I have mentioned that we recently moved. This was not something I wanted to do but, one thing I knew for sure is that I had to do it without losing our animals. One we found a place that allowed us to keep our pets, it was a matter of figuring out the best way to move them. It has been several years since I had to move a cat and, from what I remember, it was not a pleasant experience. We had one cat that hid for weeks and another that didn’t eat. I had apparently done something wrong.
This time, I was determined to make this move as easy on my pets as possible. I didn’t look anything up and I am not an expert so this information I am sharing is because it worked for us. My cat adjusted wonderfully this time. There was no hiding, no starving, no bad behavior. Everything went smoothly and you would think she has lived here her whole life.
When we moved the cat over to the house, she was not happy. She whined and cried the whole time in the car. Talking to her didn’t calm her but she did know she wasn’t alone. Once at the new house, things were already ready for her. I had a litter box (with some old litter and some new, not cleaned) ready to go. I had her food and water already set out. When I took her out of the carrier, I placed her right next to the litter box. She knew immediately where she would need to go for her, ahem, needs. I had her food and water in a place that was similar to where is was in the old house. It was in the same bowls/plates and on the same mat. Nothing was really changed except the location.
After she settled down, I called her to me with words and then brought out her toy that she always runs for. I was standing near her food/water and she instantly saw them. The key for us is that very little changed in her normal daily routine. I still feed her the same time and she always has running water in her fountain. We still play with her toys like we always did.
The other thing I have made sure to have is plenty of hiding spaces and high perches for her to go to. As I learned with Purina One True Nature of Cats, these are things she needs and giving them to her was a priority in the new house. The picture you see above is both a hiding spot and a high perch. She is on the windowsill in the front room. Hidden by blinds and up above the kids, she is very comfortable there.
LIke I mentioned, we had NO problems with this move. The animals all did really well but I was most impressed with how well Lucy did. She seems completely content and acts like this is her home, we just live in it. Ha!
Shaun Hoobler says
Good thing that I had no problem with moving to a new home with my cats.