAndHellebores · 24/09/2023 07:24

Ours was a big move and took three days. Cat went to the cattery the day before the packers arrived and came home the day after we had unpacked. 4/5 nights.

VeloVixen · 24/09/2023 07:26

My cat did a bunk while we packed the van and didn’t return. Thankfully the new owners weren’t moving in that day and let me keep a key and I went back the next day and got him. Next time I will use a cattery.

Magicisuponus · 24/09/2023 07:27

We did what you are planning to do. I had checked with our buyers that they could look after her in case my plan failed and they were fine with it.
But our cat always hangs around the garden and was watching the van being loaded up from a sunny spot.
Once the van was gone, I literally picked her up and put her in the cat carrier. We were moving 3 hours away and as she hates the carrier and the car, I didn’t want her to suffer any longer than necessary.
So in the end it worked out very easy

Holly2285 · 24/09/2023 07:29

I put them in a home run cattery the day before we moved and then picked them up that night once in the new house. Just meant no chance of them escaping whilst doors open moving stuff and didn't need to worry

OwlBasket · 24/09/2023 07:29

Yy cattery. Is the least stressful for all in the end. Even cats that hate it. Off the day before moving, back the day after.

Surely2023IsTheYearForMyRainbowBaby · 24/09/2023 07:30

I shut mine in the bathroom with his litter tray and some water whilst we were packing up the last few things, repainting the walls and cleaning the carpets (rental) Everything of mine apart from my bed and 3 pieces of furniture from the living room fitted in 2 cars so once we'd taken everything up to my new place and the removal men had taken the bigger things up. I then went back, got Felix's carry box and put him inside, quickly chucked the litter in the bin before loading his litter tray and water bowl into the car. Then went back in to grab Felix before saying a final goodbye to my flat.

LunaandLily · 24/09/2023 07:37

Gabapentin 1-2 hours before you want to put them in their carriers.

Ifyouknewmeyouwoudlikeme · 24/09/2023 08:17

We let our cat out the day before but the packers were there all day and it spooked her so we couldn't get her back in a night.

The next morning (move day) was stressful to say the least as she wouldn't come in. In the end I had to go out and buy roast chicken and that enticed her back!

So whatever you do I would advise to keep her in once the removal process starts as they seem to have a sixth sense something is afoot!

Swipe left for the next trending thread