Advice on moving house with our sensitive cat!

nickyjellybaby

Hi guys,

I'm wondering if any of you have any advice on how I can move house and cause as little stress as possible to our 3 year neutered old tomcat.

I moved last year and had him in a dark box for the move, the car was STINKING and the new apartment was too for over a week. Almost to the point that the landlord told me if the smell wasn't gone by the following week I'd be given my marching orders. I bought some plug-in infuser called 'ferriway' or something to that effect on the day we moved but it felt like the damage had been done already by then

He's a very quiet affectionate cat but doesn't like loud noises, going outside or sudden movements. He's a scardy cat but once you're gentle he is really gentle too.

So if any of you have any tips, know anything I can do to calm him I'd really appreciate it. Or maybe I should be buying cat nappies!

Vet said sedation doesn't really work on cats and even getting him to the vet to get him sedated would be a huge drama in itself and he'd be really stressed and spray everywhere

Thanks
Nic

MsFifers

I moved this summer with my timid tomcat so can sympathise! Some people swear by Felliway diffuser - personally I didn't think it had any effect. You could try the spray which doesn't cost as much as the plug in, and just spray the whole place. I thought mine did react to the spray.

Move all your own stuff in the new place first and try to get familiar scents around the place for your cat. (You could also try bringing stuff from the new place into your current house for a few days before you move, so he gets used to the smell of the new house)

Keep your cat in one room for the first day or two (maybe the kitchen or some place you will be a lot of the time) and make sure there are plenty of places for him to hide. Again - put his blanket if he has one in the hiding places to give him a sense of familiarity.

I also left the litter trays in really obvious places too just in case he got caught short or had a nervous moment! This meant they were in the middle of the kitchen floor which probably isn't very hygenic for me, but once he got settled I moved them into more hidden places.

If he has a habit of spraying when nervous maybe you better prepare for that eventuality and keep him in a room with hard surfaces that can be easily cleaned.

My cat was very nervous for at least a week, and I felt pretty bad about how scared he was but eventually he has come to like the place!

I just let him figure things out himself. I didn't try coaxing him out or making a big fuss of him as I didn't want to reward the crazy behaviour!

Madame Razz

they say leaving the cat in the/a bathroom works best for the first few days as its a very quiet peaceful room with very little disturbance. Maybe you could try leaving him in there with his litter tray etc?

I know some cats aren't easy to move; best of luck with it OP:)

The Sweeper

Move him when at a time when you can be sure you can restrict him at the destination - put him in the bathroom, as stated, with litter tray, toys, bed, food and water. Make sure the bathroom window is closed. Give him somewhere to hide - cardboard box etc. Then forget about him and go about making your new home perfect. Eventually, when all is quiet, go see him. It may take a week to 10 days for him to adjust (it'd be worse if he didn't know you - then it could take weeks and weeks).

It's vital to restrict him when you move, because if he's terrified, he'll hide and you'll be convinced you've lost him. This is from personal experience - one of my guys is a "change is BAD" cat. He squeezed in through the 2" x 4" gap in the folded lid of a box of clothes when we moved, and hid for hours. Someone left the door open, we were convinced he'd escaped, and we spent three hours looking for him because when they're that scared, they don't come or make noise when called.

Dee_animallover

Hi I can sympathise too (unfortuantly!). I have a 2/3 year old female cat, came to me as a stray, wouldnt come within 10 ft of me at first but gradually she gained my trust and now will sleep on my lap!
Anyway I moved her and her buddy in feb to our new house. I kept them in the spare room, brought their old beds/bedding so they were familar with it. The tom cat was fine after a day or 2 and I felt confident enough to let him out and have a wander around to get to know the place. The other cat didnt come out of her box only to use the litter or eat (very little at that). She wouldnt even come out of the room to explore her new house. Probably didnt help that we also had 2 dogs that she had never met!
Anyway long story short, I left the window open one night, thought she might venture out to have a look, well she did but she didnt return for 8 days! I was devastated, really thought she had gone for good, but sure enough she woke me up at 7 one morning at my bedroom window. Well she was like a different cat! Alot more confident, came in our window and walked down the hall no prob. I think she knew she had to return as she'd never find as good of an owner I honestly couldnt believe the change in her.
I think def try and keep him in a room where he wont be disturbed - they are best left alone for a while. Let him do things on his own terms, if he wants to come out of the room he will, if he doesnt he wont! (but will eventually!)
Good luck!