Moving House how will is effect kitties?

We are moving from a little flat to a nice sized terraced house with a garden. The rules of the apartment complex did not allow me to have any pets which I listened to for a year and upon realizing many residents had "hidden" pets and I got my kitties. Well coming towards the end of my lease I had to take the cats to my MILs till we moved.

They had both stayed there before and reacted the same way they did the last time. Mica got scared and hid for three days creeping out for food, water, and the litter box (no one saw her do this) and eventually explored the house happily. Rocket loved the space right from the start and had no problems.

Now we will be moving around October 1st and I have put feliway plugins on every floor and in the room they will be staying in intially. I have had them in for about two weeks now because a bengal cat lived in the house before them.

Is there anything else I can do to ease Mica's unhappiness? Thanks for the advice and sorry about the long post.

Maria i'll be having the same problem myself soon when i move and i'm dreading it I'm going to buy a feliway plug along with some Feliway spray for their carriers, but i was also told to leave a t-shirt or anything with my smell on with them as well.

I've been told it's normal for them to hide and not eat straight away though so i'm expecting that to happen, especially with Rosie

I'll be looking at this thread to see if i can get more tips as well.

I've been very lucky with Tibby and Molly, as they adjust very quickly to change and get straight into their adventures (we've been moving and travelling a lot since they came to live with me!)

Willow had his first trip last Christmas and hid under my bed. I just let him adjust in his own time - feeding him under the bed and letting him have his safe place. After a few days, his curiosity got the better of him and he began to explore!

I think Annie is going to be fine with it all too!

I agree that the feliway is a good idea and choosing a 'safe room' for them where you let them out of the carrier and leave them to settle.

You might also want to try some Rescue Remedy!

iThanks for the tip Sarah I'll try the Rescue Remedy! I'm sure that Rocket will be ok when I have taken him to my parents he was never traumatised or scared just very curious. Mica on the other hand is very worrying she changes personality by not "talking" anymore (she is a Siamese) hiding and when she has to walk she crouches down low and walks like she is trying to hide. Its heartbreaking.

On the other hand we have been to my MIL three times to visit and she is totally fine and adjusted. So there is hope!

Don't worry Susan your kittie will be fine. Have they always lived in one place? One or both may suprise you and be totally fine. If some one had asked me before which cat would cope better I would have said Mica as she is the dominant one. You never know.

Awww, Mica sounds like a really similar reaction that poor little Willow had! He's very vocal too!

I'm sure she will surprise you once she realises that the whole house if for her and Rocket to play in!

I think that often, we get so stressed over how we expect them to be that we somtimes pass it on!

At least with the RR to hand, you can take a couple of drops too!

Hahaha! That would be funny! Swiping it from the kitties and chugging it.

Only kidding!

Well you know what moving day can be like!

I won't need the RR after moving day, I think we will both crash on the couch with some a nice bottle of white wine! They can keep their RR.

Too true! Wine tastes a whole lot better too!

Do you know this from personal exprience ?Sarah do you steal your kitties RR?

It has been known! That and their Dr Petals Elixr!

Originally Posted by Sims2fan

Have they always lived in one place?.

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They have Maria. The only journey they've went on was a two minute drive to the vets surgery for their checkups and that scares them

Aww poor things! I find it helps to have both Rocket and Mica in the carrier together otherwise Mica will mew up a storm as my husband says.

I really miss them life really is too empty without them here.

Awww it won't be long now until your all together again Which reminds me, i'll need to buy another carrier in the next couple of weeks because both of my chubbies wouldn't fit in one

Hahaha! Not chubby beautifully curvy... that's what I'm supposed to say to Mica if I don't want a long meowy lecture!

Ok does any one else have any advice on moving cats to a new home?

If you can get access to the new place prior to the move, vacuum the entire place with your current vacuum cleaner. Make sure it has a lot of fur and dander on it when you do it (e.g. don't clean it out and use it right after you clean your old place) - it will put their smell into the place prior to the move.

If you have some favorite bedding, cat trees, rubs, etc, also move those in advance and do not wash them first. You want to bring as much of their smell with you into the new house. (I know its gross to not wash when you move but you can do that once they settle in)

I moved 13 cats in April. I put the indoor crowd into a single (very large) room for the first few days until they were adjusted to a small extent. Their cat trees, toys, throw rugs, beds, etc were all in there with them. I let them out to explore more rooms (I kept some rooms closed off at first) and slowly expanded their universe. Some cats came out with absolutely no issues. Others (the really skittish ones) hid for a while. For the most part the move was very uneventful, even for the older cats that had only lived in one house their entire lives.

Good luck with your move!

I moved all mine this summer and they all reacted differently. Persil was the only one who really went and hid for long periods though. The boys were fine from the start. I had all their cat furniture set out for them when they arrived, having moved it previously, with unwashed bedding so that it smelled right. Their cat box of toys was on the floor too, and at night I used a duvet cover that had not been washed for a week ( I know it seems awful moving into a new place with unwashed sheets!) but they all snuggled up on it. I kept them inside for six weeks, gradually extending their areas of the house, until they were confident. Then I let them out, on harnesses at first for longer and longer periods. Good luck - they may both surprise you!

Thanks you guys thats great advice! I really appreciate it and I'm glad to hear that your kitties are all doing fine now. I have feliway plugins through out the house to neutralise the previous occupants cat's smell.