How did you handle moving with your cat(s)?

ZaSa1418

When we last moved i got some new comfy blankets a couple of weeks before and put them in their beds. They then went in the carriers when we were moving so they had something familiar. 
On the day we took everything out of one room and then just the cats were in there with their beds and blankets. We put everything else on the lorry and then when it was time to go and get our new house keys we put the cats in the carriers and then in my car and left. I was lucky to have help so someone sat in the back with the cats and talked to them which seemed to calm them as we moved about an hour away so it was a long journey especially as i was going super slow because of the cats. 

When we got to the new house the first thing we did was decide the room their beds would go in and i put that all in, sprayed some feliway - quite a bit actually and then put them in the room while we then unloaded everything else. 

Good luck 

Seashell517

oniongirl said:

Ahhh... I just remembered I can't use a cattery as one cat isn't up to date with vaccinations. She missed her jab when the first lockdown was happening, so needed to restart vaccinations. We got the first one done, but then she randomly scratched open her entire chin (she was bald, scabby and oozing! so gross!) so we had to stop to do antibiotics and stuff. I'd completely forgotten about it, but you've reminded me, thank you!

Crap. This is going to have me over too. They couldn't get their jabs on time because of Covid and now it's too close to moving day. Off to google dog crates...

oniongirl

Seashell517 said:

oniongirl said:

Ahhh... I just remembered I can't use a cattery as one cat isn't up to date with vaccinations. She missed her jab when the first lockdown was happening, so needed to restart vaccinations. We got the first one done, but then she randomly scratched open her entire chin (she was bald, scabby and oozing! so gross!) so we had to stop to do antibiotics and stuff. I'd completely forgotten about it, but you've reminded me, thank you!

Crap. This is going to have me over too. They couldn't get their jabs on time because of Covid and now it's too close to moving day. Off to google dog crates...

Sorry! But at least you know ahead of time rather than remembering on the day.

Now that I've remembered I'm just deciding whether I'm better off getting her jabbed now and again after move, or just waiting til after the move. The house we're going to had a dog, so I have flea treated, but I don't want to cause her even MORE stress by taking her off to the vets to be jabbed right before and right after moving.

FreeBear

Put a harness on the cats along with a short leash if you have them loose inside a car. The last thing you want is one of them down by the pedals if you need to hit the brakes in an emergency.

Having them on a leash also means they aren't trying to make a dash for freedom as soon as you open the door.

SaintJudy

I'm also moving with my cats on Saturday and am stressed to hell about it. I've already got the keys as completion was last week so at least that's not a problem. My friend and fellow cat owner is coming early on Saturday before the movers get here and is taking them down in advance, I've already set up a room for her and them so in theory everything is set up to be about as smooth as I can get it, but I'm still stressing  Apologies OP for having no suggestions for you, but just wanted to say I totally understand your worries! Look at these idiots, they have no idea what's coming 

youth_leader

It is stressful isn't it, wishing you the best of luck.  I've been debating what to do with my 16 year old timid semi feral cat who also hasn't had her jabs.  I'm completing on  Thursday 11 March, and am in rented until Sunday 14th.  I will be moving in on Friday 12th.  I've bought a large dog crate, my plan is to take the dog crate over to the bungalow and set it up in the bathroom on the 11th.  I'm going to take her over early in the morning on the Friday, and put a notice on the door and tape it over so the removal men can't go in there by accident.  
As they are house cats I know you'll be keeping them in, but for other people moving the vet's advice is a minimum of two weeks so the cat can get used to their new surroundings.  I kept my cat in one room for a week, then let her have the run of the house for four until I let her out here and she still went back to my old house.  Kept her in for a further fortnight and she finally settled.

SaintJudy

youth_leader said:

I've bought a large dog crate, my plan is to take the dog crate over to the bungalow and set it up in the bathroom on the 11th.  I'm going to take her over early in the morning on the Friday, and put a notice on the door and tape it over so the removal men can't go in there by accident.  

This was my exact plan, I have a dog crate already from when one of them broke his leg and I'd planned to take it down and set it up until the movers said they were going to send a chap round the day before to pack instead of packing and moving all on the Saturday, so I've had to keep the crate here to put the cats in while the bloke is packing  

Thrugelmir

We put ours in a cattery.  Less stressful for the owners. 

oniongirl

SaintJudy said:

I'm also moving with my cats on Saturday and am stressed to hell about it. I've already got the keys as completion was last week so at least that's not a problem. My friend and fellow cat owner is coming early on Saturday before the movers get here and is taking them down in advance, I've already set up a room for her and them so in theory everything is set up to be about as smooth as I can get it, but I'm still stressing  Apologies OP for having no suggestions for you, but just wanted to say I totally understand your worries! Look at these idiots, they have no idea what's coming 

Aw, cute cats! Here are my two, when the ragdoll on the right was just a kitten. It took a lot of bribery to get them to sit so close to each other, I'm not sure how well it'll go with them both locked in the same room.

SaintJudy

oniongirl said:

SaintJudy said:

I'm also moving with my cats on Saturday and am stressed to hell about it. I've already got the keys as completion was last week so at least that's not a problem. My friend and fellow cat owner is coming early on Saturday before the movers get here and is taking them down in advance, I've already set up a room for her and them so in theory everything is set up to be about as smooth as I can get it, but I'm still stressing  Apologies OP for having no suggestions for you, but just wanted to say I totally understand your worries! Look at these idiots, they have no idea what's coming 

Aw, cute cats! Here are my two, when the ragdoll on the right was just a kitten. It took a lot of bribery to get them to sit so close to each other, I'm not sure how well it'll go with them both locked in the same room.

Ohh they're gorgeous!! I know exactly how you feel. My two get on really well but the cinnamon one is a bit of a nightmare, he doesn't like interruptions to his routine and really acts out and starts to wreck the place if anything changes. He was the one who was in the crate with the broken leg and that was an incredibly noisy and stressful six weeks He gets really upset at things like this and being confined anywhere never goes down well. I feel for you @oniongirl!