Making moving less stressful?

smudgenme

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
9
Purraise
0
We just bought a house
and we move on Friday. I'm concerned with how Smudge will react.

He has serious abandonment issues, since his previous owners just kicked him out, and would ignore him when he meowed at the patio door for days before someone took him in. He doesn't like not being allowed in a room we're not in.

My parents are bringing a pet carrier for the weekend when we move. I don't really want to let him out of it in the new house because I don't want him running out the open door. But I'm also concerned that if I lock him in a room, he's going to stress out big time.

Anyone have any tips for making the move go smoothly for the little guy?
 

emb_78

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
3,095
Purraise
1
Location
Wisconsin
Well, you can buy Feliway spray from a pet store. It is a pheromone that relaxes them... It's an idea!
 

lunasmom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 7, 2005
Messages
8,801
Purraise
12
Location
Jersey Shore
Patches has HUGE anxiety problems with change and more so with moving. The only solution for her that we have found is a cat valum by HomeoPet Anxiety. It's all natural ingrediants and usually can be found at a Pet Supplies Plus (haven't seen Petsmart or Petco with it yet) or on the internet at www.revivalanimal.com

It only takes 2-3 drops vs. the teaspoons you have to give for the other stuff (like Kitty Calm or Richards Organic Calming Solution).

In addition, get one room cleared out first, like a bedroom or a bathroom. Then place your "drugged" cats in there with their toys and beds and such. Move everything out first. This will help reduce their stress of seeing "their" territory from being taken apart.
Move them last.
At the new place have a least one room mostly set up for them so they can wander around and get use to the new smells. Keep them in there until you have the rest of the place suitable for a cat to walk around in. Give them another dose of the HomeoPet stuff only IF needed.
 

zak&rocky

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Messages
1,597
Purraise
1
Location
Connecticut
I moved a few months ago into a new house with my 1 1/2 year old Rocky and 2 year old Zakk. Rocky has some problems with his vision, plus I was worried that stress would aggrivate his herpes. First thing I did was buy some Feliway and spray it in the new house that day. I was worried b/c the previous owners had two cats. However, we did replace most of the carpets or ripped them up before we moved. When we moved I kept the same litter in the boxes (gross I know) so it would smell the same.
While the movers helped move us out of the apt the cats were locked in the bathroom with litter and food. They weren't pleased but survived.
After the 45 minute drive we brought them to the new house, and put them in the upstairs bathroom, again with litter and food. Once the movers were done upstairs they had access through the door to the master bedroom. After a few hours we let them roam around to check it out. Zakk adjusted well, but he has lived in a few places. Rocky came downstairs briefly the first day, and stayed mostly upstairs for a few days. I accomodated him by feeding him upstairs for awhile until it was clear he would go downstairs on his own. He did hide a few times and you have to be careful of new closets that kitties may decide to check out. Now they love the new house and are always running up and down the stairs and checking out the views from the window.
Side note- Rocky is very interested in the dryer and is always trying to get in. I have to be careful he doesn't get set on the fluff cycle! This was a new safety issue that I have to be careful of now that I never dealt with before!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

smudgenme

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
9
Purraise
0
Thanks for the tips so far girls.

Any non-chemical suggestions? We live in a VERY small center, and I won't be able to get any of the stuff by Friday.
 

girlieq

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
296
Purraise
1
Location
California, USA
Well, before my last move, I've had pets of the leafy variety, rather than the four legged kind. They require special care too, though.


My trick for extremely speedy moving is that I have scaled drawings of each room and all of my furniture done beforehand, so I know where things can fit before I start moving them into the house. I have my furniture moved in first, and then boxes can be stacked against the wall of the room their contents belong in (and I clearly label what is in each one, so I know what to unpack first). The sooner the movers are gone, the sooner your kitty can start looking around his new home.

I just use a pad of graph paper, 1 of the big squares representing 2'. It makes moving a breeze, and the sooner you can get the cats out of the bathroom (I fully agree that zak&rocky's move was a great way to do it) the better.

Your cat will be fine in the bathroom for a couple hours, especially if you make sure he has some of his favorite toys/bedding. As a side note, while you're packing, stick his toys in the pet carrier rather than in a box, so you don't temporarily lose them. Also, Bella is less anxious about being stuck in the carrier when she has her mousies in there with her. She doesn't play with them during the ride, but she also doesn't cry as much. Or you could try to do the bedroom or some other, larger room really quickly and let him out in that room... But that might lead to more hassle than it's worth.

Do you listen to music often? You could stick a CD player or radio in the bathroom so that Smudge hears familier things in the unfamilier smelling bathroom. Or you could take your cleaning supplies and do the mirror and toilet before you put him in the bathroom, so it smells a bit like home. I don't know how much that would help, scent wise, but it couldn't hurt.
 

tarap

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
1
Purraise
0
Location
Milwaukee, WI
I am having the same problem. I just moved from a small 1 bedroom apartment to a nice sized cape cod house. While both of my cats weren't pleased with the move, Payton has since adjusted and is running around like crazy and eating/drinking again. Steve, on the other hand, has basically hid in the room we set up for the cats and has been scared to death. He won't eat, he won't drink, and he definately won't venture upstairs or even out of the room. It's been 3 days since we've moved and I'm worried about not only his comfort level, but his nutrition. Any thoughts?
 
Top