Moving out of state...advice?

My husband and I are moving out of state in the next month or two (hopefully, it depends on when our house sells). We currently live in a house in a subdivision in Omaha, Nebraska and we will be moving to a 5 acre property in the country in the Springfield, Missouri area. Rogersville, Missouri to be specific. It is about a 5.5-6 hour drive one way. Except for when she was with the people we got her from, Nora has never lived anywhere but here. This is her home. I just was wondering if I could get some advice on what we should do the day we move, like when we are packing up the truck...where should we put here? I don't want to her slip out of the house somehow.

Also, about the drive down there. Would it be best to keep her crated the entire time down there (we stop about once, maybe twice, on the way down there to pee ourselves), or should I maybe start harness training her so I can let her out to walk a bit or to pee?? Is there anything I can do to help her be less stressed out during the ride? She HATES being in the car, and I can already imagine the constant howling for 6 hours straight. Do I feed her on the ride down or just wait until we get to our new house??

Then...once we get down there...what do I do with her? Her litter box will most likely be in the laundry room/bathroom, so should I lock her up in there for a while, or should I give her free reign of the house immediately? Again, I don't want her to accidentally slip out of the "strange" house while we are going in and out moving things in.

Any advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks!!

I too have to move and have taken several trips with my cats on up to 7 hour drives. Limit car time to 8 hours to prevent bathroom accidents and anxiety issues.

While you're loading stuff on the truck: Kitty goes into a bathroom and no one goes in there until you know ALL the outside doors are shut.

Do not feed her the day of your move, because she may get car sick on a long ride. She can eat about an hour after you arrive at the final location. Water, however, can and should be offered often.

I do approve and even advocate harness training -- most cats handle it well, and it also makes them easier to hold, handle, and catch if they happen to get loose. However, I only have 1 cat that will use the restroom while in harness.

State laws differ on whether an animal can be free in a car or not. You'll have to check. I have 3 cats that share a large (great dane size) dog kennel very well, but one cat with cage anxiety. Law or no law, Prissy has to be loose in the car, otherwise she injures herself. Even sedated at double doses, she fights the medication and will wake up briefly and hurt herself trying to get out of a kennel. It's going to be up to the individual temperament of your cat. Sedation from a vet is an option if you are concerned for your cat's safety, but sedation can sometimes change the temperament of your cat for months, even longer. It is a last line option, in my opinion.

If you do decide to let her roam the car, make sure you have a helper riding with you to make sure that the cat will not get under the driver's feet. try putting an open top box in the floor board on one side in the back, and her litter pan lightly filled in the floorboard on the other side. It works perfectly for Prissy. She rides well in the back window without making any trouble, silent and comfortable. The other three sleep in the kennel in the back seat with occasional grumbles and complaints.

Before placing her in the car, spray down the entire inside of the car, and the carrier if you will use one, with Feliway (also known as Comfort Zone) or a similar calming spray. It will help. If you will be using a carrier, leave it out for her to eat, sleep and/or play in for at least a week before the move so she's used to it.

Put the cat in the car last once you have everything else taken care of. Do not EVER open a door or window unless you are absolutely CERTAIN she is restrained first, even if she is sedated. (my aunt lost my first cat Tabby this way when she moved us from Washington to Oklahoma)

When you get to your new location, again, put the cat in a bathroom with her litter, spraying the room with the spray or using a diffuser. Again, DO NOT open the bathroom door unless you are certain all outside doors are shut. Once everything is inside, you can go in and comfort her. If you have no other pets, it may be alright to let her roam a little, but I would advise leaving her in the bathroom for at least a few days until she gets used to the new house sounds and smells.

It takes a lot of positive interaction -- cuddling, petting, talking, feeding, snuggling -- to help her get used to a new place and recognize it as home. If she will be in indoor/outdoor, do not let her out for at least 2 weeks. She may not come back otherwise.

Good luck on the move, and I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

While you're loading stuff on the truck: Kitty goes into a bathroom and no one goes in there until you know ALL the outside doors are shut.

Do not feed her the day of your move, because she may get car sick on a long ride. She can eat about an hour after you arrive at the final location. Water, however, can and should be offered often.

