Moving with kitty...

This Christmas I adopted a cat who had never lived/visited outdoors. Until now I've been living in an appartment. Now am moving to a house with a nice little backyard.

1. How should I go about the whole change of location thing? The house israther big... I'm concerned about the litter box placement. Right now his litter box is in my bedroom, as is his food and so on. But in the house we want to place the box in the mainfloor washroom, and the food - in the kitchen. Will the cat adjust to that change of placement quick? confused...

2. The door to the back yard will most likely be open often, so im wondering- if the Lou-cat goes outside, will he leave the yard and get himself lost? Or will he just not go outside?(he is terrified everytime I bring hi out...though that might be just becuase the only place ive been able to take him was beside a major intersection =////)

Any advice? suggestions?

If he follows his nose, or hears a bird somewhere, he's very likely to keep going, not to mention being lured by other cats, mice, etc. or the smell of something good to eat somewhere. Is there a reason why the bkyd door will be left open a lot? And don't count on a bkyd fence (unless it's 8'+ high) to keep him in either. Most of us in houses just develop a thing about not letting the cats outside, and if we choose, take them on deliberate 'walks' in harnesses, but if a door is always open, anything's possible, and you have no idea who might follow him home, on top of that.

Don't be surprised if your cat is a little scared when you move into your house. I would put him in one room for a day or two and let him get accustomed to the smells and sounds of the new house before giving him free roam of the place. At night, he might cry and howl (which is what my cat did) due to the newness of the place.

Please don't let your kitty outside unless on a leash or somehow other contained (in a cage or carrier). It's so dangerous for outdoor kitties because of territory fights, diseases from other cats, taunting and teasing from kids (& adults), not to mention the risk of encountering a car or getting lost. I have two cats that are strictly indoor only and we're in & out constantly, but we take the responsibility to make sure they don't get out. If we need to have the door open for some reason (like hauling in groceries or something), I just put them in a room and shut the door while we've got the door open.

Stephanie

I recently moved so I know all about this... It will be an adjustment for your cat but be patient, he'll be fine!

When I first brought him there I opened his kennel in the basement (where I had placed his box and his food) and left him. He immediately found a great hiding place and stayed there. I just left him alone. He knew where his box and his food where and figured he'd use it when he felt comfortable. He eventually snuck up and hid under my bed. He stayed there for about 4 days but luckily he did go down into the basement to use his box. I'm not sure when (I never saw him) I will admit that on the first day I hauled him out of his hiding spot to remind him where the box was and got a whole bunch of growling and squirming to get away. So I let him be.

I didn't have any problems at all.. the best advice (I think) is to just let them find their hiding spot and let them come out in their own time. It's a lot of stress on a cat (new house, new smells, etc) but they adjust nicely. Just give it time and don't expect too much too fast.

In regards to letting him outside. Please don't! Oliver is strictly an inside cat. I wouldn't want him to go outside. I've already lost 2 cats (one got hit by a car and one ran away) My old roomate used to let her cat roam the neighborhood. Poor girl spent more money on vet visits after fights, getting hit by a car, etc. Of course, the cat still wants to go out. Once they go out, they'll beg and beg to go out all the time. I just don't want that. An open window suits Oliver just fine!