Cat crying nonstop because of moved furniture

daze

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I have two cats, they are sisters, and one of my cats is just a ball of anxiety most of the time, jumps at every little thing and hides especially from people. But she isn’t afraid of me and is super attached to me. The other seems to behave and cope normally.

anyway i was trying to finish putting my bedroom together, getting ready to finish adding furniture. It has more or less been just a huge clutter storage room for several years. The cats never really spent much time in there except when i sleep they would follow me and sleep in my bed.

I moved a Desk with my computer on it from my living room to my bedroom, and now nervous cat is freaking out. She cries nonstop for hours in my living room, refuses to come anywhere near my bedroom and will panic if you try to introduce her there (i got clawed to shreds, not in aggression just bc she got scared n tried scrambling out of my arms and her claws are long).

She hunches over on my couch ready to run in the living room everytime i see her, but will stop crying and let me pet her and roll over for attention and rub against me like normal, but the minute im in my bedroom she panics and the screaming begins. :( i think she thinks she cant follow me in my bedroom now for somereason she terrified of my bedroom?

i feel really bad because I didn’t know moving a single piece of furniture would cause her this much stress. Its been 2 days now and her behavior hasnt changed. She hasnt shown any inclination of even coming to the end of the hall to look near the bedroom.

I don’t know what to do. I really wanted my computer in my room, but should i move it back? For my cat?
 

di and bob

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Cats HATE change, and it takes a while for them to get used to anything that happens in their life. They take comfort in routine and familiarity. you have disrupted that, and for some cats, it is just something to get used to in a few days. For some, like your 'ball of anxiety' it can take much longer. She is scared, she misses her familiar layout, but she WILL adjust, it just takes time. I think the thing to do is comfort her with extra attention and treats, and try for distraction to take her mind off of things, Get a new toy or bring out a favorite. She may not play at first, but it is offered. Do not try to physically force her in the bedroom, let her approach it on her own. Maybe feed her, or leave a FEW treats nearer and nearer to the bedroom until she is finally inside, taking baby steps. An important step is to sit on the floor just inside the bedroom and coax the sister who is not afraid inside. Stroke her and play with her and make sure the scared cat is watching. My cats watch each other for cues on how to react all the time. If one runs they all run, and seeing the sister being calm and enjoying herself in the bedroom would go a long way. It may take a week or more, even several weeks for her to get used to the change. You may want to get it all over at once if you have more you want to do. Get some catnip and let her feel good for a while, give her calm attention, and just go calmly about your day. She will see in time there is nothing to be scared about. Bless you, for being concerned about her, it shows what a good cat parent you are.....I hope you get lots of tips because I'm sure there are many who have gone through this!
 

ArtNJ

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Sounds like a pretty severe reaction to me. I expect she'll get over it soon, but what if you have work done in your house or have to move? I think you might want to discuss medication with your vet. You know, having a prescription ready to go, in case a big time stressor like that comes up?
 

Norachan

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Hi D daze I'm sorry to hear you are gong through this. I have a couple of very stressy cats too.

No, you don't need to move the furniture back the way it was. Keep it set up in the way that suits you best. A few things that helped my cats relax after moving house were:

Drape a blanket, bedsheet or towel that smells of you over the desk. Cat's react to smell more than anything else, so if you can make the desk smell "safe" she might accept that it's not a monster that wants to eat her.

Get a Feliway plug in for your room.

FELIWAY CLASSIC Diffuser

They give off a smell similar to feline hormones. People can't smell them, but they calm cats down a lot. This might help her to relax.

Let her take things at her own pace. As Di and Bob said, you need to let her take baby steps. Eventually she will realise that nothing bad is going to happen to her, but you just have to carry on as normal and let her get used to it in her own time.

Zylkene is a great, OTC, available online mood stabilizer. It works for cats and dogs and is safe for long term use. Get the dose that is for small dogs. It's a powder you mix with wet food and it really helps to calm cats down.