I do approve and even advocate harness training -- most cats handle it well, and it also makes them easier to hold, handle, and catch if they happen to get loose. However, I only have 1 cat that will use the restroom while in harness.

State laws differ on whether an animal can be free in a car or not. You'll have to check. I have 3 cats that share a large (great dane size) dog kennel very well, but one cat with cage anxiety. Law or no law, Prissy has to be loose in the car, otherwise she injures herself. Even sedated at double doses, she fights the medication and will wake up briefly and hurt herself trying to get out of a kennel. It's going to be up to the individual temperament of your cat. Sedation from a vet is an option if you are concerned for your cat's safety, but sedation can sometimes change the temperament of your cat for months, even longer. It is a last line option, in my opinion.

If you do decide to let her roam the car, make sure you have a helper riding with you to make sure that the cat will not get under the driver's feet. try putting an open top box in the floor board on one side in the back, and her litter pan lightly filled in the floorboard on the other side. It works perfectly for Prissy. She rides well in the back window without making any trouble, silent and comfortable. The other three sleep in the kennel in the back seat with occasional grumbles and complaints.

Before placing her in the car, spray down the entire inside of the car, and the carrier if you will use one, with Feliway (also known as Comfort Zone) or a similar calming spray. It will help. If you will be using a carrier, leave it out for her to eat, sleep and/or play in for at least a week before the move so she's used to it.

Put the cat in the car last once you have everything else taken care of. Do not EVER open a door or window unless you are absolutely CERTAIN she is restrained first, even if she is sedated. (my aunt lost my first cat Tabby this way when she moved us from Washington to Oklahoma)

When you get to your new location, again, put the cat in a bathroom with her litter, spraying the room with the spray or using a diffuser. Again, DO NOT open the bathroom door unless you are certain all outside doors are shut. Once everything is inside, you can go in and comfort her. If you have no other pets, it may be alright to let her roam a little, but I would advise leaving her in the bathroom for at least a few days until she gets used to the new house sounds and smells.

It takes a lot of positive interaction -- cuddling, petting, talking, feeding, snuggling -- to help her get used to a new place and recognize it as home. If she will be in indoor/outdoor, do not let her out for at least 2 weeks. She may not come back otherwise.

Good luck on the move, and I hope this helps.

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Thanks for all the tips, especially the no food the day of the move tip. Don't worry, she will be crated the entire time while we are driving. I just meant for her to get out and stretch in the car while we are stopped to pee. Do you think that would just put more stress on her? Should we just leave her crated the entire time? Going at our normal pace the drive is about 5 1/2 hours, but we'll probably be going a bit slower with the moving truck, so it may be upwards of 6-6 1/2 hours.

She is a strictly indoor cat (the most she goes outside for is to roll around on the patio, but only with direct supervision and she doesn't go further than that) so we don't have to worry about letting her out or her running away. We also do not have any other pets to worry about. At least for now. We do plan on getting a dog once we are down there to protect our chickens and goats that we plan to get.

Thanks again for all the advice. I really appreciate it!

It sounds like you've pretty much got it figured out then.

I will repeat though that I only have one cat that will use the bathroom when on a harness. Prissy likes to get out and walk a bit, but Smudge and Ginger would be more stressed if let out than if I would just leave them in the kennel. It's going to be up to the individual temperament of the cat.

I do however think that having a harness on hand just in case might be the best thing. She might be fine sneaking outside with you when you're at home, but a cat on a trip always behaves differently than a cat at home. She's going to be confused and stressed, and unpredictable. When you're packing or unpacking, in a strange place, or making a lot of noise and movement, she is going to be upset. Especially in a new place like a gas station or your new home, she may get out and run away afraid, and then not be able to find her way back.

Keep her crated the entire time if you can, but if you want to let her out I advise a harness and leash.

I would start taking her on short car rides now. The more often the better. It will help her get used the car, the carrier and all the sounds and movement. If she's has a chance to get used to it now your trip will be so much easier on both of you.

My Pandora hates the car and carrier and when she had her surgery I took her to work every day to make sure she didn't rip her sutures out. At first she did horrible, screamed the whole way there and back by the time the 10 days were over she settled down and now completely excepts the carrier and car rides.