Moving - your experiences? Tips & tricks?

[parsleysage]

I'll be moving in January and wanted some advice on how to acclimate cats to their new environment.  They have been really good about change - when I introduced Joni, changed the litterbox type, changed litter type, gradual dry food change, someone living with me temporarily, etc.  Other than taking a few days to get along after Joni came home, they haven't blinked at anything else.  But the boys will be 10 months and Joni heading for 9 months so they will be almost at maturity and I'm not sure how that will affect their historically easy-going nature.

I'll have access to my new place for several weeks before moving.  There was a puppy living there before so we'll be doing pretty heavy duty cleaning to get rid of hair, dander, any lingering smell (although they've met that particular dog several times before).

My mom suggested carting them over there once or twice pre-move, but I'm not so sure.  That seems upsetting, especially for Joni who doesn't have a carrying-buddy like the boys do, and gets upset at being carried. I was thinking scent exchange, but the place will be empty, we'll be painting - will there really be a scent for me to exchange with them?  By the time I move them in, several of my things including the sofa, dresser, etc. will have been in there several days, so they will have familiar scents - so I'm not sure a scent exchange would be necessary either.  What do you think?

Once they're there, what should I expect in terms of behavior?  Hiding, door-dashing, etc.?  

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[sugarcatmom]

I moved a couple times within 3 months with my elderly (16 at the time) cat, who had lived for 15 years in the same house. He handled it surprisingly well! I did get 3 Feliway diffusers and was able to put 2 of them in the house for a week before we moved in. The other one I put in the old house while we were packing. I definitely think that made a difference. Also for the first couple days in the new place, I confined him to our bedroom with food/litter/toys and familiar furniture so that he would feel safer than if he had this big scary house he had to try to find his way around in. 

If your cats are young and otherwise relatively confident, it will probably only take a day or so of adjustment before they're out exploring and having fun. They may act a little nervously (like jumping at new sounds) for a bit, but that should subside. For skittish cats, I recommend making sure there are no places they can escape through or get trapped in (ie windows or doors that don't close properly, air or furnace vents that aren't covered securely, etc). 

Oh, the other thing I suggest is to keep the kitties confined to a room while you move your stuff out, and only move them into the new place when that stuff has been moved in. Having familiar smelling items in the unfamiliar setting will help them feel more comfortable. 

Good luck!

 

[white cat lover]

I just moved three weeks ago with:
Gumby (2 y/o antisocial former feral who hides most of the time)
Lola (3 y/o seizure kitty who thinks the world is her playground)
Dory (6 y/o chicken kitty)
Eden (6 y/o Siamese kitty who adapts easily)
Sophie ( 8 y/o Himi who adapts easily)
Fafeena (17 y/o renal failure kitty off the farm who has limited sight/hearing)
Cow (8 - 9 y/o kitty with heart problems off the farm who is scared of his own shadow)

I confined all 7 cats to one bedroom for the first night, as I was unable to secure any other portion of the house for them safely (I moved the kitties in about 8 - 9 pm). I let the ones who would adapt easily out of the room to explore the next morning (about 9am). I let everyone out of the room at 9pm (24 hours after arrival).

I had feliway diffusers plugged in the bedroom, as well as one on the main floor. I plugged them in the morning before I moved the kitties in, and three weeks later they're still plugged in. I didn't bring them over prior to moving, but did bring all my bedding (unwashed) from the old house so it had 'comforting' scents on it.

I wouldn't bother to bring them over to visit the new place before moving in. IMO, it would stress them more than anything.

 

[annie_belle]

Total agreement with the above posts.  In addition to the Feliway, even though you will have the familiar scent of the bedding and furniture, remember the normal "rubbing spots" for cats...where their scent would normally be.

Place towels in bedding, prior to the move, so the cats scent will be on them.  After the painting, take the towels and rub along the baseboards, on the wall corners, door jambs, all at kitty's nose height.  When they are walking through the house they will find their scent in all types of places.  (I know it sounds odd to rub "cat towels" on your freshly painted walls, but...I doubt it will make them grungy!)

If at all possible,in the "safe room" you are going to keep your cats,  try to play some classical music (harp is good) for the cats on moving day.  It will be comforting and help to muffle the noise of movers (strange voices) and all the commotion.

Good luck!  It's great that you are thinking of all this in advance!

Until next time...Annie

 

[parsleysage]

Sounds like Feliway worked well for you guys.  I'm not sure that's an option for me due to the cost, unfortunately.  Hopefully they'll adjust well without it.  I really LOVE the idea of getting a towel really smelly with all four of us on it and rubbing it on the walls at kitty-height - I think that will be the most effective form of reassurance for them.

The only thing about confining them is that it's a guest house, so it's sort of like a studio apartment, but in house form.  It's probably 400 sq. feet.  I have a separate kitchen and bath but the rest is one big room.  I'm not 100% sure on the details because I'm two months out from moving day, but I am hoping I will be 98% moved in by the time the cats get there, and will only be bringing in storage boxes to unpack at that point.  The bathroom is an okay size with a large closet so if they do need to be confined it won't hurt them to spend a few hours in there, but I hope that won't be necessary.

