Hi! I am looking for some advice from kitty parents who have been through this before. My boyfriend and I have decided to move in together after 3 years of dating. I have two kitties, both of whom are very curious but a little nervous by nature. He also has two kitties, one of whom is almost fearless and one who is very skittish. We put a down payment on a fairly large townhome today (a neutral location) and plan on moving all of the kitties in on the same day. Does anybody have any tips on how to go about this without stressing the kitties out too much? They have all met very briefly about a month ago but other than that and the smell of the kitties on our clothes they haven't had any contact. Any ideas would help!
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Advice to Help Kitties Transition Into a New Home
- Thread starter davita
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I find it helps if you take some special familiar objects with you to make the surroundings less nerve racking for your kitties. Like if your cat has a special blanket that it always sleeps on then have it set up in the home to make the surroundings more familiar and it smells like home. Also have the cats arrive at exactly the same time because whoever is there first will get superiority and that's how a hierarchy will form. So make sure to get them all in the house around the same time so no cats stakes a claim on the home. This will also help reduce conflict and help the kitties bond more because on will not feel the need to defend its territory. As far as the other kitties getting to know each other I would keep them seperate for the first few days just so they don't have the stress of getting to know each other and getting to know the house at the same time. Also if you keep the seperate for a while then they'll have a chance to get used to each other's sent and presence before actually meeting each other. Transition them slowly at first don't feed the kitties together (I've seen many cat fights over food 
).
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- #3
Thanks for your input! Our growing plan is to move all or most of our things in before we bring the kitties over. We have the luxury of having a two week overlap in our previous apartments and our new home so we have time to get things set up a little before the kitties have to come over. So the idea was to arrive to the home at arround the same time and take the kitties in together. There are two bedrooms so we talked about putting his cats in one and mine in the other and spending the first few nights apart, each in the respective bedroom with their kitties. One of his cats may need some help from the vet for anxiety but I am much less worried about it than he is!
I am going through a similar situation; in a week I move to a much bigger place with a second bedroom. Ritz (resident cat) and Ace (new foster) haven't met (Ace is currently staying with a friend), but I have swapped scents. Ritz is a shy, skittish cat, around 3 years old, prone to stress-induced UTIs; sleeps with me and likes her belly rubbed. Ace is a sweet, calm, affectionate cat, around 8 months old. Okay with dogs, may NOT be okay with other cats.
I close on the townhouse next Wednesday morning, will set up their rooms Thursday morning. Like you I will be taking them to the new house at the same time. Ace will be in the second bedroom (safe room) and Ritz will have the run of the house though I suspect she will stay under the bed for several days. I think Ritz needs the self-confidence of exploring her domaine.
I am going to place furniture in the new place the same as in the old condo, to the extent possible. The bed/dresser will be positioned as it was in my old bedroom, same to a large extent in the living room. I have to put her litter box in a different place, but she doesn't seem to be bothered when I switch out litter boxes. I will use Feliway diffuser (use now) and a calming spray. I hope this helps Ritz adjust.
I am very worried about how Ritz will react. My friend says I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but still I worry.
Ace is pretty happy-go-lucky. Maybe there is a Ying and Yang there.
I close on the townhouse next Wednesday morning, will set up their rooms Thursday morning. Like you I will be taking them to the new house at the same time. Ace will be in the second bedroom (safe room) and Ritz will have the run of the house though I suspect she will stay under the bed for several days. I think Ritz needs the self-confidence of exploring her domaine.
I am going to place furniture in the new place the same as in the old condo, to the extent possible. The bed/dresser will be positioned as it was in my old bedroom, same to a large extent in the living room. I have to put her litter box in a different place, but she doesn't seem to be bothered when I switch out litter boxes. I will use Feliway diffuser (use now) and a calming spray. I hope this helps Ritz adjust.
I am very worried about how Ritz will react. My friend says I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but still I worry.
Ace is pretty happy-go-lucky. Maybe there is a Ying and Yang there.
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- #5
Thanks for the input! Personally I am not so worried about my cats; they are shy but curious and though my older cat hisses a lot he never hurt his little brother when he came into the house and that was his domain, not a neutral location. My boyfriend has one very skittish cat, though, and she's the one we're kind of worried about. I think they will adjust as well as can be expected, especially since the new townhome is roughly three times the size of our existing places (maybe even bigger) so they will have lots of extra room to find their own places!
Actually it might work out REALLY well. Your cats might bridge the gap between your boyfriend's 2 cats who seem to be vastly different. Maybe your cats will help to bring the skittish cat out of it's shell.
Be sure to act happy and excited (as opposed to anxious & worried) - the cats will pick up on that energy.
Be sure to act happy and excited (as opposed to anxious & worried) - the cats will pick up on that energy.
Aeevr, I need to engrave that on my forehead: act happy and excited. Ritz does pick up on my moods. Never mind Ritz--I the human need Feliway!
In other words chocolate and ice cream.
Rescue Remedy was initially developed for humans; Amazon has them in a candy form.
I moved from Ohio to Florida in December with a 16-year old cat who only knew one home her entire life up to that point. It was a week after I had to say goodbye to her best friend, so it was double trauma for her. She spent two days in her carrier, which is in my walk-in closet. Then I managed to make her comfortable on my bed, but she went under it. Sometimes I wonder if Feliway spray would have helped her.
