I am about to move into a new apartment with my two cats. My youngest one I'm not worried about. However, my oldest one who is about 4 has moved with me before and does not adjust well. I know that cats don't adjust well to change and need to recognize their scent in the new home. However, she doesn't adjust to the point of not using her litter box even after being shown where it is. There is new carpet in the apartment I am moving into. I'm looking for any advice that will help my Morgan adjust, without urinating all over the brand new carpet? Thank you!
Answers:
Territory means everything to a cat. It is the source of food, love and shelter, so the perceived loss of territory through a house move can be very upsetting to them.
On arrival day, keep the cats in their travel basket while you set up one room of the apartment with their familiar items; bed, blanket/towel, toys, litter tray, food and water. You can then get on with moving everything in, knowing that your cats are safe in one room. Later in the day, when everything has been moved in, you can allow them access to explore one or two other rooms of the apartment.
As you know, they also rely very heavily on their sense of smell. When they rub up against doorways or furniture, they are very subtly marking their territory. The new apartment obviously won't have the familiar communal scent of your old home which will add to any feelings of insecurity. If they have a favourite blanket or something else they like to sleep on, you could try wiping that over the paintwork at cat head height. You could also try stroking them with a soft cloth and then wiping that over decorated areas as that will help reinstate their scent. A Feliway spray or a plug-in diffuser will have a similar effect, as it contains a scent said to resemble soothing cat pheromones.
Use food and a regular routine to help your cats settle in. Small frequent meals will give you more contact initially and help to reassure your cats that all is well. By knowing when and where feeding will take place, they can anticipate the meal rather than worry about it. This also helps them to relax and promotes a feeling of well-being.
Moving home can be traumatic for an indoor cat, that may not be used to dealing with changes in the environment to the same extent that an outdoor cat will be. Slow, careful
introductions, one room at a time, with lots of reassurance will help the cats settle in.
If your 4 year old is particularly nervous and you are very concerned about her reaction, it might be an idea to board them in a friendly cattery before the move and keep them away from the new apartment until everything is unpacked and you've had chance to "furnish" the apartment with theirs and your scent.
The web article below will give you further advice and suggestions on making the house move as stress free as possible for your cats.
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/moving...
Good luck, hope all goes well.
Pen her up for a little while.
Either a bathroom or get a large dog kennel. Large kennels are roomy enough for litter boxes and beds for napping. She won't have anywhere else to pee, and it protects the floors.
Good luck
Be sure to take a blanket/towel/ or cat bed from your old place to put into the new apt. so the kitty will have something that smells like your old place to sleep on.For the first week or two, keep her confined to one bedroom or the bathroom, with lots of newspapers covering the floor area around the litterbox. Give her something to hide in like her open cat carrier on the floor, a box, or an open and empty cabinet. Your cat may choose to live in one room for a couple of weeks, but will eventually venture out Good luck!
Before you bring your cats to the new house try to have everything in place. At least a few pieces of furniture they know. If possible take there things over to the new apartment before they arrive. Picking post and their favorite toys could be waiting for them. The litter box can come with them, already prepared to just put down at the spot you have selected.
Don't know what your plans are, but try to bring them when you're totally moved in instead of trying to work around them.
When they arrive they can check out their new "digs" without interuption. That's about all I can think of right now.
Good luck with your move ... your babies will adjust. After all they have you.
Here a few suggestions to help her adjust and keep your carpet new.
- give her a bathroom of her own if possible until you think she has calmed down. I would take up any rugs or towels she could use as an alternative to a litter box. Having a small area, instead of a large one, can help her figure out where to sleep, where to eat, where to eliminate more easily. Smaller new spaces also less threatening than large new places.
- you can try Feliway which mimics the scent from a cat's facial glands and can help some cats (doesn't always work) calm down. You can get a spray but there is also a plug in diffuser that probably works a bit better for this purpose.
- it isn't a great alternative, but you might think of temporarily covering your new carpeting with a heavy duty plastic tarp. This is the heavy kind from places like Home Depot. They are large, thick and are ok to walk on as long as you hold down the edges with furniture.
- another idea is to have enzymatic cleaner and a black light just in case she has an accident. The faster it is cleaned up, the less likely it is to become a bad habit.
- you may have to get 1 or 2 more litter boxes and place them around the new place temporarily. She might have less trouble finding a litter box if there are several to chose from. Once she is settled, you can move the litter boxes closer together and then eliminate the ones you don't need.
- in order to create good associations with the new place, you can temporarily give her more treats, more attention and more toys to play with.
Best of luck.
Wow, WooHoo is good!
I dont think you should have a problem if they are already house trained.
I just moved, and my 2 boys adjusted very well.
In fact this is there apartment, we just live here.
I do agree that you should try to have things in place first, because cats DO get stressed.
Spread around some toys, and get some cat grass, and give lots of attention, they should be fine.
Oh it will be find.
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