If you have a cat and are facing a move, you're probably a little nervous. After all, cats can be finicky. You might be worried that yours will cry or, worse, vomit in the car all the way to the new place. You could have concerns that your cat will get stressed out and urinate or scratch inappropriately at your new home.
Your fears are not totally unfounded. Cats don't always love change, and they are territorial creatures, so yours probably wouldn't want to move if she had a vote. Along with the above issues, other problems that sometimes emerge when cats are moved include aggression, escape attempts, and hiding once you arrive at the new place.
Don't worry, though. We have some tips to make the moving process as easy as possible for your cat, so you can relax and experience less stress, too.
The first step in creating a low-stress move for your cat is to do some pre-move preparation.
Note: Cats pick up on their humans' emotions easily. Do the best you can to be calm about the move yourself, so your cat will have less reason to get stressed about it, too.
A note about sedatives: Never give your cat any medications without speaking to your veterinarian first. Sedatives and anti-anxiety medications can have unwanted side-effects and can be even more dangerous for a cat that is already stressed. Speak with your veterinarian if you feel your cat may need sedatives for travel.
It's best to have your cat safely confined while boxes are being closed up and moved out of your home. This eliminates the chance that your cat may hide in one of the boxes or escape out the door and run away.
You can keep your cat in an otherwise empty room, with a litter box, food and water, a cat bed, and a scratching post (to help your cat let out any stress she's feeling). To be extra safe, put a sign on the door to advise movers and friends not to open it.
When you're almost ready to leave the house, enter the room carefully and close the door behind you. Load your cat into her carrier before opening the door.
Use Feliway spray in your cat's carrier before you put her in, to help her stay calm.
Before you let your cat out of her carrier in the new place, set up a "safe room" for her. This space should be as quiet as possible and house your cat's food, water, beds, litter box, and scratching posts. You can also use a Feliway diffuser in the safe room to help keep your cat calm.
This safe room is where your cat should spend the majority of her time for the first few days after your move. This will be less overwhelming to your cat than having the whole house open to her, and she will find it easier to explore the rest of the house over time from there if she has the safe room to return to.
Note: If your cat previously went outdoors, don't let her out immediately upon arriving at the new home. She will not have a territorial connection to the new place, so she may not be able to find her way home. Alternatively, she may decide to take off due to stress.
Before you allow your cat out of the safe room, put an additional litter box, food, and water in the spots you'd eventually like to keep them, so your cat can find them there and start to recognize where they'll be.
Keep the safe room set up as long as your cat shows any anxiety about the rest of the house.
You can use play to help your cat adjust to new rooms in the house. Get a good wand toy and play with your cat while she's out exploring the new space.
With some preparation and consideration for your cat's concerns, you can ease the move for both of you.
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