Thanks for all of the advice!!!! 

 

[krazy kat2]

I have moved from across town to halfway across the country with up to 5 cats. I have a carrier for each one, and a large carrier for 2 that love to cuddle. The main problem I have had is medicating one of them, the only one I had at the time. I gave him something that the vet gave me for him, and assured me it would help him be calm. He was fine for a little while, the he started screaming and trying to escape. He finally escaped and attacked me during 5 o'clock traffic in Nashville. He scratched my neck  face and arms all up. I looked like I had lost a fight with a cheese grater. He calmed down and I got him back in his carrier. A short time later, he did it again, and I was terrified I was going to have to open the window and throw him out before I lost an eye. He finally calmed down and did what cats do, sleep. The moral of this story is Never sedate your cat for traveling. It is also a very good idea to set up a litter box in a room with food and anything else they might need.

,and close the door. They will be fine. If you are staying somewhere overnight, make sure you have everything you and kitties need. Food, drinks snacks, anything to prevent having to open the door. They will run, and it is no fun crawling around under a big truck at 4 am trying to retrieve your cat. Good luck on your move, I am doing that myself in a week or so.

 

[ldg]

Anna, does your current apartment have a bedroom? The biggest problem - and the scariest problem - of any move is the risk a cat gets out. And given the set up at the new place, you won't be able to confine them to a room while things are moved in there.

Hoping you have a bedroom in this apartment, this is how I'd handle the move. Move everything out of the bedroom first. Then close the cats in the bedroom with everything they need (crates, food, water, litter boxes, some of their beds, a scratcher, toys (which they won't play with but... )). They'll be scared, but FAR less scared than if they can see what's going on, and you don't have to worry about door-dashing out of fear or something.

Get everything moved over to the new place. When people are done going in and out, and everything's at least moved into the new place... THEN go get the cats. :nod:

And whenever you start packing, start talking to them. Tell them what's going on and what's going to happen.

They'll be fine without Feliway. Four of our (at the time) five cats were scared out of their minds when we moved for the first time with them. We didn't need to confine them to the bedroom - they confined themselves. :lol3: It took a few weeks before the last one came out any time other than at night. But they all survived and adjusted.

 

[speakhandsforme]

In addition to the other suggestions, I would suggest the bathroom is a good substitute for a bedroom if you don't have an extra one.

I moved across the state in August. I had Boots with me in the carrier in the car for the first two hours, and he had only known me a week, was a 8-week feral rescue, and hissed at me whenever I walked into his room. Then we picked up the adult Kramer from my stepsister. So we were moving with two cats who had never met each other before, one of whom even I had never met (although he turned out to be a sweetie, thank god) and the other was a feral-ish. And you know how male cats are around kittens. And it was a 8-hour drive. So, it was well and truly a party. :lol3:

And keep in mind that this was before I found TCS and knew about staggered introductions and scent swapping and all that good stuff.

But, we survived. And here's how:

1. Right when we got there, I put Boots in the bathroom, and Kramer in my large bedroom closet, until we got everything actually inside my apartment.
2. Then I let Kramer out, because he's easygoing and was already used to people. He was a tiny bit skittish at first, but he was wandering up for purrs and skritches after 5 minutes.
3. After we got the main necessities unpacked and were resting for the evening, I let Boots out for some supervised play. After about 5 minutes of puffy tail and hissing, they were grooming each other and wrestling.

So... keep your cats confined until you have the main stuff unpacked, and then let them out when you think they'll be comfortable enough to wander a bit. If I can move with two cats who have never met, you can certainly move with yours. :bigthumb:

 

[melesine]

We moved 2 months ago and my kitties were about 6 months at the time. The only drama was getting them in the crate in the car, as they were a little freaked over all our stuff being moved and out of the house. I had no problems once they were in the car or at the new house. They adjusted almost immediately once they smelled our stuff there. No real hiding other than for a few minutes. I do wish I had moved them in separate crates only because I didn't anticipate problems putting them in the crate in the car. Cooper was really scared and tried to escape and bit me pretty bad trying to get away from me. If I could have crated them in the house and them moved them to the car I could have avoided that. As a result, we carried the big dog crate they were in in the car into the house once we arrived and they stayed in it until the movers were completely done unloading and the house was closed up good. 

 

[parsleysage]

Anna, does your current apartment have a bedroom? The biggest problem - and the scariest problem - of any move is the risk a cat gets out. And given the set up at the new place, you won't be able to confine them to a room while things are moved in there.

Yes - my current apartment has a bedroom, and we will definitely shut them in here when it's time to move things.  Thanks for the advice on how to time the move - think I'll use that!

The weird thing with this move is that most of it will have already taken place by the time I start living in the apartment.  My dad is the guy with the brawn (and brains, too of course haha) and big truck, and he and my mom are going on a cruise during my moving weekend.  So we will be moving almost everything while the kittens are still living here.  I will probably only be moving four or five boxes of books, pans, etc. with help during the actual move weekend, and won't go get the kittens until it's all complete.

 

[ldg]

Excellent!