Moving with cat again

[Anonymous]

We are in between houses and hopefully closing on our new house next week.

When we moved into our temporary apartment, our cat cried all night for weeks. We did our best to comfort her by setting up her cat bed and favorite blanket and other items for her, but it didn’t seem to help.

Now we are planning to move into our new house and I’m really worried it will be too much for her. I know cats are resilient and supposed to have nine lives, but we lost our other little guy last year so I’m particularly concerned about making sure this cat is okay after the move. Especially because this will be a much bigger space we will be moving into.

So what can we do to help her adjust? We will keep her in the bathroom while the movers are there (both moving out and in), but what else? How do we help her adjust to this new, much bigger space?

[Anonymous]

1. Cats usually love to "take over new territory" and are cool with new places as long as they have you around initially all the time to feel safe and to know you won't leave them there and just go. That would traumatize a kitty.
2. I WOULD NOT bring an cat that already was traumatized once by the new place into another new place and subject it to all the unknown and leave alone locked up in a bathroom that is NOT familiar to there
while all the strange and traumatizing unknown and unfamiliar noises of movers are happening.
Also beware, someone might open the door by mistake, and the cat can dart out and off the foront door and you might never see her again. So I would definitely NOT to bring the cat in all this but have her with me
some quiet place and bring her only after the move is complete, after all familiar objects and her and your smells entered along with all those beloved objects. This will make huge difference

imagine
scenario a: you bring cat to a strange smelling new empty space, you thorw her in a strange empty bathroom and lock the door? with all the noises going on.. This is definition of hell.
scenario b: you moved all belongings and furniture.. it is all quiet, you come with the kitty,
set the carrier on the floor, open the door, you sit on the floor next to her.. and she gets out and
slowly sniffs and explore everything. you walk with her and pet her and prise and talk softly as you go along, often pick her up and give hug for reassurance... then show her to her bowl of food and water..
she won't eat most likely but she will know it is there..

3. It makes some difference what kind of animal if any lived in the place before. Was there any cat or dog? Their smells linger, your cat can "read them like newspaper" she will react differently to the place where another cat lived, and yet if it were female OR male.. and different if it was dog or dogs..
She can feel intimidated because cats are territorial. If they enter a place with other cats smell she might feel either intruding and scared, or feeling she need to dominate the territory yet this can create anxiety as you would have to face an unknown person that you will need to fight but you have not seen that person.

4. Think of what smells can work for her, maybe a touch of catnip sprinkled here and there.. but some cats became more agressive or hostile so be careful. Also DON"T do your last loundry before the move,
take your dirty clothing and spread around the house.. to you it is dissgusting idea hahahha I know..
but to the cat it is comfort.. your smell will dominate the place and make her fee more comfortable,
it is like invisible protective wall.. Utnill she will make it smell like her as she will work on this
but it takes time to turn a neutral place to her place..

5. I hope you do let her seep with you in a new place right? Absolute must.

6. Talk to her a lot, carry her in your arms a lot in the beginning, set her down on new surfaces but keep petting her as you talk to her and she is exploring, pick her up again, go to a new place.. repeat..

7. Cat needs to see you yourself.. relaxed, be very soft spoken and very relax, lye down on the floor a lot,
that relaxed position will reassure her to relax as this is what cats do they imitate your body language..
blink a lot.. your eyes .. to a cat is a book of your emotions and she will be observing you..
if you don't blink .. this is to a cat an alert state.. to us it is normal.. but blink and smile often
softly.. and look at her and speak softly and she will read it as "my mama is relaxed, so it must be all good"
I can relax to. Look at her eyes, if they are big and round the iris.. t hat means she is really scared..
whiskers down, scared.. so you work those things and you will see and k now if she
is more relaxed by just how her whiskers are positioned.. if they are pointy to the sides as usually
she is fine, but again, whiskers down, stress. Ears pulled to the back listening around. .or flat ears..
scared..

pet pet pet pet her a whoooooooole lot.
Do not leave her alone in the house if you can help it for the first few days at all.
Then when you need to .. prepare her by leaving for a minute.. and coming back..
then two minutes and coming bac.. then extend till she will be comfortably.
Build slowly per her tolerance, don't push or force it and s he will grow into the idea naturally.

Also check the internet there are some cat guru people selling some kind of relaxing herbs for cats..
if all else fail, you can try this, this is aromatherapy thing, DON"T overuse it as nothing is
without consequences but you could get good results with little in this situation I think.

Good luck..
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..

[Anonymous]

We had a cat that freaked out when we moved. He eventually adjusted after a few weeks. The next time we moved, we were preparing for the worst. He walked in the new place, jumped on the bed and took a nap.