Moving

[carriec]

Hi
My 7 yr old neutered tabby boy will soon be moving with us to our nee home 2 hours away. Any tips for keeping it as stress free as possible? Also the people we bought thenew house frim had cats but that was 2 years ago and we have completely renovated the home. New carpet in the finished basement. Refinished all hardwood floors new paint. Could my cat possible smell the former owners cat? I am worried about my cat marking. I should note he has never had any problem with spraying in the past and we moved 2 times in the last 5 months while looking for our new home both mives he was ok

 

[bobkater]

Moving is always a stressful experience for cats. To reduce the effects, before moving confine the cat e.g. in a bedroom along with food etc, move the contents of this bedroom last and install them first in the new home, with the cat placed in his familiar surroundings. Do not transport the cat in the removal van.

To further reduce the cat’s tendency to spray, you can use a synthetic feline facial pheromone diffuser in the room, ideally several hours before the cat is moved in.

Offer your cat some food.

When everything is in place, allow the cat to investigate the rest of the house.

Keep calm to show the cat it’s a safe place.

Keep your cat indoors for a few days and provide frequent meals.

 

[carriec]

Good advise thanks! I am going to get the Feliway difusers for the new house and the spray for his carrier. My husband will drive ahead and get all the furniture in then I will follow in our car with Jackson. I am planning to put him in the finished basement with his food water liter box that way he will be in a relatively quiet spot and can explore the rest of the house when he feels safe. Wish me luck[emoji]128570[/emoji]

 

[carriec]

Well we are all settled in our new home and Jackson did awesome!! It only took a few days before he owned the place[emoji]128568[/emoji] He also gained back the 2lbs he lost while we were in transition (we sold our first house quickly and ended up renting for 4 months while we house hunted. Jackson wad not a happy camper in the rental lol) Maybe it's being around his own furniture again (we had rented a furnished apartment and put our stuff in storage) and we took everyone's good advise and did everything possible to make the transition smooth but he is back to his old self again [emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128568[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji]

 

[catlitterguru]

Congrats on your new home. 

If you had ripped out the flooring, I'd say the smell of the previous cat should be very little if not gone by now. I don't think that will be a big problem. If you are very concerned, you can rub his scent on various places around the house before he moves in.

Moving day will be hectic for cats, especially if he is not used to strangers or loud noises. Designate a room for him and set it up with his favorite toys, beds, and essentials that he is familiar with. Provide place for him to hide (a box, etc.) if necessary.

Some cats may resort to sitting in the litter box because that is where they feel the safest. To avoid it, put some of your recently worn clothes in the room. He may sleep on it since it smells like home. So word of warning - only leave clothes that you are ok with getting dirty. If your bed has arrived, you can set up the beddings which should smell familiar to him. 

Since he has moved multiple times in the past, I am guessing he will be just fine =)