Moving and taking our outdoor cat

[abbycats]

We are relocating to Omaha next week. I got a really good job and we are buying a house. We have an semi feral outdoor cat who adopted us years ago who we feed and take medical care. His name is BW and he resents the indoors unless it's to cold or raining for his comfort. Bw will be moving with us with all of our other 4 legged responsibilities. I know he is going to fight with me to go out at our new home and I don't want him to get lost. A habitat is a great idea but not in the very near future. This is a major move we are making, and fences and habitats will be coming along after were settled and our finances start flowing again. Does anyone have any ideas about moving with a semi feral cat and making him happy being a indoor cat?

 

[white cat lover]

Do you have somewhere to contain him once you move? An outbuilding? Cage in an outbuilding? They say to keep them confined for at least 1 week, so they adjust to where home now is.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

If I intended to make an indoor cat of him I would get one of those larger cat cages. I would keep him in the cage. Is he already friendly with your indoor cats. If not, I would keep the cage where he has exposure to them through the cage. They will get used to him and he will get used to them. That of course depends on if you know he is healthy. That is how I introduced our Mattie to Speedboat and Muffin.

 

[abbycats]

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Do you have somewhere to contain him once you move? An outbuilding? Cage in an outbuilding? They say to keep them confined for at least 1 week, so they adjust to where home now is.

I wondered about how long to keep him confined to new home.

Originally Posted by blueyedgirl5946

If I intended to make an indoor cat of him I would get one of those larger cat cages. I would keep him in the cage. Is he already friendly with your indoor cats. If not, I would keep the cage where he has exposure to them through the cage. They will get used to him and he will get used to them. That of course depends on if you know he is healthy. That is how I introduced our Mattie to Speedboat and Muffin.

BW knows all my indoor cats and respects their space. He is a smart cat. I'm just really worried about him. He is really attached to our current area and yard.

 

[taryn]

A large dog kennel that is big enough to hold a litterbox the cat food and water dishes. That is what the calico is in until she finds a home. It can be inside or outside(Calico is outside.)

If you want to try and make him an inside cat you might want to keep him secluded in a room before letting him and the other cats get familiar. I'm going to assume you already know he understands the concept of a litter box. Since it is new turf you might be able to let them out together from the get-go. If they already know they get along you might be able to get along without the segregation. He needs to stay in at least a week preferably longer. I would see if he was happy indoors, you should know if he really isn't digging it. I know Mama and the others(except maybe Blue) want nothing to do with inside. Like I said I was supposed to keep Mama inside after her prolapse for 2 weeks but she decided to let herself out after a week. She would never be happy as an inside cat, there are just some that have lived outside long enough that they aren't happy inside. Mama would be miserable if forced to be an inside cat. Like I said you will prolly have to wait and see how it goes but if you do let him back out he needs to stay for a week or 2 before he is released so he realizes this is 'home.'

Taryn

 

[abbycats]

Originally Posted by Taryn

A large dog kennel that is big enough to hold a litterbox the cat food and water dishes. That is what the calico is in until she finds a home. It can be inside or outside(Calico is outside.)

If you want to try and make him an inside cat you might want to keep him secluded in a room before letting him and the other cats get familiar. I'm going to assume you already know he understands the concept of a litter box. Since it is new turf you might be able to let them out together from the get-go. If they already know they get along you might be able to get along without the segregation. He needs to stay in at least a week preferably longer. I would see if he was happy indoors, you should know if he really isn't digging it. I know Mama and the others(except maybe Blue) want nothing to do with inside. Like I said I was supposed to keep Mama inside after her prolapse for 2 weeks but she decided to let herself out after a week. She would never be happy as an inside cat, there are just some that have lived outside long enough that they aren't happy inside. Mama would be miserable if forced to be an inside cat. Like I said you will prolly have to wait and see how it goes but if you do let him back out he needs to stay for a week or 2 before he is released so he realizes this is 'home.'

Taryn

We have had him for several years and he is not going to put up with being an indoor cat. He came to us as a hobo and I have tried to convert him to indoor only, he wants no part of it. He knows what a litter box is but refuses to use one. If he is confined to the house and has to potty he goes in the bathtub. We have really become attached to him and I don't want to lose him. I will keep him confined to our new home for a week or so. He is going to be very upset with us.

 

[momofmany]

I moved my feral / semi-ferals to my current home 4 years ago. 1 of them lived outside all of the time and 2 went in and out of the house. Like yourself, I was very concerned about them adjusting to the new house and possibly wandering off once they got here.

I've done feral relocation in the past and the common recommendations is that you keep a cat confined for at least a month, preferably up to 2 months once you relocate them.

I have a sun room at my new house and kept the 3 cats in that room for about 6 weeks before I allowed them to venture back outside. They were put out by being cooped up that long, but they never left the deck for a few days once back outside, then only ventured further out when we or our dogs were in the yard. I've yet to see them leave our property (3 acres). I looked at it this way: better for them to be put out for a short time than for them to wander off and perhaps die from a mishap. BW won't hate you for restraining him for a while.

The good thing that happened when we moved: One of the indoor/outdoor cats decided that he really preferred the indoors over the outdoors and now spends about 99% of his time inside. He follows the dogs out to pee and then comes straight back to the creature comforts inside the house. And he was one that also didn't like to be confined to the house at our old home.

 

[taryn]

Originally Posted by abbycats

We have had him for several years and he is not going to put up with being an indoor cat. He came to us as a hobo and I have tried to convert him to indoor only, he wants no part of it. He knows what a litter box is but refuses to use one. If he is confined to the house and has to potty he goes in the bathtub. We have really become attached to him and I don't want to lose him. I will keep him confined to our new home for a week or so. He is going to be very upset with us.

OK, so you have one like Mama who won't do the inside thing(but she was an abandoned pet, she knows what a litterbox is and uses it religiously if inside.) Mama may have lived inside a house once but she has been outside so long she wants to stay outside and do whatever the heck it is that she does outside. I have found with outside cats they are usually happier in their kennels/carriers outside but I have a big family group so keeping them outside means that they aren't separated from their 'clan.'

I'd just see what happens but he has to stay inside or in a kennel until he totally understands this is his new home.

Taryn

 

[farleyv]

Frankly, I would be hesitant to let him out at all. Not for a good long while. Instinct is so strong in a cat, I don't think a week will do it. A couple months is more like it.

I would hate to see you loose your friend and put him in danger trying to "go home" to his old house.

 

[ruthyb]

I will be having to do this with Billy if we move and Felix, Felix I think will be fine as he is really young, so he will be fine being indoors but Billy is older and I am not sure. The Cats protection league here recommend 4 weeks of being indoors if you want them to go outdoors but you probably are safer just keeping them indoors full stop. My mum said there is an old wives tale to put butter on their paws so they loose all the old scent when they lick it off?? I am not sure if this is true

x

 

[slemoine94]

Originally Posted by farleyv

Frankly, I would be hesitant to let him out at all. Not for a good long while. Instinct is so strong in a cat, I don't think a week will do it. A couple months is more like it.

I would hate to see you loose your friend and put him in danger trying to "go home" to his old house.

I agree with this. I relocated my stray, Smokey, according to the guidelines I got from Alley Cat Allies. They say not to confine for more than three weeks. I had Smokey outside in our dog's old crate, fitted with a blanket and tarp over it. Then the snow came and I moved him into our shed out of the blizzard. He got used to me, and the set up. I thought that he would stick by us and let him out of the crate around Valentines Day. I have not seen him since. Can't find him in our old neighborhood either. So please take him with you but be careful about letting him back out too soon.