Hi
I am moving to a new house within a couple months and I am very worried about my 16 year old kitty, Rainbow. I've had her for most of my life, since I was 4 (I'm 19 now) and she is a very timid, shy kitty. I'm extremely worried about her not being able to acclimate to a new home since she's lived here her entire life, and she never travels anywhere. I'm terrified that she might get out at the new house and run away or be hurt. She's incredibly healthy and never had a sick day in her life (knock on wood!!) so I know she's got a few years left in her.
Is there any advice that anyone may be able to offer me? I've looked online, but I think Rainbow's circumstances are bit different from most cats, since she is so old and lived in one house her entire life. My mom and I figured to keep her in the basement in the new house for a while until she settles, then maybe take her out for walks around the house on a tether so she can't make an escape out a door. I don't trust my brother and his friends to be super careful to keep doors shut and watch out for her, so I figure the tether would be a good idea. I'll just have to make sure she's got her favorite blankets and stuff in the basement so she has some kind of familiar thing. She hasn't played with toys in a couple years so all she does is lay around the house, and she is a 95% indoor cat so she won't miss being outside. There are plenty of giant windows int he new house that she can look out of and everything too, which is all she has ever cared for.
Thank you all so much for reading this and trying to help out. This has been causing me a great deal of anxiety lately, and I don't want my poor old lady to die of shock or something...
Is there any advice that anyone may be able to offer me? I've looked online, but I think Rainbow's circumstances are bit different from most cats, since she is so old and lived in one house her entire life. My mom and I figured to keep her in the basement in the new house for a while until she settles, then maybe take her out for walks around the house on a tether so she can't make an escape out a door. I don't trust my brother and his friends to be super careful to keep doors shut and watch out for her, so I figure the tether would be a good idea. I'll just have to make sure she's got her favorite blankets and stuff in the basement so she has some kind of familiar thing. She hasn't played with toys in a couple years so all she does is lay around the house, and she is a 95% indoor cat so she won't miss being outside. There are plenty of giant windows int he new house that she can look out of and everything too, which is all she has ever cared for.
Thank you all so much for reading this and trying to help out. This has been causing me a great deal of anxiety lately, and I don't want my poor old lady to die of shock or something...