Moving with cats. Tips Please!

We are moving in about a week. What is the best way to keep my kitties calm on moving day? Also, any tips for making them comfortable in the new house? [Luckily, the new house has been redone so it won't smell like any other animals, but it won't smell like home either!]

What are those plug ins that you can buy that calm cats down? Would that work and where could I find them?

Any tips/tricks would be appreciated. I hate to get my kitties all upset!

that is a great question i was actually going ask myself closer to time for us to move. i am moving with all three babies but I am moving LONG distance (tx to mn )

Well, you may be sorry you asked for my advice, but I'm hoping it helps. I just moved cross-country with two cats back in May.

BEFORE:
Take them to the vet to be sure they're healthy I did with Bella, and I had a full blood panel drawn so I would have a baseline to compare to after the move, in case she started showing signs of illness. (This, incidentally, helped to diagnose her CRF five months later) Get copies of all your vet records while you're there.

Be sure you have a carrier for each kitty. I can tell you from experience, travelling with kitties loose in the car may sound like fun, but it can be downright dangerous!

Try to get your kitty used to a figure-8 harness. It'll be easier to control them when you take stretch breaks if you have a leash.

Pack a care kit for the cat(s): food, water, a litterbox (covered ones work best and can be strategically packed for easy access on the road) and some favorite toys, FELIWAY spray, a favorite bed if they have one. Helps 'em feel more at home on the road.

If you have a chance, secure the kittie(s) in one room, with a FELIWAY diffuser and their bedding/toys, while the movers are there, so they don't get trampled underfoot or worse, escape.

MOVING DAY:

Prep the carrier(s) by lining with towels/blankets and spraying them down with Feliway to calm the kitties in transit. Repeat this process every morning if you're on the road for more than one day, and it'll help maintain everyone's sanity.

VERY IMPORTANT!!! Withhold food for at least four hours before travelling. Free feed in the evening when you get to the hotel, but put up the food before bed. Don't worry, Kitty probably won't feel like eating while you're driving anyway.
I learned this the hard way with Bella; she ate breakfast abt 90 mins before we left, and when we got out on the interstate, she was nervous as usual. She yowled non-stop for over an hour, until she literally made herself sick So after less than two hours on the road, we stopped to clean out the cat carrier and clean her up as best we could.

IN TRANSIT:

I found my Bella was calmer when she could see me from inside her carrier (and get the occasional scritch through the bars ). Expect some nerves when you start out, but they should settle in after an hour or so. Mika never made a peep, but she was never the nervous type anyway. Bella was a little tougher, but even she got some shut-eye during the drive.

Give kitty stretch/potty breaks when you do. Attach the leash to the harness so she doesn't bolt, and so she'll be easier to retrieve if she decides to find a hideout (Bella's favorite was to try and climb up in the engine compartment) If you stop at a nicely landscaped rest area, you can both take a stroll in the grass!!! He may be more at home in his own litterbox, so be sure to at least offer it, every 3-4hours usually worked well for us.

AFTER:

Just like with introductions, be sure to confine Kitty to one room to start out. A whole new house can be pretty overwhelming, with all the new sights, sounds and smells. Plug in your Feliway diffuser to calm them. Leave the old blankets, carrier, litterbox and toys in a room that's not high traffic while the movers are there. Give 'em a day or two to get used to the new space, visit them often to let 'em know you still love 'em, and let them explore the new place on their own schedule.

Just be aware that they WILL find new and interesting hiding spaces that you never thought possible.

I´m so sorry Cheryl.. I don´t have that experience to Move with my Kit...
But I want to wish you lot and lot of Good luck about it.... ..
Sending good vibes for a move without stress of you and kittys too...

I do not recommend using any kind of tranquilizers, no matter what the vet says. I have used them, and it was not pretty. The cat would wake up periodically and throw himself around in his carrier. He escaped, and attacked me in 5 o'clock traffic in Nashville, it was amazing we did not get killed, and I got him back in his carrier. He tore up my face and scalp, narrowly missing my eye. Once the initial yowling and protesting is done, they wil settle down and sleep. I have moved many times with cats, and I will never drug them again.

When we moved to our new house a couple years ago, I had their litter box set up first before I brought them and I let them out near the box so, they knew where it was etc.. Other than that, they roamed the house and when to their toys, cat trees.. I also, made sure I didn't unpack or make loud noises or anything to frighten them speacially in a new place..

I wanted them comforablt as possible!

What I do is put the kitties in an emptied out room with their beds and food and litterboxes. Then I move all my stuff to the new house, and arrange as much as I can, so it looks like home when they get there. You may need to keep the kitties in the old house a night or two. OR, set up at least your bedroom in the new place and after it's set up, move the kitties in there. I would not suggest letting the kitties out of the bedroom until you're done moving, so they can't run out the front door to outside! Whenever I've moved, my cats have seemed very comfortable in the new house if more of my stuff with the old home smell was arranged where it belonged. They see the familiar stuff and it's not so scary. Good luck!

Well I took Limerick on many little drives around Morgantown so he was use to the carrier and the car. Heck he even slept in it. If you can get a friend or someone to cat sit for you while they are moving the boxes and stuff it would be a great help. I sent Limerick home a month before I actully moved home. It made moving alot easier not having to worry about him.

Whatever you do, DO NOT LET THE CAT(S) OUT OF THE CARRIER WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING!!! You never know when a car is going to pull or infront of you or one of those lovely woodland creatures is going to play "dodge the cars". I know from experience, luckily no one was hurt, but my car.

I would not give them anything to calm them down. I'd just crate them in carriers on moving day.

When you get to the new home, pick a quiet room (bathroom or bedroom) and let them out. Make sure they know where the litterpan is and food/water dishes. Keep them in the room a few days and let them out one at a time to explore. They will probably be scared but keep talking calmly.

I've had cats that could care less where they were (another home or a hotel room) and took to thing from the start. Others hid for a few days.

Hopefully yours will adjust quickly.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I would not give them anything to calm them down. I'd just crate them in carriers on moving day.

When you get to the new home, pick a quiet room (bathroom or bedroom) and let them out. Make sure they know where the litterpan is and food/water dishes. Keep them in the room a few days and let them out one at a time to explore. They will probably be scared but keep talking calmly.

I've had cats that could care less where they were (another home or a hotel room) and took to thing from the start. Others hid for a few days.

Hopefully yours will adjust quickly.

Click to expand...

i agree, when i moved house one of my cats was really bad in the car and was sweating when we got to the houe(which was 5 minutes away) and i found the best thing to do was put them in a quiet room to let them calm down then slowly show the cat the rest of the house.. if he starts sweating again then go back to the quiet room..
this means that they'll get used to the house slowly. but dont be suprised if at first he follows you around
hope it helps ali