My husband and I will be moving with our three cats probably around the 21st of this month. The house is only around 17 miles away from where we live now. We are trying to help prevent behavior problems during this process by doing the right things for our cats to make it easy for them to adjust.
Our cats:
Carrot- 4 years old- we've had him for around 2 years
Angua- 1 year 9 months old- has lived with us since she was 10 weeks old
Ruby- approximately 1 year 6 months old- has lived with us since July of last year.
All of the cats are indoor only, but sometimes go out on harnesses.
There are already some things that I am slightly concerned about. Carrot has a tendency to urinate inappropriately when he is stressed. He also has feline herpes which can become more of a problem when he is under stress. We know he doesn't do well with change- he was surrendered to a shelter for behavior problems surrounding a new family member. He has acted out a bit when Ruby and Angua joined us. There are also some problems still with Ruby and Angua getting along. They are civil almost all of the time, but in some situations they will play a bit to roughly and Angua will growl and hiss.
One good thing for sure is that we will be moving out of a household that includes my mom's dog. Angua has a big problem with dogs- so this should limit some of her stress from the dog. Also we'll be moving into a three bedroom house, which means the cats will have their own safe room during the move.
What I need is some tips on how to limit the stress for all of them. My current plans are:
- getting feliway diffusers set up in the house as soon as possible before we move in. We have these running at home and have had them since Ruby came home.
- bringing enzyme cleaner (nature's miracle) with us in case of accidents
- moving just about everything before moving the cats and getting their room set up to some extent before they get there (at least one cat tree moved, fountain set up, litter box in place)
Today, I am washing all the cat blankets and cleaning their litter boxes. This way we will be able to move with these items covered with their scent from the twelve days they will use these between now and the move.
I've been debating getting some Rescue Remedy as well just in case.
As we have been packing, the cats have not shown any signs of stress. So far they are enjoying sitting in boxes and climbing over everything.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for what I can do to make things easier for everyone?
Our cats:
Carrot- 4 years old- we've had him for around 2 years
Angua- 1 year 9 months old- has lived with us since she was 10 weeks old
Ruby- approximately 1 year 6 months old- has lived with us since July of last year.
All of the cats are indoor only, but sometimes go out on harnesses.
There are already some things that I am slightly concerned about. Carrot has a tendency to urinate inappropriately when he is stressed. He also has feline herpes which can become more of a problem when he is under stress. We know he doesn't do well with change- he was surrendered to a shelter for behavior problems surrounding a new family member. He has acted out a bit when Ruby and Angua joined us. There are also some problems still with Ruby and Angua getting along. They are civil almost all of the time, but in some situations they will play a bit to roughly and Angua will growl and hiss.
One good thing for sure is that we will be moving out of a household that includes my mom's dog. Angua has a big problem with dogs- so this should limit some of her stress from the dog. Also we'll be moving into a three bedroom house, which means the cats will have their own safe room during the move.
What I need is some tips on how to limit the stress for all of them. My current plans are:
- getting feliway diffusers set up in the house as soon as possible before we move in. We have these running at home and have had them since Ruby came home.
- bringing enzyme cleaner (nature's miracle) with us in case of accidents
- moving just about everything before moving the cats and getting their room set up to some extent before they get there (at least one cat tree moved, fountain set up, litter box in place)
Today, I am washing all the cat blankets and cleaning their litter boxes. This way we will be able to move with these items covered with their scent from the twelve days they will use these between now and the move.
I've been debating getting some Rescue Remedy as well just in case.
As we have been packing, the cats have not shown any signs of stress. So far they are enjoying sitting in boxes and climbing over everything.
Does anyone have any other suggestions for what I can do to make things easier for everyone?
