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Moving, with cat...Questions

post #1 of 6
7/29/11 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 
Hey folks!

I will be moving into a cat-friendly apartment come the middle of august and will be taking 1 of my 3 cats with me (the other 2 will remain with my parents for now). I've already gotten most of the supplies I'll need for the move (new litterbox, food, scratch boxes, etc.) but had a few questions, since I've never moved with a cat before... Oh, and 1 small complication..I will also be bringing my geckos with me and they will need to stay in my room at the apartment.

SO....All that said, here are my questions:

1. How long does he need to stay confined to my room at the apartment before he can have the run of the place? (this will be hard, since his box won't permanantly be in my room and the geckos will temporarily have to live in the closet until he's out of the room).

2. Is there anything, other than maybe spraying feliway and brining old toys and bed, that will help in the transition process?

3. I will possibly be brining one of the other 2 cats to live with me later on (not sure when)...If so, can I expect issues when re-introducing them? (they're brothers and have been together since they were little..now apx. 5 years old and have never been seperated before)

Thank you so much for your time and help!
Artgecko
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post #2 of 6
7/29/11 at 11:01am
I have moved 2 times with my cats. I did not keep them confined at all. Maybe just during the "actual move." Other than that, they were allowed to explore the apartment.

Once you bring your 2nd cat into the apartment, you should expect them to hiss at each other for a few days. At least that is my experience. Even when I bring one home from the vet, they hiss for about a day. That might just be my experience but I think it is pretty common. However, I never separated them... that was just for vet visits.

Good luck with your move!
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post #3 of 6
7/29/11 at 2:38pm
We moved out of state in March. I'll answer based on what my experience was.

1. I only kept them confined for the first day, basically while we were moving stuff in and had the doors open and such. They were stir crazy and didn't like being confined and that was more stressful for them. They adjusted VERY well to the move and settled right in. Each cat will be different, though. I kept them in the master bathroom, with the litterbox in the tub and their beds on the floor. I kept them there b/c there really wasn't a reason for people to go in and out of it, so less chance for them to sneak out and possibly get out of the house.

3. I'm not sure. Hopefully someone can give you a helpful answer.

4. You very well may need to reintroduce them. I adopted Walter and Thomas, who are brothers, from a rescue. A couple months later I convinced DH to let us adopt the 3rd brother, and it did NOT go well at all. They didn't remember each other and Walter (who is my big marshmallow) and he fought constantly and they both started peeing all over the house. The rescue insisted on taking the 3rd brother back and adopted him out as a single cat. Just two months apart did that. You may have a different experience, though.
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post #4 of 6
7/31/11 at 6:35pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks so much for your help! I'll keep your advice in mind for the upcoming move.

Art
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post #5 of 6
7/31/11 at 9:53pm
We have moved 5 times in 4 years. in that time we started out with 2 cats and the most were 5. Every move we kept the cats confined while the movers did their thing. after that, we let them do their thing. Never had issue with new home, they were always excited to explore.

You might want to try one of the gel products for stress and anxiety. I have seen them work better than feliway and they are cheaper.
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post #6 of 6
7/31/11 at 11:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by captnfirepants View Post
We have moved 5 times in 4 years. in that time we started out with 2 cats and the most were 5. Every move we kept the cats confined while the movers did their thing. after that, we let them do their thing. Never had issue with new home, they were always excited to explore.
Same. Sept will be our 7th move in 4yrs with 1-3 cats.
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