House move with cats - give me your tips

YesItsMeIDontCare · 20/07/2024 12:37

Your first step is the same as what I do. Keep one room clear at the new place and put cats in there when you move them so they have a quiet place while people are still around moving stuff about. Let them out for their first mooch when it's all quiet and get Feliway plug-ins.

Oh, lots of Dreamies and catnip too 😁

SadieContrary · 20/07/2024 12:46

When they first go out at their new place, dot some litter outside in the perimeter of your home. Their sense of smell is phenomenal and it helps to guide them back home.

One of my kitties is prone to going astray and he has a collar with an apple air tag affixed into it (from Amazon). Even on the odd occasion the collar has pinged off I even know where to find that!

Happy new home

greywolfie · 20/07/2024 12:53

We moved with our 2 10 year olds and did all of the above advice. They'd never been through a house move before.
We were very worried for the first couple of days as one was very stressed (growling and fighting her sister) and the other was depressed and stayed hidden. However, they came around and seemed to settle after about 10 days.
So please don't worry if they seem very out of sorts at first.
They do seem to still be very attached to the first room we put them in so you may want to plan ahead!

AnnaMagnani · 20/07/2024 13:00

I put mine in cattery before packing and retrieved them after unpacking at the new house.

They will not be happy whatever you do, at least this way I wasn't worrying about them or concerned they had gone missing.

murasaki · 20/07/2024 13:08

Packar · 20/07/2024 12:31

Just me and 2 elderly cats moving a 20 minute journey away. Doing a self move with help of friends.

My thoughts were to keep them locked in a quietish room with litter tray, food, water, beds whilst all the moving out is taking place. Get things in place at new place then go back to get them on the last run. Any problems with that?

I will keep them in for a month in their new home before letting them out.

What are your tips for the moving phase when they're resident in my current house and furniture etc is being moved?

And what are your tips for when they arrive at their new home?

I did exactly what you said. I didn't let them out for the first day as they'd been indoors cats but did on day 2. Dreamies as said!

SeeSeeRider · 20/07/2024 13:08

Butter their paws when you get them in the new place, my mum said, and it seemed to work! They totally didn't object. I think maybe the idea is they have to spend a bunch of time licking their paws clean (of something nice) and by the time they've done it, they are a bit more used to the new house? Or maybe that's crazy. It was fun, and everybody, including the DCs, DH, DM, MIL, were laughing.

leeverarch · 20/07/2024 13:12

Having moved house with cats before, I would suggest that you book them into a cattery two days before the move, and collect them once you have actually got into the new place and sorted things out. So maybe pick them up a couple of days after the move.

boredybored · 20/07/2024 13:38

My 3 went on a holiday at the Cattery near new house .
We decided it was less stressful that trying not to lose them and keeping them in baskets for hours .

If you
Must keep them , get a big dog crate and put them
In there with a litter tray and food and move that to the car boot so they can move around
One of my mums cats died from the stress of moving 10 years ago and she wasn't even old or in the basket that long .

IncognitoUsername · 20/07/2024 13:45

Your plan sounds good. We moved 3 1/2 hours away and ours soon settled in.
I always wondered about the buttering the paws thing - my gran used to say to do that but wouldn’t you just get butter all over your carpets?

greywolfie · 20/07/2024 14:10

Mine have never been in a cattery, as we've always used a home visit service. If they had been used to cattery then I definitely would have put them in!

maximist · 20/07/2024 14:32

AnnaMagnani · 20/07/2024 13:00

I put mine in cattery before packing and retrieved them after unpacking at the new house.

They will not be happy whatever you do, at least this way I wasn't worrying about them or concerned they had gone missing.

I did this too, it was much less stressful for me and for them. I kept them in for a week or so after I moved, then started going out with them to get them used to the new surroundings. It worked fine.

Soubriquet · 20/07/2024 14:50

We moved about a month ago

Whilst we were moving stuff, she was shut in the bathroom with her food, water and litter tray. Then I left her in there all day and crated her at the last minute.

once we got there, I shut her back in the bathroom with her stuff until the things were moved that needed to be such as beds. After that she was allowed to investigate as she wished.

Minimum 2 weeks kept in after a house move.

good luck

Original poster

Packar · 21/07/2024 07:57

Glad I'm on the right track with this and thanks are for your comments.

So want to reduce the horribleness of the move for my kitties

OP posts:

DifficultBloodyWoman · 21/07/2024 08:07

Minimum of two weeks inside after the move.

