Moving with cat

jonewer

Hello all,

We will soon be moving with the cat we inherited from my late grandfather. This house has been his home for many years so the move will be traumatic as will adjusting to the new place with a much smaller garden (we currently have around an acre and will soon be moving to a standard 100' garden place). He is quite a wild cat, though very affectionate etc. but I'm worried about moving him.

So questions
- How to move the cat without distressing him too much? Can you get drugs to tranquilise or knock him out for a a few hours so he isnt too traumatised and I'm not scratched and bitten to very fine shreds?

Thanks!

Claire_Bear

I'd ask your vet about a mild sedative for the journey, maybe see about getting a Feliway diffuser for your new house to calm the cat when you arrive at the new place. When you get there, leave the cat closed into one room with all his familiar things - bed, blanket, food bowls, litter tray if he has one etc and slowly let him out to explore the house a bit at a time so he isn't overwhelmed.

Is it really far away that you're moving or close to where you live now? If possible, I'd suggest leaving the cat in a cattery for a day or two while you do the bulk of the moving to minimise stress of all the noises and movement. Also keep him indoors for a while to avoid him trying to return to your old house if you let him out.

pingupenguin

i think knocking him out is a bit drastic! i grew up with cats and moved a few times when i was young, my mum would always have them in the back of the car with someone (usually me or my brother) and keep them inside for a few weeks when you get to the new home as they tend to wonder otherwise, i think its about letting them get used to a new home and also so they don't wonder off trying to get back to the old home

hope that was helpful, i don't think you need to sedate it if its at least a little domesticated.

jonewer

I dont think he'd take kindly to a cattery! Very territorial is his grace.

TBH, my fear stems from when we moved house when I was about 16. My mum grabbed one of our cats to put it in the box and it went nuts and cratched and bit the hell out of my mum. Blood. Everywhere. Of course it then legged it and it was about 4 hours before we could scruff it and move it. The cat was a bit of trouble to find also.

We are moving about a one hour drive (gods of the M25 willing) so shouldnt be too bad.....

tandraig

er why would you think you would get scratched or bitten during the move?surely you would use a cat carrier? If you werent going to use one then i would strongly suggest you do! you can get cardboard carriers but one cat i know of got out of his by peeing on it then scratching the wet bit until he made a big hole! allin about ten minutes!!! then when you get to new place - put the cat carrier in a quiet spot feed the cat (dont feed before travelling) and keep the cat confined to that room for at least 24 hours - then let it explore....but keep all doors and windows shut.
the old method of putting butter on its paws - i think its to make the cat groom itself (which calms the cat) may give a clue to settling the cat in new home. you dont have to use butter - anything the cat doesnt like on its fur! but which tastes good.

Claire_Bear

I see, is the cat used to being in the carrier? How does it normally react? If you put the carrier out in the room your cat is in the most, it will get used to the smell and look of it. You could also put some treats in the carrier maybe once a day and let the cat go inside of his own accord, then it will associate the carrier with something good and not something bad. Then when you're due to move, put the treat in as usual and you won't have to shove the cat in by force, thus hopefully avoiding being mauled by it!

Then when it's in the car, put a blanket over the carrier and keep on talking to the cat and reassuring it and hopefully he'll be calm through the journey, like you say, an hour isn't too long.

jonewer

tandraig wrote: »

er why would you think you would get scratched or bitten during the move?surely you would use a cat carrier?

Yes indeed, but I dont think his lordship is going to take kindly to being placed in a confined space of any description. Its only in the last few months that he has tolerated being picked up.....

tandraig

yeah and you can also check that the cat isnt bright enough to work out the locking system as my first cat was! honestly - he could break out of any cat carrier or gate for that matter - I caught him once teaching my staffy to push the gate latch forward and then to pull the gate towards them! the cat had worked out the mechanism but needed the dog for the brute strength - and they call them 'dumb' animals!

jonewer

Claire_Bear wrote: »

I see, is the cat used to being in the carrier? How does it normally react? If you put the carrier out in the room your cat is in the most, it will get used to the smell and look of it. You could also put some treats in the carrier maybe once a day and let the cat go inside of his own accord, then it will associate the carrier with something good and not something bad. Then when you're due to move, put the treat in as usual and you won't have to shove the cat in by force, thus hopefully avoiding being mauled by it!

Then when it's in the car, put a blanket over the carrier and keep on talking to the cat and reassuring it and hopefully he'll be calm through the journey, like you say, an hour isn't too long.

Very good ideas! He has never been in a carrier so I think we should get one soon and put one of his blankets in so he gets used to it.

jonewer

tandraig wrote: »

I caught him once teaching my staffy to push the gate latch forward and then to pull the gate towards them! the cat had worked out the mechanism but needed the dog for the brute strength - and they call them 'dumb' animals!

If you havent seen this before....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXpjX4l0hRg

Fire_Fox

jonewer wrote: »

TBH, my fear stems from when we moved house when I was about 16. My mum grabbed one of our cats to put it in the box and it went nuts and cratched and bit the hell out of my mum. Blood. Everywhere. Of course it then legged it and it was about 4 hours before we could scruff it and move it. The cat was a bit of trouble to find also.

How did you lose the cat for four hours? Firstly you shut the cat in the house, all doors and windows secured. Then you shut the cat in one room - doesn't matter which room, whichever one it is asleep in ideally. Then you take basket to cat (as opposed to cat to basket), one person grabs cat and other manipulates cat carrier door. Allegedly top opening cat carriers are easier for large or awkward cats.

At the new house the cat should only be allowed into one room for the first few days, then slowly introduced to the rest of the house. Just get all the cats bits and bobs sorted (water, litter tray, toys) take the cat carrier into the room, open the carrier door and depart rapidly. No need to touch the cat. Whilst the cat is shut in the one room you are unpacking the remainder of the house.

I don't understand why you think the cat won't like having a smaller garden, cats are not usually confined to one garden anyway they tend to wander?