Zylkene® | Vetoquinol USA
 

susanm9006

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My girl is terrified of any change, including moving furniture or getting something new like a rug. I have learned the only way to calm her is to act totally normal, stick to my usual routines and not to anything out of the ordinary to make her feel better. She will get used to the arrangement on her own time schedule . You can offer the cats some catnip in the living room or wherever you might usually give it to them and try a Feliway diffuser to see if that helps but otherwise just ignore her unusual behavior. You can of course let her if she comes up and requests it but don’t seek her out or try to pick her up until she Is feeling calmer.
 

felinelover2

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Aw poor kitty. Agree with the other suggestions and just give it time. I have good luck with leaving a trail of treats for kitty to follow and 'lead' them closer and closer to the bedroom. Also you can try feeding them a little bit closer to the bedroom each day, then eventually in the bedroom itself. By then kitty should be calmed down. Good luck!
 

tarasgirl06

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I have two cats, they are sisters, and one of my cats is just a ball of anxiety most of the time, jumps at every little thing and hides especially from people. But she isn’t afraid of me and is super attached to me. The other seems to behave and cope normally.

anyway i was trying to finish putting my bedroom together, getting ready to finish adding furniture. It has more or less been just a huge clutter storage room for several years. The cats never really spent much time in there except when i sleep they would follow me and sleep in my bed.

I moved a Desk with my computer on it from my living room to my bedroom, and now nervous cat is freaking out. She cries nonstop for hours in my living room, refuses to come anywhere near my bedroom and will panic if you try to introduce her there (i got clawed to shreds, not in aggression just bc she got scared n tried scrambling out of my arms and her claws are long).

She hunches over on my couch ready to run in the living room everytime i see her, but will stop crying and let me pet her and roll over for attention and rub against me like normal, but the minute im in my bedroom she panics and the screaming begins. :( i think she thinks she cant follow me in my bedroom now for somereason she terrified of my bedroom?

i feel really bad because I didn’t know moving a single piece of furniture would cause her this much stress. Its been 2 days now and her behavior hasnt changed. She hasnt shown any inclination of even coming to the end of the hall to look near the bedroom.

I don’t know what to do. I really wanted my computer in my room, but should i move it back? For my cat?
Hello D daze and family! I'm so sorry to hear your girl is freaked out by the change. Yes, cats are very much creatures of pattern. They do not like their environment being changed. Feliway, whether plug-in or spray, is an excellent suggestion. Soft, soothing music, too -- I haven't heard the ones mentioned, but you can access KUSC.org from any device -- it's a public non-commercial classical station. I have it on from waking up until I turn the TV on in the evening. We all love it. daftcat75 daftcat75 another TCS member can possibly tell you about cat rock that he and his cat enjoyed.
Hoping both of your cats settle in and enjoy their home soon!
 

daftcat75

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Music For Cats: Home | Music for Cats | David Teie
musicforcats.jpg

It's also available on Apple Music and Spotify. I like volume 1 more than volume 2. And unfortunately, there is a volume difference between the two that makes it jarring to have both in the same playlist. I believe volume 2 is louder.

I have an alarm on my soundbar to play Music for Cats at 9am every morning. Krista would spend so many days laying right up against that sound bar especially when the purring tracks came on.

I also loaded up an iPod with Music For Cats for vet visits. I would put the iPod in her carrier pocket and told the vet office to just let it play for her. I would tell them, "she's probably your only patient who comes with a soundtrack." The few times she had to stay overnight, I would bring a USB power brick to provide the iPod more than enough juice to get her through the night. In the mornings, I came to visit her and swapped out the power brick for a newly charged one. It kept her calm when she wasn't feeling well and had to stay some place she didn't want to be. I even got feedback from one of the vet tech's that her brother's dog who usually does not do so well on overnight stays was relaxed and did very well the night she stayed in the cage beneath Krista and her "cat rock."

Even after Krista passed in August, I still have the 9am cat rock alarm. When there isn't something else playing on another speaker in the house, it makes for good relaxing background music.
 
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daftcat75

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You may also want to try CBD oil to calm her down. I prefer a big dog formula because it will be concentrated. This way you could start dosing with a single drop and take it from there. The more oil you have to give (oil of any kind, not just CBD), the more likely she'll have looser stools. That's another reason I prefer a concentrated oil.
 

Catsmother70

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I think this is very common with cats, they do not like change.
I had laminate floor fitted last year and my cat was stressed out for a week or so.

