Relocating with Colony

MoonstoneWolf

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Any advice on how to do this? Most likely will be a large size apartment. They're all somewhat socialized to me but no one else. I can't really go into specifics for fear of being judged but I don't want to leave any of them behind. I knew this day was coming but got no advice when Mom started talking about it. Well looks the day has come and I'm saddened.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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I'm crying and no one in my area is advising me what to do. I've spent hours researching and searching on here and can't pull up a thing :(
 

Kat0121

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How many cats are there? 3? If it's an apartment, make sure that they don't have a limit on pets. I'd recommend trying to find a rental through a private owner rather than a corporation because they are more likely to work with you. I'm in Florida so I don't know your area. Try zillow.com or realtor.com too see if they have rental listings near you. Some realtors assist with rentals. Stay away from craigslist.

ETA: try to borrow some carriers if you don't have them for the move. If they have blankets or things with their scent on them that they like, don't wash them before the move. They will help them get situated.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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Assisted living unit. Near a unit mom will be. They allow cats but never was told limit. I mentioned I cared for a cony and was told that was sweet.
 

Kat0121

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Assisted living unit. Near a unit mom will be. They allow cats but never was told limit. I mentioned I cared for a cony and was told that was sweet.
Wow. That's great. Some people have good luck with Feliway if you are worried about anxiety with the move. It's never worked for us but some people swear by it.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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Wow. That's great. Some people have good luck with Feliway if you are worried about anxiety with the move. It's never worked for us but some people swear by it.
What I hope is that the other cats could be socialized and maybe there would be others in the facility that would like a cat and place there. I am also looking into the possibility of shared pets in the common area as some AL places here have that. I think Norachan has had luck relocating 23 cats was it? I do have til summer and I may even be able to socialize Onyx and Gypsy. I'm keeping at least 3 as Tourmaline and Sopdet are very quiet cats. And being retired I have the luxury of spending a lot of time with them. If Shaman and Cooper come back I may take them as well. Shaman is quiet. Cooper I still have to think about. haha

Treasure would just hop in the car with me after some thought. Tourmaline would come no issues at all. Sopdet would be my problem child and I would need a trap for her. While she do all the loving, getting on lap and all with me, she won't let me pick her up because of the abuse she suffered as a kitten.
 
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Kat0121

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What I hope is that the other cats could be socialized and maybe there would be others in the facility that would like a cat and place there. I am also looking into the possibility of shared pets in the common area as some AL places here have that. I think Norachan has had luck relocating 23 cats was it? I do have til summer and I may even be able to socialize Onyx and Gypsy. I'm keeping at least 3 as Tourmaline and Sopdet are very quiet cats. And being retired I have the luxury of spending a lot of time with them. If Shaman and Cooper come back I may take them as well. Shaman is quiet. Cooper I still have to think about. haha

Treasure would just hop in the car with me after some thought. Tourmaline would come no issues at all. Sopdet would be my problem child and I would need a trap for her. While she do all the loving, getting on lap and all with me, she won't let me pick her up because of the abuse she suffered as a kitten.
Yes. Norachan Norachan moved house with a lot of cats but she went to a mountain property. The cats are indoor/outdoor and they have a large, secure enclosure. She can give you advice about the move itself. I'd suggest that you go to the AL facility and see how things are run there in regards to the cats. Talk to the staff/residents to see who cares for them and how adding 3 more would work out. It sounds like a great place!
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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If they allow the others I can get a catio like one on Amazon and work with them there. I just don't feel right leaving the others behind as they rely on me now. But great idea. I'll contact the facility and see what they say.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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How many cats are there? 3? If it's an apartment, make sure that they don't have a limit on pets. I'd recommend trying to find a rental through a private owner rather than a corporation because they are more likely to work with you. I'm in Florida so I don't know your area. Try zillow.com or realtor.com too see if they have rental listings near you. Some realtors assist with rentals. Stay away from craigslist.

ETA: try to borrow some carriers if you don't have them for the move. If they have blankets or things with their scent on them that they like, don't wash them before the move. They will help them get situated.

Houses near me are not selling. Most have been on the market for 2 years. It’s doubtful Mom will move without selling this one.
 

fionasmom

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If you can very quietly and secretly find out more information it would be a help to you. Am I counting 7 cats? If that number would be an issue in a certain place you would want to know that ahead of time before you tip your hand and try to move in with them. How close you might be to neighbors could be another point.
 

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So, how many cats are you going to be moving with? From what you've said about your cats I think it will be very easy to move them. They're already coming to eat and you have outdoor shelters and carriers for them, so they'll be easy enough to catch.

