Moving Cats- Make Her Happy In Her New Home

Any disruption to your cat’s routine is likely to cause her considerable distress as they are very much creatures of habit. Moving house can be particularly stressful for her as you are taking her away from everything she is familiar with. However, there are ways you can plan your move carefully to make this less stressful for her.

Once you start packing up, make sure your cat has access to a safe, secure place containing her familiar things. If you are going to need to transport her to her new home in a cat carrier, leave it around where she can see it and become familiar with it. This will lessen the shock when she is placed in it. Try to keep the rest of her routine the same, ie feeding times, and offer her plenty of reassurance.

Once you move to the new property, select an empty room which will be your cat’s home for now. Place all her things inside it and keep her there until you have unpacked the rest of the house. She will want to wander round the new house and will likely walk around sniffing as she goes. Offer her plenty of reassurance whilst she familiarizes herself with it. Avoid making any loud noise which may startle her. Make sure she knows where her litter box is, and feed her at the same times you did in the old property.

If she is going to be allowed access to the outside, don’t let her out too early. Give her time to get used to the new house, so that she will see this as her home and want to return to it. When you do let her out, only allow her outside for short periods of time at first, and don’t leave her. Consider investing in a cat harness and lead for the first few times, so you have control over her. Once she is familiar with the garden, let her wander further afield but make sure that she can get back in whenever she wants to. Some cats like the door left open so they can wander in and out at will, and build up their confidence.

Lastly, if she has a collar or chip, remember to update the address and contact numbers so she can be returned to you if she does become lost.