Moving house minimising stress for cat

[fiorentina]

We have a youngish male cat and we’re moving house imminently.

Trying to work out the least stressful way to manage for him. He’s out and about quite a lot and the move will take two days - packing day 1 and then moving day 2. I’m thinking it’s less stressful to move him to a catrwry before packing begins and then pick up and bring home day after moving when we have an area set up for him. He has been to a cattery once and hated it but he can’t be in a cat box all day and the packing will also upset him. What is kindest? Anything I’m not thinking of? Thanks

We took our cats to the cattery last time we moved and left them for a couple of days until the worst of the unpacking was done. They were used to going in when we go on holiday though and like yours they would have hated being confined in their crates for an extended time so it was the lesser of two evils.

I would send him to a cattery. One of our cats went AWOL half an hour before we were due to lock up and leave. Luckily she came back in time but I had to put provisional arrangements for a neighbour to capture her and give me a call to come back (it was a local move so not a big deal).

There's a cat pheromone plug in thing, Feliway I think it's called. It helps them relax. We use it when I bring my cat with me to visit my mum and I think it helps. He usually spends a day or so hissing at everyone and scuttling about hiding but with the plug in last time he settled down within half an hour

Sorry just reread and yes I would do whatever I had to to avoid keeping him in a cage for an extended period, they hate that don't they

Ok thank you. Thats helpful as having him out of the way seems kindest. Potentially he could stay with my parents nearby who are cat lovers but don’t have one now. Will investigate. Thank you all.

We were in a similar situation with our cat, and moving him before all the packing started turned out to be the best decision. The noise, boxes, and people going in and out were much more stressful for him than spending a couple of nights somewhere quiet. When we brought him to the new house, we kept him in one room with his bed, litter tray, food, and a few familiar blankets until he settled in.
One thing that also helped was having the actual move well organized, so there wasn't chaos for longer than necessary. We used a professional moving company (I found moverspackers while planning our move), and having everything packed and transported efficiently meant we could get the house ready for the cat much sooner.
Wishing you and your little guy a smooth move, it usually takes them a few days to adjust, but familiar scents and a calm space make a big difference.