Moving + Cat Dillema!

[Gabu24]

Help! Currently my cat lives at my dad's house, but my dad will soon be moving into his new wife's house. Should my cat (male and almost 4 y.o.) move into my mom's house which is where i am for the majority or move with my dad to his new wife's house?...What is in my cat's best interest?

Here are pros and cons for both sides:

Move with my dad=
•there's a dog and other cat there that he does not get along with at all and attacks
•my dad is a pilot and is gone half the week so my cat will be alone with his new wife's familly/animals
•this new house is too far away from where i live with my mom so i can't walk over and take care of him regularly like i can now meaning i will only get to see him every other weekend
•he is an indoor/outdoor cat so i don't know what he would do if let him outside in this new place
•we have taken him over for multiple visits to try to open him up to living there and he has detested it everytime, but maybe just needs more time to adapt?

Move in with me at my mom's=
•my mom has an extremely skiddish/shy female cat (we havn't introduced the cat to her yet and don't know if we should because she is a very previously traumatized rescue cat that may react horribly to such)
•my mom's house is close to my dad's (like i can see her neighborhood from my window at my dad's!) so if we let him out he may just run back to his old home
•my dad (who is very close to this cat) would no longer get to ever be with him unless i brought him over to this new house whenever its my weekend over there, but...then would that cause trauma/confusion to the cat. I wouldn't think transportation between houses constantly would be good for him :/

☆any help welcome!!!!☆

 

[ArtNJ]

I think you would likely have to convert him to indoor only if he was to live at mom's because of the proximity to the old house. Unless maybe the new buyer of dad's current houseis a cat person and cool with helping. Conversion to indoor only isn't necessarily a huge deal if the cat is ok using the litterbox. If the cat hates the box and generally only goes outside, you are likely to have issues.

I'm thinking you need more information. So maybe take with you to mom's and see how an introduction goes to her cat, and if you can convert to indoor only without problems. If they get along, and the conversion goes ok, sounds like it could be a superior situation.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

All things considered, I am with A ArtNJ on this, pretty much. I think he will be far safer as an indoor-only cat at your mom's house with you. For several reasons. One of these is that new wives with their own pets are not always as patient as you might hope with the newcomer. Since your dad isn't there much to take his part, he could end up as a neighborhood stray after one spat too many with NW's (new wife) pets.

I'm going to give you links for several articles about introducing cats, bringing an outdoor cat in, and dealing with shy and timid cats. They aren't long or difficult to read, and have some really, really good information for you. I'm also going to include one about helping an abused cat heal, since your mom's cat came from such a bad situation. Hope they help!

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside
How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
Introducing Cats To Cats
Potential Stressors In Cats - The Ultimate Checklist
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
Six Surefire Strategies To Reduce Stress In Cats
10 Must-know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats
How To Help An Abused Cat Recover

 

[Gabu24]

I think you would likely have to convert him to indoor only if he was to live at mom's because of the proximity to the old house. Unless maybe the new buyer of dad's current houseis a cat person and cool with helping. Conversion to indoor only isn't necessarily a huge deal if the cat is ok using the litterbox. If the cat hates the box and generally only goes outside, you are likely to have issues.

I'm thinking you need more information. So maybe take with you to mom's and see how an introduction goes to her cat, and if you can convert to indoor only without problems. If they get along, and the conversion goes ok, sounds like it could be a superior situation.

 

[Gabu24]

Thank you for your reply! Yes he is absolutely fine with using litterboxes, just is extremely high energy and loves the outdoors. I am also going to plan an introduction to my moms cat soon!

 

[Gabu24]

Thank you so much for all yout input!!!

 

[ArtNJ]

Good luck! I'm sure you know this already, but expect a lot of whining during the conversion to indoor/outdoor. Maybe being in a new house will delay it a bit, but I doubt you will avoid it. You must never weaken, or the conversion won't work. Every person in your mom's house must be on alert when opening doors. Given that there is some possibility of an accidental escape even if you are careful, it would be good to make sure the cat has a collar, is chipped, and to alert the new owner of your dad's house to call you if the cat comes by.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And you are very welcome. That's what TCS is all about! One day, you might find yourself telling another member how you handled this, what did and didn't work.