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Cat Forum / General Topics / April 2005Moving House with 3 cats.
Hello, We currently live in a top floor flat with 3 lovely cats. We have purchased our first house, a four bedroom detached house with enclosed back garden. Few questions: 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully carpeted. Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? 2: Our cats have NEVER been outdoors except on trips to the vet etc. If I am to start letting them out, how do I best prepare them to make sure they return home / don't wander off outside the garden? My garden has about a 6ft wall / fence all the way around it, think this will keep them in? 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I isolate them in just one or two rooms? 5: Any other advice? :) Thanks for your help!! Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) www.cutecats.co.uk > Hello, > > We currently live in a top floor flat with 3 lovely cats. We have purchased > our first house, a four bedroom detached house with enclosed back garden. Congrats on the new house it sounds great! > Few questions: > > 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully carpeted. > Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? Do you have alternative things for them to scratch? Like tall cat trees or posts, or better, horizontal scratch pads? I use this: http://www.petcarecentral.com/cospetprodsc.html And since I have my cats do not bother the furniture or the carpets. > 2: Our cats have NEVER been outdoors except on trips to the vet etc. If I > am to start letting them out, how do I best prepare them to make sure they > return home / don't wander off outside the garden? My garden has about a > 6ft wall / fence all the way around it, think this will keep them in? Not if they really want out. There are fencing products you can use to ensure they don't get out--they are higher and tilt inward. If your cats have always been indoor cats, I hope you will only allow them out when you are out in the garden. There is really no way to ensure their safety unless you supervise them, I am afraid. > 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I > isolate them in just one or two rooms? When I moved in to our current house I put the cats in carriers first thing, supervised the movers, then brought the cats to the new house and put their carriers in a quiet room until the movers left and the doors were all closed. Then I just opened the doors and let them explore. I had an older cat (about 15) and a cat about age 4 at that time, both "fixed," both girls. > 5: Any other advice? :) No, but I want to see pictures of the cats!! Good luck! > Thanks for your help!! > > Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) > www.cutecats.co.uk > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully carpeted. > Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? get them a scratching post > 2: Our cats have NEVER been outdoors except on trips to the vet etc. If I > am to start letting them out, how do I best prepare them to make sure they > return home / don't wander off outside the garden? My garden has about a > 6ft wall / fence all the way around it, think this will keep them in? not if they don't want to be kept in. No idea, sry. For my cats (who are outdoorsy types) I kept them inside until they were comfortable with and had the house figured out. When I finally let them ouside one refused to go out (for a month), another immediately set up court on the porch and the third took off for a few weeks. > 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I > isolate them in just one or two rooms? Well make sure they know where their litterbox and food are. You'll probably want to unpack first so you won't keep stepping on tails, etc. Keep their cat-carriers open as somewhere "safe" to retreat to when they get tired of exploring until they get used to the place. > 5: Any other advice? :) I'm not too familiar with indoors-only cats, but I'd suggest waiting until they're completely used to the house before letting them out at all and then only under supervision (use kitty treats to lure them back inside). Some may and will argue that you should keep them as indoors cats. pat > Thanks for your help!! > > Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) > www.cutecats.co.uk > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully > carpeted. Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? Never known this happen. That's not to say it won't of course..! Do they have scratching posts..? If not get several and site them around the house. > 2: Our cats have NEVER been outdoors except on trips to the vet > etc. If I am to start letting them out, how do I best prepare them > to make sure they return home / don't wander off outside the > garden? My garden has about a 6ft wall / fence all the way around > it, think this will keep them in? Don't let them out for *at least* three weeks, this will ensure they become used to the house and its smell etc. Cats frequently go missing if let out soon after a move. > 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or > should I isolate them in just one or two rooms? Personally I'd go for giving them the run of the place. If you're introducing a new cat to an existing household then isolating them for a while might prove useful but if they're all moving together and know one another there's no point really. IMHO that is. > 5: Any other advice? :) When you do let them out, stay with them for the first few ventures outdoors. And fit a cat flap..! Ivor >>1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully >>carpeted. Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? > > Never known this happen. That's not to say it won't of course..! Do they > have scratching posts..? If not get several and site them around the > house. One of mine is a digger... wherever there's a door she thinks should be open she'll try to dig her way under... the carpet suffers somewhat in certain places. <snips> > When you do let them out, stay with them for the first few ventures > outdoors. And fit a cat flap..! > > Ivor > >>1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully > >>carpeted. Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > open she'll try to dig her way under... the carpet suffers somewhat in > certain places. My mom bought one of those big, cheap, sturdy oriental rugs they sell at Shopko. Thing is undestructible. Petrus claws the hell out of it and you would not be able to tell. It's attractive to. If you have a carpet digger, get some of these and plop it on your carpet. Works great. : > One of mine is a digger... wherever there's a door she thinks should be : > open she'll try to dig her way under... the carpet suffers somewhat in [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] : would not be able to tell. It's attractive to. If you have a carpet digger, : get some of these and plop it on your carpet. Works great. That's true! I inherited an oriental carpet and the cats go for this one, and this one only. I wouldn't mind if they destroyed it because I don't really like it, but it doesn't seem to suffer at all! Carola > My mom bought one of those big, cheap, sturdy oriental rugs they sell at > Shopko. Thing is undestructible. Petrus claws the hell out of it and you > would not be able to tell. It's attractive to. If you have a carpet digger, > get some of these and plop it on your carpet. Works great. They don't have a branch of Shopko in the UK! Damn! That sounds exactly what I need for Sarrasine who is a carpet digger if she can get away with it! Lesley Slave of the Fabulous Furballs > > My mom bought one of those big, cheap, sturdy oriental rugs they sell at > > Shopko. Thing is undestructible. Petrus claws the hell out of it and you [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Lesley Have you got any "big box" discount stores there? They all carry them. > Hello, > > We currently live in a top floor flat with 3 lovely cats. We have purchased > our first house, a four bedroom detached house with enclosed back garden. Congrats! > Few questions: > > 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully carpeted. > Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? They might. I'd make sure they have at least a couple scratching posts available. My kitties do occasionally pull at the carpet, but in the two years we've been in this house they haven't actually done any damage. > 2: Our cats have NEVER been outdoors except on trips to the vet etc. If I > am to start letting them out, how do I best prepare them to make sure they > return home / don't wander off outside the garden? My garden has about a > 6ft wall / fence all the way around it, think this will keep them in? Especially if there are any busy streets in your neighborhood, you might want to consider installing a small-animal electric fence around your wall/fence. They don't carry enough electricity to harm an animal, it just stings if they touch the activated wire. I've got one around my small fenced back yard and none of my kitties has strayed outside the yard since I've had it. > 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 1: Our flat is fully laminated flooring, the new house fully carpeted. > Will cats try and rip shreds out of new carpets? What do they scratch now ? What ever it is, take it with you and make sure thay have easy access to it in the new place. Same for what ever they sleep on. I've even read that you should bag up your old cat litter and take it with so they have something that smells familiar to use. If you use new clean fresh litter at the new place they might decide that the carpet is one big litter pan. > 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I > isolate them in just one or two rooms? You could isolate them in a room with the litter, their "bed", and the scratching post you brought from the old place. Once they're using everthing correctly (not sleeping in the litter and pissing on the bed), turn em loose. > 5: Any other advice? :) relax and enjoy your new place. And if the cats tell you they want the litter pan some where else, move it there and rearrange the furnature to suit. ron : Hello, : [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] : Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) : www.cutecats.co.uk 1: Time will tell, but I take it you have a good