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The litter tray

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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:
margotrose · 24/09/2023 08:59

Take the cat to the new house first. Shut them in the bathroom or a spare room with everything they need and lock the door from the outside so nobody can get in.

Original poster
NailyDale · 24/09/2023 09:04

Taking all these answers on board.

It's tricky isn't it. On the one hand, I don't want her to disappear when it's time to move. On the other hand, I know she will be really stressed if she's shut in a room or a box.

I think vet or cattery is not the best option for her. Last time I had to take her to the vet she pooed everywhere in terror. We always get house sitters rather than use a cattery.

When we have people over or other appalling things going on she usually hides under the house and emerges later with mad cobwebs on her head. My strong feeling is that's what she'll do on moving day. She'll be happier there than shut in the bathroom. Then we just have to be lucky and get her into the box.

We're only moving 5 mins away, and no people moving into the house.

OP posts:
Coastalcreeksider · 24/09/2023 09:15

When I last moved I put my nervous cat into a cat carrier and when we got to the house, I put him in the shed and shut the door so he couldn't get out, see or hear the removal men as they were putting some stuff out into the garden.

He was only out there about an hour and a half, once the removal men left, I got him out and let him roam around the house. He was totally fine.

Snowpatrolling · 24/09/2023 09:25

I shut mine in an empty room whilst we were packing the van, left her blanket/dry food in there.
then when time to go, put in cat carrier and sat her on my daughters lap, once in new house I shut her in a room with daughter and snacks for both whilst unloading then let her out when finished! Was fine!

Snowpatrolling · 24/09/2023 09:28

Or if your only moving 5 mins away, can you not put her in the new house before you move? Put her food tray and blanket in there but she’ll have the whole roam of the house rather than being shut in a room?
mid I had moved closer I probably would have done this!

WetBandits · 24/09/2023 09:29

Emptied one room completely and put them in there then took them on the last run, we didn’t trust them not to go off on an adventure!

Shinyandnew1 · 24/09/2023 09:30

Our moving company suggested putting them in the bathroom with food/litter tray and making that the last room they emptied.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 24/09/2023 09:37

I moved almost everything to the new house first with them kept inside the first room to be emptied. Didn't give them breakfast, much to their disgust, just a few treats.

Then I loaded up the car with the last bits - kettle, tea, milk, cat food & bowls, etc - cats into baskets, into the car, got shouted at for the short drive and they were put beside the sofa so that I could sit down with a cuppa, all doors and windows were shut and the front of their baskets could be opened for them to emerge when they deemed it necessary to eat.

They weren't particularly impressed with the process, but they all came out between 1 and 10 minutes.

margotrose · 24/09/2023 09:41

Snowpatrolling · 24/09/2023 09:28

Or if your only moving 5 mins away, can you not put her in the new house before you move? Put her food tray and blanket in there but she’ll have the whole roam of the house rather than being shut in a room?
mid I had moved closer I probably would have done this!

The problem with this is she could dart out of the door while they're moving stuff inside, never to be seen again.

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