Moving- A Stressful Transition...Help!

This August I am planning to go to college in a new city, and I will be moving in with my grandparents in May so I can avoid paying the housing costs. I have two cats, one at my mom's and one at my dad's, both of which I plan on taking with me to where I'll be moving. The younger of the two, Sadie, I'm sure will do fine with the transition, but the older one, Fuzzy, who's eight years old, has lived in the same place all her life, with the same people, and I'm afraid it will be hard on her. She is a very sensitive and shy cat and does not like change (she used to freak out when my older brother came home from college, but she's used to it now). How can I make the move easier on her, and possibly Sadie as well, who is only two and is a little braver than Fuzz??? I love my cats more than anything and would do anything to have them with me. Anyone who can help, please do!

Could you ask your grandparents to send you a little something from their home once or twice a month - a little handtowel, a tee-shirt or something fabric - which carries their scent and the scents of their home? You might be able to introduce your little scared one to these items and get her used to a new scent - the actual environment will have to be dealt with when she gets there - we'll talk about that in a minute, but for now, at least she can get a little more comfortable with the scents.

Once you move her, I would suggest that you confine her to your room only - make sure her litter, food and water, favorite toys, condo or other furniture are all in there, but don't let her have free roam of the new house for a couple of weeks. Have your grandparents come into your room each holding something that belongs to you - a tee-shirt or something that carries your scent - very close to them when they come in. Don't make any sudden moves or try to grab for her, just come in and sit quietly. Have them do this frequently so your girl gets used to their presence - when you let her out of the room in a few weeks, their presence will be normal to her.

There are a lot of good threads on the site which offer more suggestions and ideas ... try doing a search and take some time to read through. I am also sure that many of our more knowledgable members will be happy to share their experiences with you here as well, so don't forget to check back!

Let us know how it goes and again, welcome to TCS.

~gf~

Make sure to spend lots of time with the cats, and don't be surprised if they occasionally go to the washroom outside the box; my cat did that as a way of saying "I'm stressed out and I don't like you right now".....and really, what better way to get that message across than to leave a big pile in the middle of my bed ? Don't get angry and try to keep the rest of their routines the same.