Should I Move Him?

inkxpencil

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So I need your guys honest opinion on something. Both of my cats are rescues, and when I got them both I still lived at home with my parents. When I moved out a few years later my landlord only allowed me to take one cat, so I took my female cat Rory. And Charlie my male cat stayed with my parents but I provided everything for him and still do. Now I have lived away with Rory for five years, however she has always traveled back and forth with me on weekends so both cats still know each other.

However my boyfriend and I are buying a house. My goal has always been to have Charlie with me full time and now that can be a reality. I never wanted to leave without him but I had no choice. My parents have taken great care of Charlie, and they love him.

Now here’s the dilemma. First, Charlie and Rory have never really gotten along. They tolerate each other for the most part but they do end up fighting. They have done this since day one. Rory is much happier without Charlie, and she is much friendlier without him. Second, Charlie is a very skittish cat. He doesn’t do well with change. He is very nervous about everything around him. But once he is adjusted he is usually fine. He has been in my parents home since he was a kitten.

Third, my parents are looking to downsize in the next year or two. They will be moving so no matter what he will end up having to transition into a new house. My parents also don’t want to be tied down to Charlie anymore. They can’t travel because he gets upset and they want to do some traveling. They are tired of dealing with some of his behaviours. They do love Charlie, but my parents have had animals for over 35 years and are kind of over the whole pet thing. Charlie has some behaviours and they don’t want to deal with them anymore.

I’m kind of torn on whether or not I should take Charlie with me or not. I think initially it will be a challenge for him, but I hope in the long run he will be okay. I just don’t want to transition him if it’s going to do more harm than good. If I take him with me I will bring all of his stuff with him, like his cat tree etc. But at the end of the day I just want what’s best for both of my cats. Both cats have their annual vet appointment next week and I plan on bringing this up to them as well.

What do you guys think I should do?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi!

My opinion is; please take your cat into your home. There are lots of calming products available with many different ingredients so that you can find something that works, over the counter and even vet prescribed that will likely help both your cats.
 
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inkxpencil

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I intend to ask the vet about possibly prescribing him something for the initial transfer. And maybe something for the first couple of days. I already have a Feliway and will buy more if I need to. Are there other products that could help?

I think I’m just having an internal dilemma because I know how upset he will be by it. My parents will keep him permanently if necessary but that’s not fair to them.
 

Willowy

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If your parents wanted to keep him and things would be consistent, I'd say leave him where he is. Cats hate change. But since they want to move and travel, I think you should take him.
 

Alicia88

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I agree; I think it would be best to take Charlie. No cat really likes change, but they adjust in time. Charlie and Rory may never become friends, but they will learn to tolerate each other.
 

Furballsmom

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Let me give you this info of some of the many over the counter products;
There is Zylkene, Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has a calming product, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.
Also Thunderease has diffusers.
Some people are using CBD oil.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros, drsfostersmith, animaleo.

There are a couple of recent discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?
 

Pjg8r

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if you are moving into a new home, it will be equally new to both cats. Hopefully that would help them since it is all new territory.
 

Adelei

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I was going to say leave him until I got to the part where you talked about your parents moving and also not wanting to keep him. In that case, I would definitely say take him. If he's going to have to move anyway, you may as well bring him to live with you. Plus your parents' wishes should be considered. If it's your cat, then you are responsible for him. It sounds like they've been nicely keeping him for you while you were in a situation where you couldn't take him, but now that you're able to take him, it sounds like that's what they would prefer.
 
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inkxpencil

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Charlie and Rory both had their vet appointment this week. I discussed it at great length with my vet and she gave me some tips to help with the transition. She is going to prescribe him something the car ride and the first few days. I started looking for some of the products you guys suggested and plan on getting them when the time comes. He is definitely coming with me, I'm going to wait until everything is all set up and ready and then he will be joining us.
 
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