Moving with one cat from multiple-pet house

Hello everyone,

I'm thinking of moving from my parent's house for different reasons. Except money, what is stopping me are my cats. Here's a quick rundown(you can skip and go right to the end):

- Tara: 5½-6 years, domestic long-hair. Got from feral mother very young, had one old dog at the time. Played and ran around a lot until dog passed away. Calmed down. Gentle cat that loves and follows me around. Is scared of some stuff(hides when lots of people come) because of my brother scaring her when was younger. Does not defend herself when Grisou attacks(plays), just meows. Doesn't say anything when licked. Does not like dog(Gus) at all. She basically goes from the basement to eat and to litter, except that, spends lots of time on the sofa or following me. Likes to see my mother in the morning.

- Grisou: 2-3 years?, domestic short-hair. The cat-dog(for lots of reasons), basically, runs around like crazy, plays with the dog, even slept with him on the first day. Follows around, licks a lot. Attacks Tara to play, bites neck but also licks her calmly from time to time. Teams-up with the dog to steal kleenex boxes and earplugs.

- Gustave(Gus): less than 1 year, Boston Terrier. The dog-cat that jumps everywhere because was raised with cats. Tries to play with Tara but she is too scared.

I'm thinking of taking the first one(Tara) as she is my cat but I wonder how it will affect them all. The dog won't care but Grisou and Tara may miss each other but I don't know how much since I don't see her play with him although they do sleep near sometimes and often just ignore each other.

How will Tara be affected by the new environment with me only(and my girlfriend who should come often) and without any companions is what I wonder...
- Will Tara miss the other human companions?
- What do I need to do to help the adaptation?
- What happens if I leave her at my parent's house? She loves me a lot as far as I know.
- Are there any chances she will be more happy if she doesn't have to watch around constantly for attacks? She looks around and runs to the food upstairs sometimes.
- The apartment will obviously be smaller, how does that affect? Keep in mind she mostly stays in the basement.

I'm also scared of missing Grisou too much if he stays there as he is a very special cat also. Will he recognize me if I come 1day/week?

It's hard to say if don't know the cat I imagine but if anyone has stories or tips, go ahead. Thanks in advance!

Hi, so glad you're sensitive to it all! I think you should take her with you. While (being a cat) she will miss having other cats around in one sense, she will blossom like mad being the only cat, being spoiled and played with, treated like a princess (you will do that, won't you :-)?). What you might consider once she's settled in, is getting her someone to lord it over for a change, like another cat, but I don't know if that's a good idea because a) female cats are so hot on defending their territory, and b) because timid ones may see new cats (male or female) as new tormentors and she'll be back where she is now, plus males often decide females are prey to some extent (gee, have we evolved at ALL?) so it also could be a problem. The dog and other cat should be fine, tho' the other cat may well begin to feel lonely and start crying for the one you take. There is no easy answer for sure - cats being cats - so you'll just have to decide which of the hard answers makes sense to you.