I would like to know what is best for my cats

rafithecatlover

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Hi everyone!
I'm in a very difficult situation that I'm losing sleep over as I'm worried sick about how my cats and how they would respond to a possible move.
I will try to explain quickly.
Current situation:
My cats are all with my mom, there are four cats there, but only 2 are mine.
I'm currently renting an apartment in another city but I'm moving to a house in a few months and I would love to take my two cats then. The problem is, I would have a limited space with them (let's say aprox. 750sq feet) as I would be living with my dad and they couldn't roam the entire house, only my area of the house shared with my boyfriend. And right now, with my mom, they have 1600sq feet for the four of them where they can roam freely. I am very scared they will feel sad about less space and the closed door to the other areas of the house. And for separating them to their
But there are also good things.
Me and my boyfriend have a very close bond with my cats, they are real family to us, and they love us the most (my mom takes very good care of them, she also loves cats and owns two of them, but It's a special connection we have with ours that I just can't explain, the are always with us, following us). Plus, she is home less than us because of work and with us, our cats would have more company as we have the ability to have lunch at home and stay some mornings and afternoons there.
The area we would have available is two big bedrooms (one would be bedroom and other would be closet/small office space), a bathroom and two balconies. we are renovating the entire house and I could adapt the space to make them the most comfortable. I thought about cat-proofing the balconies, closing of one of them with glass, turning it into a mini room for them, with a cat tower and a tunnel, and the other with both wire all around and a mosquito net for the bugs (it's in the countryside), so that they can feel outside and feel the air safely.
So basically, I'm open to make make my girls as happy as possible, and adapting everything for them, and they would have more company, but it's true that it's a smaller space and I'm scared they would be sad when I'm not there. They are very connected to their space at home, and I would also be breaking the four cats apart.
I'm open to any ideas. If you tell me it's best for them to stay with my mom for their own happiness I will seriously consider, I will be devastated for not living with them but I want the best for them.
So sorry for my English as well as It's not my first language.
And thank you for reading so far.
 

StanAndAlf

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I can understand your concerns completely. I think both cats would be fine, seeing as you are not separating just one from a home of four - they will have each other. If you could cat proof one of the balconies and make a sort of jungle gym then I think they would get along very well even with the smaller space. The only thing you would have to watch here would be their weight gain. However plenty of engaged play sessions with toys etc should keep that under control.

My main concern would be your dad. I won't ask why he's so against having them in his space, but be careful of the arguments it could cause if he doesn't want the cats around. Cats are known to door dash, so there may be instances where they end up on the wrong side of the house by accident.

Given that you are home a lot, I think the cats themselves will adjust alright. Move their belongings into the new home before moving them, so their scent is already there. Sometimes putting them in the one room for a few days before letting them explore can help the transition as well.

And your English is great.
 

di and bob

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I would ask my mom how she felt. if she would be heartbroken that they are leaving and can afford their care and possible vet visits, by all means, don't break up the family. maybe send her a little money once in a while. So many need homes you could start over fresh with a new little one.
Cats adjust quickly to smaller areas, I really don't think that is a problem. if you decide to bring them there, just give them lots of time and attention and they will be happy.
 
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rafithecatlover

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I can understand your concerns completely. I think both cats would be fine, seeing as you are not separating just one from a home of four - they will have each other. If you could cat proof one of the balconies and make a sort of jungle gym then I think they would get along very well even with the smaller space. The only thing you would have to watch here would be their weight gain. However plenty of engaged play sessions with toys etc should keep that under control.

My main concern would be your dad. I won't ask why he's so against having them in his space, but be careful of the arguments it could cause if he doesn't want the cats around. Cats are known to door dash, so there may be instances where they end up on the wrong side of the house by accident.

Given that you are home a lot, I think the cats themselves will adjust alright. Move their belongings into the new home before moving them, so their scent is already there. Sometimes putting them in the one room for a few days before letting them explore can help the transition as well.

And your English is great.
HI S StanAndAlf , thank you so much for answering!
I can cat proof both balconies, one for that jungle gym, and the other for the litter box and maybe another cat tower or some things I could add to the wall so that they could climb, I'm open to any ideas; I want to maximize all the space. At home I would be always with them and playing with them, they have normal weight, no excess, but I would keep an eye on that.
Oh, my father is ok cats, he lived with us before at that apartment with the four cats, he just doesn't like them going into his bedroom and the kitchen also, he says it's because of hygiene, scratching the sofa (they are professional scratchers!) so It's just to avoid that. But if they escape that is totally fine, I would bring them in, I could let them roam a little bit actually if I close his bedroom and kitchen door too. I just don't know if that's a good idea because they might want to go there everyday if I let them do that once haha.
Also, this house would be in the countryside, and has a beautiful outside space with a tennis court, pool area (closed) and lots of grass, I could try to teach them how to walk on a leash later on! They didn't seem to like it the first time I put it on but I guess it's a matter of time.
 
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rafithecatlover

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I would ask my mom how she felt. if she would be heartbroken that they are leaving and can afford their care and possible vet visits, by all means, don't break up the family. maybe send her a little money once in a while. So many need homes you could start over fresh with a new little one.
Cats adjust quickly to smaller areas, I really don't think that is a problem. if you decide to bring them there, just give them lots of time and attention and they will be happy.
Hi di and bob di and bob , thank you so much for answering. My mom is sad, as It would be me leaving, as well as both of my cats, even though she would still have both of hers. She has money to take care for them, that wouldn't be a problem. I know they would be well taken care of there. But she doesn't have the time that I do and also the willingness to play with them that me and my boyfriend do.
It's a very hard choice, as they love their home.
I know I could adopt then ones but I can't imagine not living with my babies. I have been visiting every week but it's only been bearable because I always thought they must come with me, and now I'm having second thoughts.
 

di and bob

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Oh yes, teaching them to be on a leash takes a lot of time. Get them used to the harness in the house, and NEVER take them out of the neighborhood, they are Houdini's at escaping. When I first put a harness on my Chrissy she fell over on her side like she was shot, it took several weeks, but she absolutely loved to go out.
PS I think you answered your own question above, by all means, take them......
 
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rafithecatlover

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I am very much inclined to taking them…
I have spent the last day watching YouTube videos and researching things that I should do.
Im going to have shelves shelves shelves everywhere!
 

cataholic07

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Could you just have the kitchen door always closed and a few cat trees in the living room? I found double-sided tape and a 5/5ft carpet cat tree stopped my kittens from scratching the couch :) Offering them more scratching options should help curb the couch scratching bug. I would have a 3ft scratching post right next to the couch. Often times cats scratch couches because they wanna scratch downwards which you can't find with many scratching posts/cat trees. You can get a cat tree made that has a nice-sized base they can scratch to their heart's content. :)
 
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