Moving with Cats

Cats are not the happiest pets you may have when it comes to rapid changes in their surroundings, especially since they are more territorial than other animals. If they have been living in the same house for a long time or even since birth, then moving them to a new location without any prior experience in this would be an extremely stressing situation. Some cats will get used to it, while others will keep being stressed out each time, making this an extremely difficult time during the moving process. Before you decide to move the cat, you will need to consider a few things moving forward:

• Getting ready for the big day

This is one of the more important moments of the moving process, since you will need to work on helping your cat adapt to the change in environment. If your cat likes to run away when it sees its carrier, then you will likely need to lull it with promises of treats or something similar to bribe their goodwill. In most cases cats will not like the carrier at all, so you will need to do your best to find a way to lure them inside without having to chase them all around. This should help them get inside without causing too much of a scene.

• Taking care of the cat during the moving process

When the movers are finally there and the cat has to go, then you should work on keeping it in a room where it will be out of the way. If you keep it secured and closed in a separate room or in its carrier, then the cat will likely have no issues with the strangers moving around its home. This should let you get on with the moving without having to worry about the little details or the cat tripping the movers while running away. Give your furry friend food, water and provide it with comfy bedding inside, but most of all keep the movers away from the room if you don’t want to lock the cat inside its carrier just yet. The last thing you want is to have your cat running amok all over the place because it was spooked by strangers.

• Your cat the copilot on the road

This is something you need to consider as well, since most cats are not exactly thrilled to travel by car. Keep them safe inside the vehicle at all times and make sure they are in the carrier too. There aren’t many chances the cat would run, but you would be surprised how crafty they can be when put in a restrictive and stressful situation like this. Every cat is different, so you would need to approach the matter in a different way. If your cat never stops meowing or even yowling on the road, then you may consider talking to your veterinarian for the application of a mild sedative to let it sleep it off. Now, this is something you need to only do as a last resort if it makes it impossible to stop it from panicking inside the vehicle and the dosage has to be exactly right, so make sure you are careful.