Advice on moving house

[miggy]

Hi all,

We are due to move house in the next few weeks. Both my cats have never experienced a move, they were both kittens and still indoors when they moved last time.

Gandalf is 2 1/2 Missy is Almost 2. They are both very outdoorsy, and have lots of fields to hunt in where we are now.

Good news is the new house also backs on to fields, so they should feel at home once they are out and about. However, I have read some articles online about moving cats, and people recommend keeping them in for up to 2 weeks!! Now I will have no house left if I wait that long.

So I was wondering if anyone had any advice on what is an advisable amount of time to keep them in for to get them used to the new house, bearing in mind they will be tearing the house up to get out no doubt!

Also once I let them out, do you think it will be like when I let them out the first time, or are there any tried and tested ways to make sure they know where home is? I have heard the rumour of butter on their paws, but is this just old wives tale??

Any advice would be gratefully received

[wilbar]

Butter on the paws is definitely an old wives tale but perhaps it's origins are in the fact that most cats will sit & wash the butter off, so they concentrate on that rather than legging it for freedom! Or perhaps the idea is that they follow the trail of buttery pawprints to get back home!!

There are several things you can do to help make the move a bit easier for your cats.

Do your cats have a good recall? If not, now's the time to start training it. If they do, then spend a few minutes several times a day reinforcing it with rewards of their favourite food treats. Stick to the same tone of voice & words & practice several times a day. Call them when they are indoors & when they are out.

Plan how you're going to handle the move carefully, e.g. is there a room in your new house which you can set aside for a few days & which can be shut whilst the move is taking place? If so, move all the cats favourite beds, food dishes, litter tray, scratching posts, toys etc into that room. Set it up so that food/water is well away from the litter tray, there are lots of beds &/or familiar bits of furniture, make sure it is a warm room (turn the heating on if necessary). Try plugging in a Feliway diffuser, draw any curtains. Possibly even leave a radio or TV on in that room ~ there is some evidence that animals find classical music quite soothing (I'm talking Bach/Mozart, not Wagner here!). The move the cats in & make sure they are not disturbed by removal men, or any friends/relatives that are helping you with the move.

Once you have moved completely, & are settled in for the evening, secure any doors & windows & let the cats out to explore your new house. Provide alternative feeding/water stations & a litter tray in the places you intend to be permanent, but don't be surprised if they return to the first room to eat, rest & toilet for the first few days. It depends on how confident & curious your cats are as to how comfortable & nosey they are about exploring.

Try to keep things relatively quiet & settled for the first few days. Perhaps minimise visitors so they don't have lots of strangers to cope with? Try to keep to your normal routine for feeding, playing with them, giving them attention etc.

In the meantime, try to be very observant about what's going on in your garden. Do other cats visit? If so, when & for how long? Have a chat with your neighbours ~ do they have cats or dogs? What are their routines for letting their cats out? Do they come in your garden? Did the previous owner of the house have cats? Can any neighbouring dogs get into your garden? Do any neighbouring dogs have a high prey drive & would chase your cats? Where is the road in conjunction to your house? You want to make sure that your cats quickly learn to come & go through "safe" exits i.e. away from any traffic.

If you can identify a time of day when it is more than likely that your garden will be empty, quiet & safe, then let your cats out then for the first time. Preferably let them out before feeding time, when they are most hungry. Go out with them, allow them to sniff & explore, then call them back after a few minutes & offer a tasty food treat, just as you have been doing with the recall at your previous home. Don't worry if they are too distracted to eat the treat, the main thing is to get them to respond to your voice.

I can't offer any specific advice on how long to keep them indoors ~ it very much depends on the individual cats & the location & circumstances of the new home. Two weeks is probably on the cautious side for lots of cats that are strongly bonded with their owners, but perhaps for new cats, it is not that long. With my cats, when I moved I let them out after 48 hours, but I knew my cats very well, I trained a good response to recalls & I was living in a quiet cul-de-sac with no passing traffic.

If they seem to be getting bored or showing signs of wanting to go out before you think they are ready, then you could try distracting them by lots of play, attention, providing lots of environmental enrichment indoors, e.g. carboard boxes with holes cut out, a big tree branch to climb on, a water feature/drinking fountain, activity centre etc etc.

Hope this helps & best of luck with your move ~ hope all goes well for you & your cats

[MrsH]

When we moved house we kept the cats in for slightly more than 2 weeks. It helped that I was full-time at home so they quickly settled and did no damage. They were middle-aged and very upset by the move, cowering in corners, jumping at the slightest noise, slowly exploring the house on tiptoes and generally nervous for most of the first week. After that they were fine in the house but I didn't want to risk letting them out until another week had passed, I just didn't want them getting spooked and running off as the new garden was smaller and the general area more urban and busier.