Cats and moving house?

[Skiddaw]

Hopefully, it won't ever be an issue but the tips are very useful. I bought the Munchkin a new and larger travel box recently which may help a bit (he's a big cat and the previous basket was a bit of a snug fit) and will try covering the box next time he has to make a trip. We always have the windows open so he has fresh air.

Poor little soul- he really does hate being in the car. Not only does it come out of both ends, he foams at the mouth and has been known to hypervenilate too. I hate to see it.

[heather sullivan]

could you borrow some metal dog cages or buy some, i got one off ebay for £20,  and keep them shut in them in your new house? I use mine for our giant bunny, they are very secure and gives them room to move around in?

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Kocka used to love riding in the car as long as she was not shut in a carrier. We travelled about 400 miles and she slept a lot of the way.

I asked the vet about any kind of sedation and he said what most vets say, and that its a definate no no as cats fight the sedation and it makes them worse.

I would definately discuss the sickness with your vet if he is good.

I had a harness on Kocka and she travelled in half the carrier on my knee and she used to go for walks at service stations 

She also watched out the window a lot.

When you have had Munchkin in the car was he able to see out or was the carrier covered? I ask this because if he is a travel sick case then seeing out maybe the problem. Kocka travelled in the front of the car cos I have to being a travel sick victim.

However it could be vibrations in the car.

If he is sick cos he is scared then one thing you could do is start taking him out on loads of small trips so he knowsw he is not going to the vets and that there is nothing to worry about. If this works then you will need to extewnd the length of the trips.

I was lucky cos Kocka had travelled to Devon (another 400 miles plus) on holiday with me only a month before I moved so knew she was fine but she hated travelling in a car to vets cos sadly she had many trips.

[Liz]

We moved 37 cats and 2 dogs just over 6 years ago and we had ACP tablets from the vet for the ferals and the youngsters as they were moving 150 miles away on what turned out to be one of the hottest days in July 2006

I had the oldies and the dogs in the cars, we doubled and trebled up as we used dog pens and large cat boxes and a quarrentine box for the late hissy Holly feral

We had them all boxed up and in the car and transit van before the removers got access to the final stuff in the house and at the other end moved them to a secure area before the rmovers started unpacking the 3 lorries of stuff

Can I advise that when you get to your new place that you check all settings on windows so they can't open them, I would stick a fan in the room if its hot and keep the windows shut as we got up the next morning to a broken window our alpha male Tiger then took 31 away to inspect the new surroundings and it took me 6 months of trapping to get them all home!!!

[Skiddaw]

Out of interest, Gill, (and anyone else who has moved from one part of the country to another) how did the cats cope with the journey? I ask because there is a slight possibility that we will relocate to the north at some point, and the Munchkin gets horribly travel sick even on the 10 minute journey to local vet. Any car journey does it, no matter how short, and I couldn't even start to imagine how he would cope with a long journey.

[JenGeorgieBob]

I am moving soon with 3 cats, a cattery isn't an option for them, especially Benji due to his history, I have rather large cat carriers and am going to put them in the carriers with water and a small litter tray and a blanket and then into the car in the morning (with the windows down) while we are doing all the moving and then setting off with them when we leave, so they will be spending a few hours in carriers in the car, as this was the least stressful way I could think of moving them, don't know if that would work for yours or if it helps at all?
Jen

[CatGirl]

Thank you for all the replies so far,still not sure what to do,i suppose whatever i do,they'll be upset.x

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I also moved from London to Wales and Kocka stayed at the vets over night cos I had to stay in a club overnight cos house had to be cleared the day before.

The move was chaotic and even if I had been moving in one day there just wouldnt been anywhere for her to stay  and she would have been so scared cos all of the noise etc.

Front door obviously was open all the time.

So I think you have to beare in mind the places of complete safety in your current house while a move is going on and whether the 3 of them would be happy to be shut in together when all hell is breaking out in their house.

[snarf]

id be more inclined to cattery them for the day of the move or take them to a friend/family member? id be too worried about someone opening a safe room if i couldnt lock it and at least a cattery is safe. ive only moved with lucifer before and moved myself bit by bit by car so just allowed lucifer to carry  on as normal. he was very distressed a few trips in as his home changed and more and more stuff left. i had initially intended to move him last but had to change plans and move him early when he started throwing himself against the flat door and wailing- he never shown any interest in the door before.  :'(presumably alot easier if theyre in a room and cant see the actual move tho. lucifer spent occasional 9-5s in a mates bathroom and was perfectly happy but he may be an odd example

[Gillian Harvey]

I agree, I don't think I'd put them in a cattery if they've never been in one before. Like Helen and Dawn I'd confine to one room which has already been cleared, with their food, water, carriers etc. I moved here with 12  and thats what I did, and they were fine.

[Dawn F]

we kept ours in the bathroom when we moved, with a huge note on the door

[Tiggy's Mum]

If they've never been in a cattery before I think I would prefer to confine them to one room in the house if I were in your shoes, as long as a) it can be guaranteed 100% that they won't get out and b) they all get on enough to be locked in one room for a day!

I put my two in the spare bedroom (devoid of all it's furniture!) with their beds, trays, toys, food etc I then taped A4 posters to the door for the attention of the removal men saying 'Cats inside - do not open' and also tied the door handle to the cupboard door so it couldn't be opened.

I moved everything to the new house and prepared the spare room for them. I then went back to the old house, collected my most precious cargo and put them in the new spare room while I unpacked the rest of the house. Unfortunately for me I had an asthma attack that meant I had to be taken to hospital overnight (brand new carpets set me off I think) and when I got home in the early hours of the morning I was absolutely exhausted. The boys were yowling their heads off so I reluctantly let them in to the rest of the house which was like box city - I needn't have worried as they were fine!

with it all

[Frances]

I'd definitely recommend that your cats are not around on moving day.  I moved three times in one year with Woody and each time I put him into a cattery for at least a couple of days before moving day as well as the day itself and picked him up the day after I moved.

Although your cats may find box inspection interesting at first, as their home gradually disappears in front of them they may find the changes in their surroundings upsetting and you will have plenty of other things to think about.  I don't know how far you're thinking of moving but when I moved from London to Wales I moved Woody up here first (so he was in the cattery for about a week); the other two moves were more local, same cattery but for about four days each time.

 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I suspect that a good cattery for a day may be the best for them so you dont have to worry that someone might open the room they are in and also maybe less stressful than wondering what all the noise is.

That was very short Catgirl 

[CatGirl]

Hello,i wonder if any one had any hints/tips? I'm looking for a house exchange(downsizing)have had my 3 rescues almost 18 years,almost 17 years and 14 years.I have never had a holiday in all these years,so they have always been in this place.Not sure whether to find a smallish cattery,just for the moving day,or to try to keep them in a bedroom,but with people around that would stress them. Sorry about the length of this.Many thanks.x