There is so much to do when you have to move to a new home – from packing boxes to making to-do lists of everything that you need to remember. Knowing when the big move will take place will help you to plan properly. Moving from one home to another can be extremely stressful for a family, and even more so for their pets. Their anxiety will start to increase as the ‘pre-packing’ starts. Not only will your cat see the new boxes coming in, but she will also feel the stressful emotions that are coming from her humans.
Plan in advance
Luckily, there are ways to make moving, and the resultant major change in your cat’s life, easier for her and for yourself. The sooner you start to prepare her for the big day, the easier you will make her life, and yours.
One to two weeks to go
- Get some homeopathic calming medication from your vet, or consider a pheromone collar. Ask your vet which option is the best for your cat, and how to give her the medication.
- If you don’t already have a cat carrier in which to transport your cat, now is the time to get one. Cats need to be transported safely, so if your cat is not used to being in a carrier, then start immediately with the process of travelling with her in it in the car – even if it is just around the neighbourhood.
- Open the carrier and place it on the floor with some treats inside, so that your cat can go in and out at her leisure. Once she is happy just going in and out, feed her in the carrier, so that she associates it with food.
- Finally, get your cat to go into the carrier and close the door for a short period of time, and then open it again. Reward her and let her come out. Keep doing this until she is comfortable with being in the carrier.
- You can also let your cat play inside the packing boxes – cats love boxes, so she will associate them with fun.
A day or two before the move
- Prior to moving day, the stress levels increase in the household, and your cat will pick up on this. I have heard of many cats who have disappeared just before their owners were due to move to their new house. Personally, I recommend that owners of both cats and dogs put them into a kennel or cattery one to two days prior to the move, and only bring them home one or two days after the move.
- If you are not going to put your cat in a cattery, then she needs to be contained in a locked room with a ‘No entry’ sign on it, and the key must be kept with one of the family adults. With all the chaos of the moving people, cats may be spooked and run away and hide. They need to be safe and secure, and shouldn’t be able to run away. Remember to make sure that she has her bed, food, water, litterbox and her favourite toys to occupy her.
- If you are taking the cats with you on the actual day, then you can speak to your vet about some medication to ease the trip.
New home
- Once at the new home, you cannot let your cat have ‘free reign’ and immediately let her run around. She needs to be contained in a room for at least a week or two. However, every day she should be allowed out of the room for a while to roam around the house under your supervision, but without being able to get outside. Keep all windows and doors shut.
- If you plan on allowing your cat to roam freely outside once settled, take her outside and slowly introduce her to the different areas. If you are worried, you can even use a harness and lead to walk her around the garden.
All this takes time and patience, but it will be worth it for you and your cat. I cannot say for sure how long it will take – some cats might take a while; others not as long – but you have to remain as calm as possible, at all times.
By Kathy Clayton, behaviourist
