How Can I Make Moving Easier For My Cat?

[madhatkitty]

So ive moved a ton of times but most of the time it was only 15-30 minute rides and my cat was mostly good during those times. (aside from meowing the whole way which i cant blame her for) So shes never had any super long car rides. Well i am now moving from Ct to upstate new york so this will be a 4-5 hour drive and i'm worried how hard it will be on her since shes not a fan of the whole moving thing.

My sister tried to tell me to give my cat benadryll but i'm skeptical about that plan since i have never heard of giving a pet human medication. I told her no to that plan.

The car im using to move has ac (which is super good for her since shes a long haired cat), and i do have a cat carrier for her too.

Any advice on this will be a great help thanks!

 

[abyeb]

No, please don't give a cat any medication unless it's prescribed by the vet! Even over the counters can have devistating side effects for kitties.

I'd reccommend getting her a nice big soft carrier so she has some room to move around, spray it with Feliway before the trip, and put a favorite blanket and toys in the carrier. If your kitty is leash-and-harness trained, it might be quite fun for her to go for walks at rest stops or at small towns along the way.

 

[madhatkitty]

Yeah i didnt think that was a good idea hence why i kept telling her no. I'm glad i did

And thanks for telling me about that feliway stuff i never knew there was something like that! I will definatly give it a go. My cats not leash trained so walks are a little out of the question but im sure i can play with her a little bit in the car at the rest stop. Thanks for the response i think this will really help us out!

 

[susanm9006]

Be sure you have a kennel carrier large enough so that she can turn around in it. While it most likely won't be used, space for a small litterbox would be good, and of course some blankets with your scent on them. The safest thing is to not take her out of the kennel until you are at your new home.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

4-5 hours isn't TOO long of a car ride so I don't think you need to be overly concerned about the litter box; but having one available might be a good thing. As long as the car is comfortable and she has a comfortable kennel I think you will be ok. The feliway sure can't hurt. It might be worth testing ahead of time to see how she reacts to it too.

 

[red top rescue]

One thing that helps is to avoid letting her see your furniture being moved. Find one room for her that will stay pretty much the same until you leave. Possibly your bedroom. When it's time to dismantle that, move her to a bathroom and set up all her stuff in there, litter, bedding, food & water. Don't let her see the house empty! When you travel, if she likes catnip, put a bunch in the carrier, which will stimulate her at first and then zonk her out for the rest of the trip. When you reach your new destination, leave her in the car until you get the bathroom set up just like it was when you left your last home, and put her in there. Keep her there until you get the bedroom set up pretty much as it was, then allow her in there. Don't let her roam the house or apartment until yu get it pretty much set up with the things she's used to. That greatly reduces stress. PS - Jackson Galaxy even recommends bringing some of her USED litter along to mix with clean litter at the new location, because cats mark things with scent, and having a new litter box that has her scent in it will let her know that is HER box.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I've also heard it can be good to bring a few jugs of water from your old place.

When we moved we set the girls up in a bedroom with their old litter boxes, food, water, some nylon play cubes they had, their cat tree and the couch blanket. Then I locked them in there so no one would accidentally let them out. (We did a DIY move with the help of people from our church. We only moved about 20 minutes away from our old place.) I checked on them a couple times and they stayed hidden together in one of the cubes. Once things were quiet and the basics were in place we opened the door to let them explore on their own. We had some crickets in the house so they ended up being distracted by hunting them. I think it helped settle them in.

 

[madhatkitty]

Thanks a bunch these are all definatly helpful! I have tried the spray out by spraying a bit in 2 spots in the house and it seems to work since im moving stuff in my room and she hasnt hid under my bed all that much. (normally she will if i am rearranging the room) I may sneak her some cat nip before i move though since as one of you said she gets hyped up and passes out after And i will try bringing water from my old place with me but i know she'll hide for a few days in the new place and skulk around after (thats what she always does) I'll post a reply in a few days and let you guys know how she did. thanks a bunch for all the help

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Good luck!!

 

[arouetta]

I had a two hour move turn into a four hour move because of bad traffic. The length of time in the car only meant they yowled their hearts out for a longer period of time. So the time shouldn't be an issue, especially since you can plan ahead. Get a harness and have it on her the whole trip so when you do stop for a potty break, all you have to worry about is clipping a leash to the harness, which dramatically reduces the risk of her slipping away.

A soft carrier apparently is less dangerous than a hard carrier in a crash. I would actually discourage a large crate; yeah it's great that a litter box can be put into it, but you don't want to see the videos of a large crate failure during crash tests.

Since you say you have moved a lot, your cat should be pretty chilled about the whole territory change. Usual stuff, let her explore at her own pace, yada yada.

Definitely she should be the last one out of the old place; lock her in the bathroom while removing boxes and furniture so she can't escape or get under the feet of people carrying heavy stuff. That also gives her maximum time with the litter box and the water dish. And she should be the first one in the new place, also a bathroom, so she can get at the litter box and water while all the moving in is being done. That way she won't make it out and be totally lost or try to go to the old home.