cat tree 2: Keep them strictly indoors for three weeks, then let them outside supervised or on a leash for about half an hour daily during a week. Then you can extend the time period, 3: Take it easy :-) 4: I would let them have the whole house - they will love to explore it! Carola ? > : 4: Should they be given the run of the house straight away or should I > : isolate them in just one or two rooms? I've never moved house with cats but I have had to introduce kittens to their new home and what I do is put the carrier in a quiet room, with food, water and litter nearby then open the carrier (Securing the door so that it can't bang on their heads or whatever) and leave them to come out when they are good and ready. Moving house with a cat reminds me of the only time not just one cat but two have been known to get into a cat carrier willingly! Chloe and Tigger are two cats that own my friend Hugh, he got them from a local vet whilst collecting the body of Bingo, his previous cat (He was going to wait a month but his flatmate stepped in after seeing how miserable he was cat-less). Anyway their previous slaves had moved house and simply left them locked in the building with no food or water (Curses upon them!) but a neighbour heard their cries and they were duly rescued. Hugh took them home and spoiled them rotten..... Anyway about 3-4 months later, Hugh had to move to a new flat. As soon as he started packing stuff both cats became very agitated until he took out their carrier, which they eagerly jumped into, Hugh reckons when they saw him getting ready to move they were afraid history would repeat itself and they were going to be left again. Lesley Slave to the Fabulous Furballs : Anyway about 3-4 months later, Hugh had to move to a new flat. As soon : as he started packing stuff both cats became very agitated until he : took out their carrier, which they eagerly jumped into, Hugh reckons : when they saw him getting ready to move they were afraid history would : repeat itself and they were going to be left again. Nera, the black cat I owned as a child, knew that we went camping once a year, and she *didn't* like to help us pack at all! Whenever we came back she ignored us for half a month afterwards. ( Cats are smart!!) And she peed on the spreat out large family tent! : Lesley : : Slave to the Fabulous Furballs Yes ... slaves indeed ... <What have we got ourselves into? End of thought> Carola >Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] >Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) >www.cutecats.co.uk I have a fairly small backyard and have completely fenced it in, including fencing at the top that curves inward. That seems to be the trick. They can go straight up a fence but can't get over the part that slopes in. They stopped trying after a few days and it has been two years now and they're out there just about any time that I'm home. Well, until dark. I even set up a wireless cam and keep it on the TV when they're outside and I'm inside. Boring TV but better than many of the programs. 1. Our cats have never shown any interest in ripping up carpet....now furniture that's another ballpark. 2.If they have been indoors all this time, *why* do you now want to let them outside? Are you prepared to live with yourself and your conscience if anything happened to any of them outside? And forget your 6ft fence: a friend of mine had a 20 foot brick wall behind his place and let his half-grown kitten out in his backyard garden every day. Kitten scaled the wall, wandered onto the freeway behind the house and became roadkill which friend's roommate discovered on his way in the same afternoon. Don't let them out now. 3. What happened to inquiry 3? 4. After all the moving finishes, let them roam the whole house, making sure there's no way they can slip outside. Some of us have stong opinions and I'm no different. You did ask. >>Hello, >> [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > when they're outside and I'm inside. Boring TV but better than many of > the programs. Congrats on the new home. I've moved several times and find that there is no reason to restrict them to one room as long as you have shown them where the litter box is (I actually take the cat and place him/her in the box). I just let my "kids" explore their new home, being careful, of course, that nothing that could harm them is within their reach. Regarding the question of letting them out, I return that with a question of my own, "Why start now?" If they have been indoor all their lives, there's really no reason to put them out now. Indoor cats (all of mine are/were indoor only) live longer, rarely have parasites or fleas/ticks, don't run the risk of injury from other cats/dogs/ nasty humans, and don't get hit by automobiles. Get them some scratching posts, inocculated well with catnip and with some minor corrections if they forget, all should go smoothly. You might consider arranging some furniture so they can watch out the windows while you're at work. Best of luck, Shadow, Boogie's Mom. > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Gary, Claire, Tigger, Tootsie & Tango!! :) > www.cutecats.co.uk
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