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

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oniongirl

The moggies are the tenants and the ones in charge.

You won't have to worry about getting your deposit paid to LL, the moggies will sort that out for you by leaving a "deposit" somewhere in their new home marking their territory.

Good luck...

MovingForwards

First time I bundled mine into a box and I drove for hours, she slept quietly after settling down.

Second time she was wrapped in a blanket, head covered and moved in the night before the furniture was being moved over. Kept shouting during the journey.

Third time she was bundled in a blanket, head covered and she popped her head out and looked out the windows frequently. Promised her that was the last move!

All times she would explore the new property at night and settled in quicker with each move.

machasraven

Had three rescue cats in the car for nearly 6 hours  was with a 2.5 hour ferry also. The only time I had problems was one f**ting just as I went through security and I was wished good luck - felt  so sorry for them with the smell. They settled in the car and where fine for the journey. Cats can deal with more than we think.

ProDave

We moved over 500 miles with 2 cats, so a very long journey for them.

One of our cats was okay with travelling, but the other would get very distressed and yowl, and usually have an "accident" even on the short journey to the vet.  So clearly we needed help and advice.

The vet prescribed a sedative to give him and we took him on a longer but local test drive and it definitely helped.

for the actual move, we bought a dog cage for the back of the car so the 2 cats could have a bed each and a litter tray, food and water but still be safely enclosed.  Again on the advice of the vet we did the 11 hour journey over night, so we slept in the day and set off as it got dark.  The sedative worked as did the dark and both cats settled down and slept.  It was only about 4AM as it started to get light that the tom started to get distressed again, but we were nearly there by then.

TripleH

We have moved twice in 4 years with our cats.
1. We had 2 cats, (11yrs) and (5 months) and moved a mile down the road. We moved our furniture in a van ourselves in 4 trips. First trip we moved and setup our bed and made it. Second trip we took our oldest and left her to settle (only had 1 cat carrier at the time). The kitten was left at home with a friend before making the final trip. All very simple and stress free. 
2. The second trip was from the South Coast to the North West. We had 3 cats by then (14,  3, 3) the younger 2 are biological siblings (different litters) who were put into the same cat carrier (quite happily) but the furthest they'd been was 5 mins in the car. The oldest knows all about cars and refused to go in her own cat carrier so was carried down to the car and sat on my wife's lap in the back. She cried until about Oxford where she pooed on my wife and then quite happily went in the carrier. 
The youngest cat had started crying in response to the oldest's crying whilst his sister remained quiet the whole journey. As it turns out the oldest cried in the car but was fine in the new home whilst the younger 2 hid in the bathroom for 3 hours. Within 24 hours of moving they had settled in ( a lot quicker than with the latest arrival).
Conclusion : I'd move and setup your bed first before moving the cats so once they move, there is something they recognise and can hid under. Not a lot you can do except minimise the time they arevin the carrier/s. Maybe leave the carriers open with something they recognise in itvforca few days so they get less stressed about goingbin them beforehand.

capsy87

I've recently moved house with my very highly strung cat. I used a pheromone plug in for weeks before we moved. On the day, kept him with me (I had to work) while removals packed up with a big notice on the door saying CAT INSIDE!! and asked for that to be the last room cleared. Once it was near time to clear that room, I put him in his cat box and moved him to the car where I knew he'd be safe.
At new house, did the reverse by putting him in a room with another notice and putting him in his box when they needed to move things into room. Also put pheromone plug in straight away in the room. Opened box and left him completely alone with some food and litter box. It all went amazingly well. Then let him go outside after 3 or 4 weeks.
With previous cats, moving 200 miles, I got sedative from vets as others suggested. Good luck!

ouraggie

Our beloved moggie hated going in the car and always pooed before we had even got to the end of our street. She had a wide repertoire of pitiful howls and heart-rending meows.
When we moved I took her there in the car with me and, as others have said, I shut her in the smallest bedroom, which was furthest from all the action. I excitedly made up our bed ready to flop into later, with a brand new white duvet cover I had bought, and then went to check on her after an hour or so. She was nowhere to be seen. 
As I left the room I heard a very faint tinkle. It sounded like her collar bell and seemed to come from the fireplace.I looked up the chimney and saw two little green eyes shining in the darkness. I put my hand up to her to coax her down. She refused. I figured she was as happy up there as anywhere so i left her to it.
Fast forward a few hours : the removal men are gone, the essentials unpacked, the takeaway eaten, cat forgotten about. Bed beckons.
I go upstairs, open the bedroom door...and see a little trail of sooty black pawprints all across my brand new duvet cover. Seems she had gone up that chimney but presumably got lost and come down another one!
The perpetrator herself was nowhere to be seen, but was later discovered in the bathroom, tucked up small behind the pedestal of the wash basin. There she stayed for 2 whole days, sustained by a bowl of treats and some water which we left out for her. We heard her go tinkling downstairs in the night, presumably to have a look round in peace, but during the day she hid. Eventually she got braver and one night just strolled casually into the lounge while we were watching telly. She then jumped onto the window sill, rearranged herself a few times and went to sleep. 

oniongirl

ouraggie said:

Our beloved moggie hated going in the car and always pooed before we had even got to the end of our street. She had a wide repertoire of pitiful howls and heart-rending meows.
When we moved I took her there in the car with me and, as others have said, I shut her in the smallest bedroom, which was furthest from all the action. I excitedly made up our bed ready to flop into later, with a brand new white duvet cover I had bought, and then went to check on her after an hour or so. She was nowhere to be seen. 
As I left the room I heard a very faint tinkle. It sounded like her collar bell and seemed to come from the fireplace.I looked up the chimney and saw two little green eyes shining in the darkness. I put my hand up to her to coax her down. She refused. I figured she was as happy up there as anywhere so i left her to it.
Fast forward a few hours : the removal men are gone, the essentials unpacked, the takeaway eaten, cat forgotten about. Bed beckons.
I go upstairs, open the bedroom door...and see a little trail of sooty black pawprints all across my brand new duvet cover. Seems she had gone up that chimney but presumably got lost and come down another one!
The perpetrator herself was nowhere to be seen, but was later discovered in the bathroom, tucked up small behind the pedestal of the wash basin. There she stayed for 2 whole days, sustained by a bowl of treats and some water which we left out for her. We heard her go tinkling downstairs in the night, presumably to have a look round in peace, but during the day she hid. Eventually she got braver and one night just strolled casually into the lounge while we were watching telly. She then jumped onto the window sill, rearranged herself a few times and went to sleep. 

This is possibly the cutest story ever! I wonder if she had beenhanging out on that windowsill without you knowing and was just milking you for treats. 

FreeBear

Mum used to pop over to see Sis and often took mog with her. Would pop him in a canvas bag, do the zip up with his head sticking out, and then catch the bus for a two hour ride. Mog used to enjoy all the attention he got and watch the world go by out of the window.

GixerKate

I've moved several times with cats, moving with 4 cats was loud! I shut them into a room which sorting out the rest of the flat and then popped them into the carriers (I've got the plastic ones that are smooth on the inside so can't hurt themselves.  I loaded them into the car at the last minute and then we spent a couple of happy hours all together until we got to the new house.  I put them in a room with their things and let them adjust to that room while we were sorting out the rest of the house.  Only when everything calmed down did I open the door and gave them a choice to roam about.

Do they go outside at all?  Biggest thing to remember is to keep them inside for the first 3 weeks so that they adjust to their new home otherwise they will instinctively try and find their old home.

Last time I moved it was with 1 cat and 2 dogs, still pretty loud in the car.