Have you decided on the apartment yet? Do you know how big, how many rooms, whether it has a balcony or garden, anything like that?

Let us know what your new living situation is going to be and we'll help you come up with a plan.
 

klunick

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Assisted living unit. Near a unit mom will be. They allow cats but never was told limit. I mentioned I cared for a cony and was told that was sweet.
That's probably code for "Don't be bringing all those cats with you". I can't imagine any place would want a bunch of cats showing up outside.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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So, how many cats are you going to be moving with? From what you've said about your cats I think it will be very easy to move them. They're already coming to eat and you have outdoor shelters and carriers for them, so they'll be easy enough to catch.

Have you decided on the apartment yet? Do you know how big, how many rooms, whether it has a balcony or garden, anything like that?

Let us know what your new living situation is going to be and we'll help you come up with a plan.
Mom has a list of places to look at and I'll be pulling up the floor plans online on most. I may have to just move with 3 and then come back and find homes for the others. I am getting a trap to own for Sopdet as she won't stay in a carrier. The others will go in and stay and a neighbor who volunteers for our feral society will show me how to work the trap. it's a Tru Catch and not spring loaded so it won't scare Sopdet quite as much. Looking yesterday at a lot of the AL facilities though this floor plan seems pretty standard in size for 1 bedroom. Most of the facilities have common areas, laundry, pharmacy, dining room and so on which looks pretty spacious. Yes the ones she is considering also have patios, or the sunrooms as shown on the diagram here.

Our neighbor passed away last Sunday after a 3 year battle with kidney cancer and Mom is just scared who will move in next door. She's paranoid about a lot of things lately and I don't blame her. I personally want to stay here. The house is paid for, we have a spacious 1/4 acre backyard, and I've been here since 1956 so it's familiar to me. I'm thinking that getting at home care would be cheaper then uprooting and finding assisted living as I researched that one as well. Houses here have not been selling, a few for 10 years and a few for just a bit over a year. So I don't think Mom will be able to sell so quick but Mom will still want to move, although she'll have a hard time going to look at the places and she doesn't trust me to do it by myself.

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fionasmom

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I would investigate home care while you still have the time. There are a lot of variables to it and it might be more affordable especially if you are able to do some of the work of helping your mom and maintaining the house.
 

Norachan

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I don't mean to pry into your personal life, but is selling your house a prerequisite for your mum moving into AL? Is she able to afford to move now and leave the house on the market until a buyer comes along?

If she can move into AL now is it possible for you to stay where you are, or do you have to move within the next couple of months?

I've helped my Grandmother move from a three bedroomed house to one bedroom sheltered accommodation and that took a long time. I think getting a house decluttered and ready to put on the market is going to be quite a demanding and time consuming task for you.

Would your Mum agree to move and let you stay where you are while all the packing up etc is done? If you could stay where you are for now that would give you more time to look for a place that will allow you to bring all of your cats. You could of course look for new homes for some of the cats that are suitable for rehoming in the meantime.

I just think it will be easier for you to take your time looking for a new home that allows 2 or 3 cats, rather than being rushed into a place that refuses to let you bring them all. And if you would rather stay where you are it might be better to slowly get your current property ready for resale, knowing your mum is being taken care of in AL somewhere.
 
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MoonstoneWolf

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While Mom is financially able to move while the house is on the market, I honestly don't think she will. She is the type that insists on watching the entire process. Real estate here is really hard to gauge. I see some homes sit for years without being sold and others that sell right away. Price is same and houses are similar as same contractor build all these homes back in the 40s and 50s. I do think I'll look for the option of in home care playing on Mom's frugal nature that it will save more money in the long run. Most ALs here run from 2K to 5K a month and even after she's long gone any money I get will be gone and not able to use for AL. I was really hoping that I could just grow old and die here at this house, but then I may change my mind when I'm in my 90s and not able to get around but I just think in the long run it would be easier to just stay here. Of course Mom changes her mind weekly and at times she is very serious and other times she's not. But she may, if determined allow me to stay here while she's at an AL facility as there's no way she could do any of the stuff around here with her health.

Thank you for pointing out all of this. It gives me a lot to look into and find out. Personally I don't see the brother selling that house next door anytime soon which could also buy me some time. It took him 10 months to install a new sink in the bathroom as he spends 99% of his time outside smoking. And he has 15K of repairs in order to sell per Zillow and realtor.com.

I'll research all of this that you pointed out. Thank you so much. :)
 
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