We are buying our own home and hope to be moving in Feb.
I'm figuring the move will be hard on our house cats, cause this is the only
house they have ever known.
Is there anything I can to to minimize the trauma to the cats? Something
like taking them to the house while we clean and back to this house during
the night to get them use to the new house?
Or would it be better to just move them once at the end when our furnature
and scents will be in the house?
Amy Gray - 31 Dec 2004 21:52 GMT
>We are buying our own home and hope to be moving in Feb.
>I'm figuring the move will be hard on our house cats, cause this is the only
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Or would it be better to just move them once at the end when our furnature
>and scents will be in the house?
What I usually do once all the furniture is moved to the new house
I gather up all the cats, put them in carriers, bring them in the new
house at the same time, and release them all at the same time. In
the meantime I keep them confined to one room in the old house while
the furniture and other stuff are moved.
Judy - 31 Dec 2004 22:41 GMT
> We are buying our own home and hope to be moving in Feb.
> I'm figuring the move will be hard on our house cats, cause this is the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> like taking them to the house while we clean and back to this house during
> the night to get them use to the new house?
When we moved a number of years ago we went to the house a few times before
the actual move and brought the cat with us each time. Doing this gave her
the opportunity to sniff around and rub on all of the corners, making it HER
house. he he he
On the morning of the move we brought her over to the neighbours so she
could spend the day quietly. In the evening when mostly everything was in
place, we retrieved her and all was well.
Good luck with your move! :c)
Judy
> Or would it be better to just move them once at the end when our furnature
> and scents will be in the house?
M.C. Mullen - 01 Jan 2005 09:41 GMT
| We are buying our own home and hope to be moving in Feb.
| I'm figuring the move will be hard on our house cats, cause this is the only
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
| Or would it be better to just move them once at the end when our furnature
| and scents will be in the house?
I would not move them back and forth, it's upsetting.
The cats will be happy investigating the new place and finding their own
furniture.
If you let them outside be sure to keep them strictly indoors for the first
three weeks.
Carola
Brand - 01 Jan 2005 16:13 GMT
> If you let them outside be sure to keep them strictly indoors for the
> first
> three weeks.
Since we will be moving in winter, my cats won't be wanting outside. They
are the kind who like to go outside when it's warm, sunny and nice.
They hate winter and never go outside until late spring.
Ashley - 04 Jan 2005 18:31 GMT
> I would not move them back and forth, it's upsetting.
> The cats will be happy investigating the new place and finding their own
> furniture.
> If you let them outside be sure to keep them strictly indoors for the
> first
> three weeks.
I'll second that, with a variation on the three weeks. My cats have moved
several times. They are *always* the last thing to move. Make sure all their
furniture is well and truly in place, ready to be sat on/hidden
under/sniffed at reassuringly before you move them. You want them to move
into an environment that feels as safe, settled and familiar as possible.
You do *not* want them dealing with the stress of a vacuum cleaner whiled
they're already coming to grips with a new, scary environment.
They will probably find a dark, quite place and hide when you first release
them in their new home. Either that or follow you around mewing
inconsolably. Or a combination of the two. Don't worry, it's normal. As they
become more comfortable, they will start exploring more and relaxing. After
a while it will become obvious to you that they now regard the inside of the
house as home. If they are outdoors cats, this is the time to let them start
exploring outdoors. With my cats' first move, this took a week. With their
last (3rd) move, it took two days. The final time, I knew they were ready to
go outside because they'd only had a day of walking around sniffing and
starting at every little noise and by the second day they were spending
every waking moment in front of the ranch sliders or windows, watching the
birds and mewing at me to be let out!
M.C. Mullen - 05 Jan 2005 05:22 GMT
| > I would not move them back and forth, it's upsetting.
| > The cats will be happy investigating the new place and finding their own
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
| every waking moment in front of the ranch sliders or windows, watching the
| birds and mewing at me to be let out!
Then you have been lucky.
The new neighbour's cat was let out after one week, got chased by a tom and
never ever found his way back up to now, 1 year later.
Other people have reported similar stories. I go for walks with the cats on
a leash if they are getting desperate, they all quite liked that so far, but
I stick to at least two weeks indoors. Then I only let them out when I am
around to watch them. After three weeks I introduce the cat door.
Carola
FMT - 02 Jan 2005 22:19 GMT
I learned a couple of things the hard way!
First, if the new house had pets, and if you have time, I would shampoo the
carpets to get rid of any strange odors that would upset your cats.
Second, don't underestimate the trauma. My cats and I moved from an
apartment with radiator (very quiet) heat to a forced air furnace which
really upset my oldest female - she was terrified to go in the basement
(where I had put the litterboxes) for days. She held it for as long as she
could, but she finally took a wee on the couch. I felt so bad for her,
because it was my fault - I didn't realize the noise from the furnace was so
scary for her. I had to move a litter box upstairs to the basement door and
within a few weeks she got used to the noise of the furnace and I moved the
box back downstairs. I also didn't put new little down in the new house
until they were used to the new location of their boxes - I think the
familiar scent was comforting.
Good luck!
Fran

Signature
A small piece of that fresh fish you're planning to grill will no doubt
secure for you untold blessings ...
Zen for Cats by Henry Beard
fatcat@cinci.rr.com
> We are buying our own home and hope to be moving in Feb.
> I'm figuring the move will be hard on our house cats, cause this is the
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Or would it be better to just move them once at the end when our furnature
> and scents will be in the house?