How To Move With A Semi-feral Cat

[Noelle_W]

I found a feral and a kitten at the park, could not find them homes, and ended up keeping them. The feral bit me very hard one day when I was trying to pick him up. My vet was concerned and had me drop him off at his clinic where a vet tech worked with him for about 6 weeks. I have had him (JP) and the kitten (Monkey) for two years now.

The feral, JP, is now what I would call "semi-feral." He hides if anyone comes over to the house, does not let me pet him or pick him up. (I dread taking him for vet visits!). He does allow me to brush him, and play with him. I have accepted his terms, and love him very much.

I am considering taking a new job, which will require me to move far from home. The move will take me 2-3 days driving. I am so worried about how to travel with JP. If I try to pick him up, he jumps so quickly. He has bitten me a few times when I have tried to pet him. When I take him to the vet, I put gloves and a heavy coat on, and then kind of direct him into the carrier.

I did lose JP once, and I was inconsolable. I had put shelves and cat trees in my garage, and JP and Monkey would love hanging out in there. One day, I thought they were inside the house, and opened up the garage door. They were actually in the garage and ran out b/c of the confusion and noise of the garage door. I found Monkey right away, picked him up and took him inside, but JP scurried away and I lost him for two days! I found him by scouring the neighborhood with my dog and one night, he popped out of a bush he must have been hiding in. I had to lure him with his favorite brush to get him closer to my door, and then scooted him inside quickly. It was not easy, but it ended well.

I'm terrified to travel with him. I'm so afraid I will lose him in the hotel. And I'm worried he will lose him once we move into a new house. He is a creature of habit, loves security, and knows that this is his house. He doesn't like new things/ meeting new people, etc.. His world consists of me, Monkey and my dog. One good thing, he is not a darter.

Sorry to be so long-winded, but I need advice.

 

[shadowsrescue]

You could ask your vet for a sedative that might help. Also there are animal transport companies that will drive your pets for you. If you do drive them yourself, you would need a cage large enough to house a litter box. I would suggest not letting them out of the crates at all during the transport. They sell crates that have two doors and dividers you can use so that you can clean the litter box and add food without opening a door near the cat(s).

 

[maggiedemi]

One thing that helps a lot with ferals is if your new house has a double set of doors or a screened in porch. That way if they make it out the first door, they haven't made it to the great outdoors. I agree, for traveling have a huge dog crate. It might be okay to let him out in the hotel room when you are with him if you are sure you could get him back in the cage, but I would put a sign on the door so that nobody opens it. If the crate is huge enough, he might be okay in there for the whole trip. I wouldn't trust a harness/leash unless you are sure he can't get out of it. My cat got out of one of those walking jackets and was gone for 2 days.

 

[ondine]

I moved with eight cats, three of whom I would describe as "semi-feral." We hired a transport service and my vet came to our house and gave each cat a sedative. Just enough to keep them groggy during the eight-hour drive. All arrived safely and have adjusted well to their new home. Two of them were outside in an enclosure at our old house and have adjusted to very well to the inside life.

If your vet can do this, I think it will make your trip much easier. Perhaps you can transport them in a crate, rather than in a carrier? I had all of mine in their own crates for about a month after the move. They gradually got used to the new house that way but were easier for me to handle.

 

[Noelle_W]

I moved with eight cats, three of whom I would describe as "semi-feral." We hired a transport service and my vet came to our house and gave each cat a sedative. Just enough to keep them groggy during the eight-hour drive. All arrived safely and have adjusted well to their new home. Two of them were outside in an enclosure at our old house and have adjusted to very well to the inside life.

If your vet can do this, I think it will make your trip much easier. Perhaps you can transport them in a crate, rather than in a carrier? I had all of mine in their own crates for about a month after the move. They gradually got used to the new house that way but were easier for me to handle.

Ondine-
What do you mean they "had their own crates for about a month"? Did you crate-train your cats, like people do with dogs? Or do you mean you just left their crates open in the house and let them use them if they wished?

 

[ondine]

They each had their own 48" crate, complete with litter box and carrier. All eight crates were set up on a huge sun porch, so I could let two out at a time to explore. After a few weeks, they got used to one another (three had never met the other five). So I had introductions to do while they all got used to the new house.

It took us about a month and a half for me to feel comfortable with allowing them into the main house. A couple of them hid for a bit but they soon got used to the new routine.