Then a few months ago he got Cystitis because of the new sofa I bought, I had to take him the vet in which they said this is why he got the Cystitis, I had never heard of it before but it's very true.
 

bluebklyn

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I had a cat that would freak out every time I cleaned "too much"--ie moving furniture to sweep and vacuum and that sort of thing. Feliway did help, but I basically just had to let her ride it out until she calmed down.
 

tarasgirl06

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I had a cat that would freak out every time I cleaned "too much"--ie moving furniture to sweep and vacuum and that sort of thing. Feliway did help, but I basically just had to let her ride it out until she calmed down.
It's really important to make sure the cleaners we use are cat-safe, too. I prefer cruelty-free products because of the obvious reason and also because they tend to be more gentle and natural.
 

tarasgirl06

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Music For Cats: Home | Music for Cats | David Teie
View attachment 352331

It's also available on Apple Music and Spotify. I like volume 1 more than volume 2. And unfortunately, there is a volume difference between the two that makes it jarring to have both in the same playlist. I believe volume 2 is louder.

I have an alarm on my soundbar to play Music for Cats at 9am every morning. Krista would spend so many days laying right up against that sound bar especially when the purring tracks came on.

I also loaded up an iPod with Music For Cats for vet visits. I would put the iPod in her carrier pocket and told the vet office to just let it play for her. I would tell them, "she's probably your only patient who comes with a soundtrack." The few times she had to stay overnight, I would bring a USB power brick to provide the iPod more than enough juice to get her through the night. In the mornings, I came to visit her and swapped out the power brick for a newly charged one. It kept her calm when she wasn't feeling well and had to stay some place she didn't want to be. I even got feedback from one of the vet tech's that her brother's dog who usually does not do so well on overnight stays was relaxed and did very well the night she stayed in the cage beneath Krista and her "cat rock."

Even after Krista passed in August, I still have the 9am cat rock alarm. When there isn't something else playing on another speaker in the house, it makes for good relaxing background music.
Cello and purrs. What could be lovelier?:cloud9::lovecat3:
 

molly92

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This is such an interesting phenomenon to me. I've moved apartments with my cat several times and she's never been bothered. Once I moved the couch to the other side of the room, though, and she absolutely panicked. I'd never seen her eyes so wide! I guess our furniture becomes permanent landmarks in their world.

I second giving CBD oil a try. I tried it for my arthritic cat and I don't know if it ever helped her arthritis, but an unintended side effect was that she was much calmer and more relaxed. Make sure you do your research though and get it from a high quality vendor. It's very easy for cbd to degrade and loose effectiveness.
 

daftcat75

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This is such an interesting phenomenon to me. I've moved apartments with my cat several times and she's never been bothered. Once I moved the couch to the other side of the room, though, and she absolutely panicked. I'd never seen her eyes so wide! I guess our furniture becomes permanent landmarks in their world.

I second giving CBD oil a try. I tried it for my arthritic cat and I don't know if it ever helped her arthritis, but an unintended side effect was that she was much calmer and more relaxed. Make sure you do your research though and get it from a high quality vendor. It's very easy for cbd to degrade and loose effectiveness.
I don’t have experience with it either. Krista spent a week with me in a hotel while the apartment was being renovated. Carpet was taken out for laminate. Bathroom and kitchen cabinets and counters changed. Krista didn’t miss a beat. Not at the hotel. Not in the renovated apartment. She spent a week with friends while I moved to a new apartment. Once again, she wasn’t fazed by either my friends’ place, my friends, or the new apartment when I picked her up again. I also moved furniture around a lot in this place. I basically turned it inside out. Made the bedroom an office and the living room a bedroom. She never cried or seemed anxious by any of it. Krista was a very confident cat. She traveled well. And there wasn’t a hotel fridge she met that she didn’t end up on top of before the trip was over. 😹😻
 

tarasgirl06

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I've moved about 19 times in my life, and most of those times were with cats. Now, Baby Su has only moved once and as far as I know, Elvis the same. I haven't known about any stress on Su's part; Elvis was very timid for awhile, as he'd been with his previous family all his life as far as I know.
 
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