Moving House - Any Advice?

Hello,

We are moving house soon to a lovely place that will be a lot nicer for Alan our kitty too. He is a good kitty and quite confident, when we got him it didn't take him long to settle in, he was no problem at all. I was just wondering, is there anything I can do when we do move to make it all the more easier for him? Just little things to make the transition less daunting for him. He is 7 months old so he is still a baby but like I say he settled in with us really quickly, slept on the bed the first night purring and all loved up. I will be with him all day when we get there too, thankfully I haven't got to go out to work. Any advice would be appreciated.

You only have the one little guy who is still a kitten so I bet he will do great. Here is my long snoring reply, having moved multiple times with multiple cats It's stressful every time but they have been great about it. No matter what you do, they will most likely be nervous and shy, even hide in their new home. Let them come around at their own pace. But you can greatly reduce their stress~~again, my advice is more with older, multiple cats, but you may find something uselful in my rambling!!!

When you are moving, isolate cat/s in one room that is already emptied (aside from their needs) or move what is in that room last. They should not be in the immediate vicinity of all the ruckus. Plus they could scatter about and get lost or hurt.

Keep their favorite bedding (even a tshirt of yours with your scent) with them as you are packing trucks, and use that bedding in their carriers. Spray the carrier with Feliway about 20 min before placing kitty in carrier. You can also spray the car a bit for good measure. Oh and try to avoid feeding the cats too close to the move--at least 2 hours prior is fair.

Some cats will like a towel draped over the carrier for a sense of security.

Make sure the carrier is WITH you in your traveling vehicle and stable.

At the new house, I always try to set up something ahead of time (a temporary holding room with their litter boxes, etc.) This move I am plugging in Feliway diffusers in rooms at least a week ahead of time.

THen I place cats in a quiet room, door shut, with their carriers door open. Water right away, food a little later (in case of upset tummy). Litter is available, bedding is already in carrier or I place something familiar.

Cats stay in that room while we move furniture in--that room is used last. I don't let cats out till most of the ruckus is over, and usually much later, sometimes the next day--depends on set up of the house. I like to start with one section at a time if possible--not just open them up to the entire place (if it's a large home).

I can always expect some hissing and hiding from most of my cats--(one of my females loves to move--she is character). I show them where their litter boxes are--but this should be done after they are more comfy in their holding room and not still hunkered down in their carriers.

Then they have to explore at their own pace. Do a good 'cat proofing' of a new home--things *THEY* could get into but you wouldnt necessarily think of. I had 2 cats hide behind DRY WALL in the basement. We couldnt; find them for hours and I was in tears. There they were, looking up at me, all wide eyes and 'hey mom!'. We have *NO* idea how they got there and we had to rip the board down to get them out.

Ideally, if you can move your stuff into your new place THEN bring your cats after your mostly moved in -- that would work best. We might be doing that this time, (time and distance is key here).

Pets are more resiliant than we give them credit for. Be patient with them and they will come around

we drove five days and kept her with us all the time. when we got to the new house i showed her the litter pans, plugged in some feliway infusers in the three rooms she hanged out in most and there wasn't a single issue. ( i keep them in bathrooms in the new house just as I did in the old house) she loved exploring and jumping in and on all the packing boxes. when a work person came over i locked her in the large master bathroom to avoid having to deal with new people.

When you are moving your stuff out of the old house and into the new, keep the cat confined to a carrier most of the time or a room where NO one will open it till everything is in or out of the house.

When we moved (over the course of a month (lucky)) we didn't have to worry too much about the animals - the cats were confined to the bedroom which was the last room to be emptied. When we moved the animals in the new house and had the last load of stuff to bring in, they were confined to the library room and the door kept shut at all times.

At the new house, I would confine the cat to the room where the litter pan is for a day or 2 to be sure he knows where to go, before you allow total freedom