Letting cat out after move

CP26

My cat has lived with my parents for the last year whilst I rented away from home. I'm now settled with my boyfriend and we have the cat back with us.

It's been exactly a week since he arrived. The first few days were tense and he was thoroughly miserable as he'd been very comfortable at my parents. However in the last few days he's been much happier and is settling into the same routines as he had with my parents.

Today though he seems very bored. He doesn't want to play with us or have a fuss and has done a fair bit of pacing. I'm not sure how many more days of peace we'll have before he really starts bugging us to go outside again.

We have a cat flap ready to go and ideally I know we need to keep him inside as long as possible. However with us going back to work I'm not sure he'll be content to stay locked up all day and night for much longer.

Any advice on how to keep him happy, or when it might be ok to let out e.g. Are there any 'I'm settled' signs I should watch out for?

I've only ever moved cats from a rescue pen to a home, not from a good home to a different one so I'm a bit nervous.

GwylimT

We wait at least six weeks, after that our cat has several walks in the garden on her harness.

CP26

I think I might be lucky if I get another 6 days trouble free let alone 6 weeks

sooty&sweep

Hi
We didn't even make it to a week with our previous cat as he was getting really distressed being kept in.
We let him out and he did a tour of the garden boundaries & he was fine. He was an older cat & well attached to us and when we moved it was to totally different area so couldn't wander to his previous home.
At the end of the day you know your cat & how he'll react.
May be let him into the back garden when someone can be out there with him but keep him in when you can't keep an eye ?
Jen

shoppingnoodles

Hello there. I have moved several times with my dear old cat and we have pretty much got it off to a fine art now.


Normally, I would do the following before the big move, but I reckon this will still help to settle your cat even though you have been there a while. Firstly, get a soft, absorbent cloth (like a j cloth) and sit with him on your knee and use the cloth to stroke him all round his neck and ears, where his sent glands are. Walk through the house and rub the cloth on every corner, door, cat flap, exterior door frame etc, so the house smells like him.


Cats get very stressed in new environments and you can buy a device called a Felaway plug in to help. They are absolutely brilliant and calm cats right down. It sounds mad, but they are a bit like aromatherapy for cats and will make him feel at home.


When you do let him out, I would make sure his dinner is due so that he wants to come back for some grub. It is horrible the first time you watch him go off, but mine has always come back and I'm sure that yours will too. Good luck and happy days in your new home.

CP26

We've got a Feliway diffuser which has helped I think...he's certainly seemed more relaxed since it arrived.

We've also moved him about 30 miles so there's no real risk of him picking up on old routes or smells which is a plus.

My main worry is that not only has his territory changed but his slaves has too. I visited as often as I could and he's warming to my boyfriend now he knows he's a food source

The only thing he's not doing yet is settling with us in the evening. At my parents he'd jump up into an armchair and pretty much stay there until bed time. With us he spends most of the evening on one of the window ledges looking out at the moment.

cavework

Cats have territories , especially male cats.
It really depends on how old your cat is. Trust me he may well get into a few fights while he works out his .. some disputes are just yowling but some can get very nasty resulting in injuries.
But at the end of the day cats are animals with deep seated instincts and will do what cats do.

Mrs_Z

I think it depends on your cat entirely. When we moved about 6 months ago, we let the cat out within 48 hrs. But she is an older cat, about 13-14yrs. The back garden was secure and I knew she would not be able to jump up to the fence.

On the moving day (Friday) she was a bit timid hiding away under kitchen cupboards for few hours but then came out when we called her. On saturday she was sitting by the french doors looking out to the back garden and then on Sunday morning we let her out (with us). She was looking to jump to the fence but realised it was too high for her so she just had a little wonder and a good look around. This (supervised outings) went on for about a month or so before we got a cat flap installed.

I realise this is a very very short time, but given that she was an elderly cat and that the garden was secure I felt we could take the risk.

CP26

The garden isn't secure...he'll be up and over the fence easily so it is a risk.

I guess that it essentially boils down to individual cats...some people have said days, others weeks and some months from what I've read. I want to get the right balance between making sure he's bonded with his new home and him not getting stressed with being cooped up.

He's settled on the sofa just now which is a first since he's been here.

Tigsteroonie

We let our cat out of our new house about midnight on the day we moved (Marley stays up late). He didn't wander far, and came back when called. The next couple of days were tense f(or us), but we let him out whenever he wanted and actively called him back in after an hour or two, just to reassure and give him treats. He was fine

CP26

It looks like he's settling in well - he knows his mealtimes and wobetide if you're 5 minutes late, he's got favourite spots picked out and has now chosen his spot on the sofa. Tonight we have even played the 'I'll hide behind awkward furniture so I don't have to go to bed' game.

I think I'll have to play it day by day and see just how restless he's getting.