When you first let them out (the first few times), do so just before meal time so they don’t go too far.

Keep them contained to one room (bathroom?) whilst moving furniture. When you let them out, let them explore one or two rooms at a time. Cats can find new territory stressful and do better learning their new territory in small stages. If you are moving to a one bed flat, then it doesn’t really matter. If you are moving to a five bed, three reception manor house in the country, then that is too much to take in one go.

ragdoll12345 · 21/07/2024 08:13

We put our cat in a cattery for the move and a few days after until things were settled. Then we kept her in for just a few days. She was absolutely fine.

I believe butter on paws is an old wives tale - certainly never done it and not had a problem.

We have just had a new older rescue cat and kept her in for almost 2 weeks and no problems with her coming back. Vet suggested letting her out when she was hungry

Nosummerontheagenda · 21/07/2024 08:14

IncognitoUsername · 20/07/2024 13:45

Your plan sounds good. We moved 3 1/2 hours away and ours soon settled in.
I always wondered about the buttering the paws thing - my gran used to say to do that but wouldn’t you just get butter all over your carpets?

The idea behind that is that you do it before you let them out for the first time in the new house. It’s so they can follow the smell back home and don’t get lost. You don’t do it indoors!!

I have moved numerous times with different cats. Put one in a cattery in the new area and retrieved when house was unpacked. Others I have put in the back garden well away from the noise in a cat carrier whilst the move was going on. Don’t let them out before at least two weeks preferably three in the new house and only for very short supervised periods at first when they are hungry. If travelling use a dog crate in the car, covered with a light sheet. It calms them down if they are in a darkened place but must get plenty of air.

Nosummerontheagenda · 21/07/2024 08:15

ragdoll12345 · 21/07/2024 08:13

We put our cat in a cattery for the move and a few days after until things were settled. Then we kept her in for just a few days. She was absolutely fine.

I believe butter on paws is an old wives tale - certainly never done it and not had a problem.

We have just had a new older rescue cat and kept her in for almost 2 weeks and no problems with her coming back. Vet suggested letting her out when she was hungry

It’s not an old wives tale it works!

MistyMountainTop · 21/07/2024 09:52

Don't lock them in a room with a carpet otherwise they'll dig it up by the door in an attempt to escape, then the door will be blocked from opening and you'll have to get one of your new neighbours with a long ladder to break into the room from outside 😳

Unexpecteddrivinginstructor · 21/07/2024 10:03

One of ours walks on a harness so we took her out for walks around the garden with the harness on to familiarise herself before she went out alone.

Original poster

Packar · 21/07/2024 14:32

Nosummerontheagenda good to have ' butter on paws' explained. I too had been concerned about the buttering of the carpet

OP posts:

Gettingbysomehow · 21/07/2024 14:41

My cat Bluebell then aged 19 was so brave. I had to move cross country from the house she had known all her life after my divorce. 2 moves in fact. One to a rental then to the house we bought. She just took it all in her stride and I let her out supervised after a few days because she loves the sunshine. She was excellent and it wzs her who comforted me.

Breadcat24 · 21/07/2024 15:07

I kept her in a room with a tray and told everyone to stay away, then moved her and shut her in a room in the new house by herself.
We secured everywhere and she was free to roam the house- 2-3 weeks. Then we put a cat flap in but built a catio in the outside area so she could get out but not get lost. It helped that it was winter as she was not that bothered to be out.

mondaytosunday · 21/07/2024 16:25

For one move I put my cats in a cattery for a few days.
Another I just put them in their baskets and took them with me - they were kept in my car when the movers were moving stuff out.
Three weeks inside new home then let out slowly.

Peachy2005 · 21/07/2024 16:34

We are moving next week and are planning to leave the cats and their stuff at the old house for a few days till we are settled in and unpacked - we will be back and forth all the time and at least we know they won’t run away from the old house. Then hopefully we can successfully keep them in for a few weeks at the new place.

Nosummerontheagenda · 21/07/2024 17:05

Peachy2005 · 21/07/2024 16:34

We are moving next week and are planning to leave the cats and their stuff at the old house for a few days till we are settled in and unpacked - we will be back and forth all the time and at least we know they won’t run away from the old house. Then hopefully we can successfully keep them in for a few weeks at the new place.

I did that and lived to regret it. We were in rental at the time and thought it would be best to leave the cat in the garden the night of the removal. We stayed in an air b and b for one night and then went to get her from the empty house the next day and clean it. She was really traumatised and hates us going away anywhere now. Previously she was fine with it .