Moving house

[Ontheflipside]

Hello all!

We are moving house at the end of November. Does anyone have any helpful tips for moving a cat? In the weeks leading up, the day of, and also the weeks following?

She will be just over 7.5 years old and is an indoor and outdoor cat at the moment. She doesn't have a litter tray in the home, she takes herself into the woods behind us. Obviously we will need her to use one in the new house for the foreseeable. Should we start her on this before we move?

We got her after we moved into this house and have never moved an animal before, so any and all tips welcome!

Mine are house cats so are used to trays so can’t comment on that.

However, mine went to the cattery for 2 weeks over the moving period- they didn’t see the worst of the packing, we could go in and out easily without losing a cat and by the time they came to their new home, it was in some sense of order so they could settle in and explore without furniture and boxes moving all the time.

I’m hoping to move soon and have a rather nervous cat to take.

I am going to put him into a cattery for two nights as the removals firm so all the actual moving of stuff should be finished.

My vet advised using Feliway, either the Optimum one which is a room diffuser or the aerosol spray which you can spray onto bedding and the carrier etc. I also got some capsules which contain tryptophan (I think that’s what it is called) which is the hormone in breast milk that has a soothing effect. You can sprinkle it on their food starting a couple of days before the move.
She also checked his chip and said to make sure that my details were up to date on the database.

My boy is going to hate being inside and having to use a litter tray but is just going to have to suck it up!

It was summer admittedly, but we borrowed a large dog crate and when we arrived put him in there (with food & a litter tray) in the garden while we spent the day in and out of the house. Kept him safe and got him used to his new surroundings. Kept him in for a couple of weeks after that if I remember.

We moved recently and our cat adjusted pretty well. He rarely uses a litter tray, mainly if he has to go to the cattery once a year when we are on holiday or if he need to be shut in so he does know how to use one. We didn't get a moving date till the week before and there was no space at the cattery. I thought it would be a nightmare but it was fine. I shut the cat in the ensuite on moving day morning with a bed, cat litter tray, food and water. Once we had to leave the house we got him into his carry basket and we had an hour between leaving the old house and getting into the new house. He was fine. Once in the new house we shut him in the new ensuite with all his stuff till the movers had unpacked. Then let him out to explore. He went round the entire house sniffing and then settled on a bed to sleep. He hated being shut in for 2 weeks and did misbehave a lot....biting, picking, climbing onto tables and worktops. Nearly escaped a couple of times through windows left open. At 2 weeks I let him out an hour before his usual tea time. He went out and sniffed round the whole garden for an hour then came back in and slept all night. Locked him in overnight. Next day he went for longer and jumped the fence to explore next door. Next few days he went in and out for short periods but quickly made friends with the neighbours.

Thanks for the tips everyone! We have a space in this house and the new house where we can make keep her safe and secure on moving day.

She only had dry food, and she grazes throughout the day as opposed to having specific meals times, but I might half fill it up each morning and evening to then get her used to being hungry at certain times of day in the hopes to entice her back home when we eventually let her out.

https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/moving-home-with-your-cat

They will pick up on the moving by you packing or getting stressed, so don’t be surprised if they get stressed too. On the day get them out of the way - to a friend or family whatever. Then obviously leave them inside in your new house for about two to three weeks. I wouldn’t start doing anything different now.

i would advise getting the litter tray now and introducing it, keep her in for a couple of days at your current house so she is forced to use it and there's no stress around it.

Stress in the new place can increase the chances of her going elsewhere- she's more likely to default to a familiar place to go if she's already using it. Chances are she'll be totally fine, it's just once a cat starts going in the wrong place it can become a habit!

Other advice here all very good - calming sprays, introduce the whole house gradually - start small. You don't need to wait as long to let her out as when you first got her as she connects you with home now, but I'd be wary of anything under 2 weeks. The longer the better if you can bear it. I've just taken my cat to a new place and 3 weeks in I'm still not there yet from my own anxieties, but she's still doing a lot of sniffing etc so plenty to keep her occupied.

A scratching post is a good idea if she doesn't already have one, can help with indoor cats a lot, minimises furniture damage. They're pretty cheap.

Best of luck!

This is all really helpful. Good shout about the litter tray in advance! Thank you

I’ve moved house several times over 30 years and also country a few times, and I’ve always let my cats out straight away with no issues. I moved 4 to Spain a few years ago and just let them all run around the garden as soon as we arrived (they were overjoyed as they’d been cooped up travelling and in the cattery for a week). I just keep an eye on them and call out to them a lot. Most of my cats like to hang with us so they don’t go far.

We just moved and have 3 cats. We kept them indoors with a litter tray for a couple of days. They are usually outdoor and indoor cats so weren’t used to a litter tray. Two used it and one refused and used the bathroom floor in protest! We then left a window open during the day so they could start going in and out. They hid behind sofas for a day or so but we’re fine. It was easier than I thought.