Moving with cats! Any advice?

[roguethecat]

Moving with Grisou (left) and Oberon (right) in spring! We already have air line tickets, including the cats, since we will be moving to another continent.
We will take their favorite cat beds, and already shipped their bowls. They get their favorite treat inside their travel carriers already and are ok going in there.
Both are scared easily, and Oberon might be the most scared cat in the world. I'm planning to scent everything with Jackson Galaxy's calming scent...
Does anyone have advice on how to acclimate a scared cat to a new home?
We will catify when we arrive since we cannot take much. Jackson Galaxy always recommends closing off any hiding spaces, but they deserve to hide after this kind of stress... any advice welcome!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi
These articles may help;
Traveling With Cats [Inc. 36 actionable tips] – TheCatSite Articles

How To Move With Your Cat To A New Home In A Safe Way – TheCatSite Articles

How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home – TheCatSite Articles

 

[susanm9006]

They will likely want to hide so try to create some safe hiding spaces - throw a blanket over a chair or a table so they can hide underneath or use a large cardboard box on its side. I would also try to keep them in a single room for a few days, like a bedroom or bathroom so you don’t risk them running out an open door. This also lets you unpack and get organized without a cat getting shut in a dresser drawer or closet.

 

[Alldara]

Not allowing a cat to hide is for when you are training them to be more social (those active few hours during the day when you're doing this). All cats need hidey spaces to calm down. Studies have shown that this greatly reduces stress and can even help a sick cat in a shelter recover faster! Jackson Galaxy's words are really taken out of context from that video and I don't think they should apply for 100% of the time.

A crate with some blankets that smell like their humans is great.

Cat calming music, especially with purring. Play it a LOT. It always helped Nobel to get acclimated to a new home, and I used to move a lot. He was less attuned to every small sound.

Lot of catnip or silvervine if they are allowed that.

Do not allow any outdoor time for 30 days before or 30 days afterwards.

Any enrichment that they enjoy, or some new things to try. Ensure to schedule their playtime as well to get that energy level down.

Lastly, consider, if you can starting to very slowly move their schedule to the schedule they will have in the new country's timezone before moving. So that it's very slowly over time.

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

View attachment 440804 Moving with Grisou (left) and Oberon (right) in spring! We already have air line tickets, including the cats, since we will be moving to another continent.
We will take their favorite cat beds, and already shipped their bowls. They get their favorite treat inside their travel carriers already and are ok going in there.
Both are scared easily, and Oberon might be the most scared cat in the world. I'm planning to scent everything with Jackson Galaxy's calming scent...
Does anyone have advice on how to acclimate a scared cat to a new home?
We will catify when we arrive since we cannot take much. Jackson Galaxy always recommends closing off any hiding spaces, but they deserve to hide after this kind of stress... any advice welcome!

Have you ever taken your cats on a long trip before? If not, I suggest you get to work desensitizing them now. Start by taking them for short car rides around the block in their kennels. Have someone in the car with you who can feed them treats and speak to them reassuringly when they're quiet. Gradually increase the duration of the car rides. It's a lot easier to deal with cats on a long trip when you prepare them well in advance rather than waiting until there is a long trip coming in the near future.