You've heard this before but I cant find the answer anywhere

Hi everyone, I know you probably have been asked this question before but I cannot find the answer on the forums do I have to ask again so sorry for that.
I have been living in an apartment for 4 years now with Tigger, he is 4yrs(human) so I guess he is roughly 27yrs for a cat??? Anyway he is an indoor cat and has never been outside or anywhere else but the vets. I have recently purchased a new house and will be moving in to it in about 12 weeks.
So, what do I do to make sure Tigger does not get stressed out by the move and hopefully accepts the new house as his???? He is a very curious cat and I think he will be more fascinated by the new bigger territory after he gets over the initial shock but I have to admit that I am worried by the whole thing, I not only have the stress of setting up house but also about how to handle Tigger.
Any help with this folks would be appreciated, even if you can only point me to a thread where this has already been discussed.

One other thing, would it be a good idea to introduce a new cat/kitten to the equation after 6 months in the new house???

Thanks
Ciaus

Is it a local or distance move?

Assuming local, you empty out one room of your apartment and restrict him in there with minimal cat supplies. Then you go about the business of moving all your possessions from from old digs to new house.

In new house, quickly set up one room (an "office" or the guest bedroom or something) to serve as the cat's initial sanctuary. Put all of the cat's toys and familiar items in there. Then go back to apartment and put your cat in the carrier and transfer him to new home. Put cat in the sanctuary room and open the carrier door. Then close up the sanctuary room and only check on the cat 1-2 times a day. Ignore any whining or fussing.

Meanwhile go about the business of setting up your new house. Once your house is reasonably settled, which might take a couple of days, start paying more attention to the cat's need. Go through everything and cat-proof your new home. When things seem ready, let the cat out of the sanctuary room for an hour or two under your supervision. Keep them in the sanctuary room during the day but gradually give the cat more freedom.

Once the repairmen and movers and random visitors have finished, and at least a week has passed, I would give the cat full run of the house starting on a Friday evening. That would give you until Monday morning to see if the cat is acclimating and exploring appropriately enough that you can leave them alone in the big house when you go back to work.

But don't listen to any whining during the move -- don't think they seem unhappy or it is somehow cruel not to let them explore. A house that hasn't been cat-proofed or is filled with a bunch of half-filled boxes is a recipe for disaster. Plus if the cat escapes (during all that hustle and bustle), they might really get lost when they can't find their way home after they get tired of exploring. There will be plenty of time for the cat to explore once you have made things safe for them to do so. A week or two being restricted to a single room won't kill the cat's spirit.

Hi Nano, thanks for the reply it was great, you are right in presumeing that the move is local, only a 30min drive from my current location.

I was actually thinking of not moving him into the house while the bulk of the work is going on but now I think I will, I will set up the small upstairs room for him.

Cat proofing, I live in Ireland and I have looked for something for protecting furniture from Tigger but so far no luck, can you recommend some products?

Thanks again for all the help, it has put my mind at ease with this move with Tigger.

Thanks
ciaus

ah. sorry for my interupt...
but i juz curious about the "4yrs human = 27yrs cat" thing...
anyone pls point me to sumwhere about this topic