Handling a cat while moving house

[mikeymikec]

We are finally in a position to buy our first house. We've never moved house before while having a cat. The advice we were given when we got this cat was to keep him indoors for the first four weeks to ensure that he really thinks that this place is home before letting him out (and for him to potentially go back to his former home or at least look for it / somewhere to live). During the process of moving though is my current concern.

I'm thinking that one of the last things to be transferred is the phone line and the broadband line that's attached to it, and so therefore I'm thinking that the cat probably is also the last on the list as well, and that one or both of us stays in the old house until the final bits are moved as well as the cat.

Thoughts / experiences on this topic?

 

[lxskllr]

Whatever makes the cat easier to control. I always moved the cat close to last. You're moving large objects to and fro. Easy for a cat to disappear. Move the cat once the objects are settled.

 

[twinrider1]

 

[lxskllr]

 

[Newbian]

Keep the cat in a room out of the way when moving the bigger stuff so it doesn't get outside then bring it over in a cat carrier and closed in a room with food / water and a litter box for a short while until you feel comfortable letting it out to explore the house but make sure you show it where the litter box is going to be also.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Yeah, move all your stuff and then move the cat. Make sure you reassure the cat constantly with lots of pets and love. Use a pet carrier while transporting them. My cats hate riding in cars and a pet carrier is safer for them and for my car.

Also, I stopped letting our cats go outside a few years ago. It is better for them that way. No chance of them getting in fights with other animals, no chance of them getting hit by a car and no chance of them getting eaten by coyotes.

 

[Fir]

The only way to be sure...

 

[FeuerFrei]

I would imagine the cat would be very inquisitive about all the disorder (OMg, Boxes!!) and somewhat liable to get underfoot. Unless she feels threatened by the thumps and voices of strangers that may be helping out, then she'll want some space.

I'd let the cat hang out in her old familiar haunts until you and the furniture are residing in the new house. With you and the familiar-smelling furniture there, it'll help her new surroundings feel home-ish.

 

[Stopsignhank]

Definitely use a carrier for your cat, don't try and carry them in your lap in the car. That is if you want your car to keep smelling good.

When we moved our cats to our new house they hid under a bed for the first two days. Finally they ventured out slinking around with bellies on the floor. The were fascinated by the ceiling fan. Me being the dork I am I turned on the fan. They ran and stayed under the bed for another day.

 

[SKORPI0]

The only way to be sure...

 

[IronWing]

The were fascinated by the ceiling fan. Me being the dork I am I turned on the fan. They ran and stayed under the bed for another day.

Once you've moved the furniture out, don't leave the cat alone in the old house for too long. Likewise, don't leave the cat alone in the new place for very long on it's first day there. It will feel abandoned. As Hank said, use a carrier. Put a towel in the carrier. Washing a towel is easier than cleaning puke out of the carrier.

Cat proof the new house. Look for exits and block them. Look for crawl spaces, attic entries, and other places a cat can hole up and block them. Think about the places the cat will hide so you will know where to look that first time you realize the cat is "gone".

Buy a new litter box and have it in place when you bring the cat into the new house. When you let the cat out of the carrier, show it the litter box.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I thought the people who like cats admire their independent nature. Just give the cat the new address and let it get there however it pleases.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I would leave the cat at the old house for as long as possible throughout the moving process and put in a separate room so it does not try to go out with the door open and people moving stuff etc. With all the stuff more or less arranged in the new house then I'd bring the cat too as you don't want to leave it alone at the old house for too long if nobody is going to be there. Just avoid having the cat in a situation where an outside door is being left open (ex: when moving big stuff) as that's when you risk losing it. I really have to watch with my cat, I've had close calls. Typically anything that involves a door being left open for more than the time it takes to go in/out I put the cat in another room with food and litter box.

For me it was easy as I was moving into my house from my parents' and buying mostly new furniture and stuff so I worked on the new house over the course of summer then when I was ready to move in I took the cat too. Either way the cat had company as my parents were home.

 

[Thebobo]

I thought the people who like cats admire their independent nature. Just give the cat the new address and let it get there however it pleases.

 

[RLGL]

When I last moved the cat was first in the new digs, before the furniture etc. When the movers came he hid until they were gone. All my cats are indoor models, otherwise around here, for the outdoor models, the life expediency is less than 3 years.

 

[Ferzerp]

That's not really an "around here" thing. Outside cats live 2-5 years usually. Indoor cats last 15 or so. It just depends on how much you like your cats.

 

[lxskllr]

 

[MrSquished]

That's not really an "around here" thing. Outside cats live 2-5 years usually. Indoor cats last 15 or so. It just depends on how much you like your cats.

That's about right for outdoor cats. I had 3 indoor/outdoor cats for about 13 years total that all died. My next and last cat was indoor only. He only lived to 8 years old due to kidney problems. Oy.

 

[Meghan54]

Well, we've moved 4 dogs and 2 cats from GA to Cape Cod and back, but we moved almost everything in one fell swoop...wife in the SUV with the dogs, me in the Uhaul with the cats. The cats went into a bedroom when moving in the big stuff.

Otherwise, in a piecemeal move instead of an all-at-once move, the animals, particularly the cats, would be housed where we are currently sleeping.