I'm moving in less than 2 weeks!

zissou'smom

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Well, the time has finally come! I'm moving about 250 miles the Saturday after next (on the 12th). All in one trip, of course. My roommate is moving to an apartment here in town at the same time (day before or day after)! EEK!

I have barely started packing
but I have been going through everything and throwing away crap. I had a whole trashbag worth of stuff in my bathroom alone. No sense moving junk!

I think I'm just renting a 16-passenger van with the seats out. The biggest pieces of furniture I have are a twin bed and a barcalounger, no dining tables and no other chairs, so I think it'll be fine. My roommate's helping me move. I feel bad making him drive all that way, but my sister is pregnant and her husband has to work, and my parents are well into their 60s, so I really don't have a choice.

Zissou is starting to realize something is weird. She was "helping" me clean out the bathroom yesterday, and I packed up all her toys in a box that I can still open... she's looking at me like "What's going on!"

Any tips for packing? I basically only have one room that's all mine, and then stuff in the kitchen/bathroom. The bathroom is all being packed into a thing of plastic drawers. Zissou's stuff will all be in one box. And then the kitchen stuff.

Any ideas on good ways to pack books? I have a few hundred. Should I put them in a suitcase with rollers? I am moving out of a third-floor walkup into another third-floor walkup. Yeah, I know, phew! But according to the landlord it's the best apartment in the building, right above the model so that there's noone below me or above me.

When I leave, should I put the Zissou in the bathroom here, move everything out, and then put her in the bathroom there while I move in? Since the bathroom will be the easiest (just bring out and then plunk down the plastic shelves) it would be easiest to put her in there. I know it's better to do it differently if you don't have to do everything all at once, but I don't have a choice. I have to move on the 12th (lease there starts on the 12th, lease here up on the 13th, and I am working until the 11th-- plus I don't own a car)

I'm kinda freaking out....
 

catsknowme

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I would take Zissou with you, and put her in the bathroom in her carrier. Since you will have someone else with you, I'd run into the new place first and give it some Feliway treatments while Zissou waits in the van with the AC on. Afterward, I'd keep the bathroom door closed until you've carried everything up. You can put it all in the living room and hopefully stay at home to unpack while your roommate drives the van back and returns it.
If that doesn't work, it is probably best to leave Zissou at the old place and drive down to the new place to drop the things off, then go back for Zissou. That will take more than a day, though, and be tough on you.
And if you don't mind old wives' tales, you could put a tiny pat of butter on her paw pads at the new place. Supposedly when the cat licks off the butter, it gets the scent of the new home & will adjust more quickly. I had read an article about 20 years ago by a vet who used the same suggestion, only with Vaseline. It sounds quirky, but I do it even though I use all the other precautions since cats can escape so easily - they are the very definition of the word "stealth".
Sending lots & lots of {{{moving vibes}}} and prayers for happy times in your new home! Moving is such a pain, but new starts are so exciting!
 

satai

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Can you put her in a cattery or at the vets for the day? The fee for 1 day is usually pretty small and possibly worth it - you can pack the van safely (this is the long part of moving) and go get her right before you leave.

When you guys are moving in, close her the bathroom (leave her in her case) - get everything out of the van, then when it's all inside (this part doesn't take very long) you can let her out of the case (but probably still leave her in the bathroom or possibly the bedroom). It will probably take you a few days to unpack all your stuff and decide where you want it, so it the mean time just make sure that nothing can fall on her and she can't get into anything dangerous.
 
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zissou'smom

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I'm already living off my credit cards (just for a month! and I paid August's rent already, in both places) so I can't afford to board her a day. Yes, he is bringing the van back without me, so I will stay there with her and then start unpacking, since my parents and my sister and her husband are visiting on Sunday! Geesh. The day after I move in I'm having company. I hope they don't expect me to have it all settled!

Wow. That butter idea is really cool. Zissou usually adjust well, she's been back and forth to my sister's and this apartment 5 or 6 times. And sometimes on her walks we'll stop by a friend's apartment, and she usually just kinda sniffs around awhile and then takes a nap! So I don't think it'll stress her out much. I purposefully got an apartment that hasn't had a cat in it for a decade.

Satai, yea. I think the first thing I'll do is set up her water and her litterbox in the bathroom and then shut her in there. Feliway is a good idea, too. Do you think I need to put her in the bedroom for awhile? The apartment is a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom (the kitchen is the corner of the living room)-- about 400 sq ft or smaller. Is it necessary to keep her in one room, or will she be okay with, well, basically two? The whole place is the size of some people's bedrooms.
 

satai

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Keep her in one room for safety til all your stuff is inside and you're sure it can't hurt her. Then I'd let her have access to the bedroom and bathroom.

She'll probably want to hide at first anyway.
 

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

I'm kinda freaking out....
..))))))))))))))))))))))Good Vibes((((((((((((((((((((...

Sending good vibes for a Move without stress to you and your kitty!

Good luck!

keep us updated about it!
 
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zissou'smom

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Thank you!!!

I will keep you updated. I'll only be without internet for two days, I don't think you'll miss much!
 

emily_325

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Originally Posted by Satai

Oh no! You'll be gone for TWO DAYS?
I'm with Satai...there will be a loneliness on the forums for two days.


Good luck with your move. I know it's a hassle as I've done it twice in as many years. It's always fun to settle into a new place though. Keep us posted!
 
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zissou'smom

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Awww! I feel all warm and fuzzy inside now!
I'll miss y'all too.

Yea, I lived in the same house for 18 years, and then in the past three I've moved five times, soon to be six (To Cleveland, into the dorm, out of the dorm, into the dorm, out of the dorm, into my apartment, and now to Columbus).

It is going to be soooooo different. I've never lived in an urban area, and I'll be living on the busiest street in the city! (If you're familiar with Columbus, it's about a block north of Short North). I'm excited!

I really like my next apartment though. It's small, but nice.
 

lookingglass

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Good luck with your move, I shall dispatch my packing fairies to make sure that you label all of your boxes, and to make sure that all of your stuff gets there in one piece.
 
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zissou'smom

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Thanks for all the vibes! Send more!

I'm packing up the van right now, leaving bright and early in the morning tommorow. Zissou is freaking, it's her first move ever.
 

katiemae1277

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good luck! hope everything goes really smoothly and you like your new place!!
 

starryeyedtiger

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I hope everything goes alright! I'm sending good vibes and lots of prayers for you and Zissou! I hope you get everything moved in and unpacked smoothly! Good luck!
 
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zissou'smom

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Thank you!

The move could have gone better... but hey, what move goes perfectly?

I got here and the landlord hadn't finished getting the apartment ready, because they had written down that I was coming on the 15th. The lease, and me, say it is the 12th. It was pretty much ready, and I was able to move in, and they reduced my rent next month... so I'm happy. It was stressful though. The landlord came up and was like "What are you doing here?" I about panicked.

But I'm all settled in now. Just got my tv and internet hooked up! Yay!!

So I'm back!

Zissou seems to enjoy it here. The BR window is high up on the wall, and has a wide marble sill, and it's about her favorite place!
 

pami

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Awww thats great that Zissou is happy !!!! and that you have your tv and internet up and running, too !!!!! Hope you settle in quickly ..... and you have no "weird" guys knocking on your door ......
 
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