Too Much Stress For My Cats?

[drmroth]

So I'm moving into my mothers house which is swamped with all the furniture from my house and her house. It's crazy, things are all over the hallways, tables, just about every nook and cranny is filled with something. I want to bring my cats, Dusty 2.5 years old and CoCo 1 year old, to the new house but I'm worried about how they're going to adjust. I'm not so worried about them coming to the new house because I figure they'll have fun exploring their new, temporary cluttered, house.
What I am worried about is that we'll be going out of town October 1st for 2 weeks and I don't know if being in a new house and us going away for a long period of time will be too traumatic for them.

What do you all think?

 

[susanm9006]

Hard to say without knowing your care plan for your cats. Is your mother going to take care of them or is someone coming in?

One concern I would have with young cats and a cluttered environment is the number of things they can topple over or have fall on them. You might want to cat proof one room and have that as their home until things settle down.

 

[surya]

The one room idea sounds like a good plan to me too.

 

[tarasgirl06]

So I'm moving into my mothers house which is swamped with all the furniture from my house and her house. It's crazy, things are all over the hallways, tables, just about every nook and cranny is filled with something. I want to bring my cats, Dusty 2.5 years old and CoCo 1 year old, to the new house but I'm worried about how they're going to adjust. I'm not so worried about them coming to the new house because I figure they'll have fun exploring their new, temporary cluttered, house.
What I am worried about is that we'll be going out of town October 1st for 2 weeks and I don't know if being in a new house and us going away for a long period of time will be too traumatic for them.

What do you all think?

Yes, other posters have the good suggestions! "Experts" say to make a room available for cats when moving, installing them there with their food, water, litterboxes, scratchers, beds, toys, etc. and keeping the door and windows very secure. Then spend time with them to reassure them, playing with them, brushing them, feeding them treats, etc. Since someone else is caring for them while you're away, they should be brought into this equation right away.

 

[jomelder]

Personally, I'd wait until after the trip to move them. They already have their own areas at the old house and I'm pretty sure they'd rather be there. If you move them before you leave you'll be throwing them into a completely unknown environment, plus mom and dad won't be there . They will get extremely stressed and it's quite likely their personalities would change because of that. Just make certain you have someone willing to feed, water and play with them some everyday. The change in personality is something I went thru myself. I had to go to a funeral in another state and when I got home I had to deal with things they'd broken, spilled, and knocked over. Then it took several days to get to where they'd let me touch them. They were angry and they wanted to make sure I knew that. Whatever you decide I Wish You Luck! Have a great time on your trip !

 

[daisyd]

Hi I agree leave them where they are if you have somebody to feed them etc.. if the move to a new place plus you are not there they may get anxiety and think they have been abandoned . If you are with them all the time when they do move they are more likely to have a smoother transition.