Moving Home

My cat and I have been together for 10 years. I rescued her from a very violent home so she is very dependent on me and quite clingy at times.

She is nearly 11 and has moved from house to house many times. 

I have had to move out of my home and because of the time frame I have taken a spacious flat that has no garden which for us as humans isnt a problem but for the cat it  may be a problem.

I want to say at this point that I had a similar property years ago where the back door went out onto the top of a stairwell and she never wanted to go out but was happy lying in the sun in front of a window.

I just want some advice about the transition of moving her from a garden property to a flat with no garden. She uses a litter tray at the moment and has a nice cat tree to scratch and lie on.

I feel bad for not supplying her with what she needs but I have had no choice and I really don't want to give her away as we have been together for too long.

Hi there!

Having screened windows allows you to open them and give her some air and the smells of outside.  In theory - if she is a confident cat, you could also harness train her and take her to quiet park in a carrier (with the harness already attached with a lease) and then take her for little walks.  But she needs to be harness trained in your home before you attempt this and not all cats are going to like the experience.

See some links below on harness training.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/harness-and-leash-training-for-cats

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/teaching-your-cat-walk-leash

http://www.wikihow.com/Leash-Train-a-Cat

Stephen

YOU are the most important thing in her life, believe me, so she will adjust. Many cats are perfectly happy to spend their lives indoors and do so. Just observe and see how she gets along, she may miss going out for a while but I think it sounds like she'll do fine, give her time and lots of love. Good luck.