Moving With a Cat

Pack your bags, your furniture, and your cat. Moving can be a pain, but here are some things to do to make sure kitty doesn't get mad or freak out over it.

Moving can be a traumatic experience for everyone. But it will especially be taxing on your cat.

Cats feel safe in familiar surroundings, so combine a new home with the confusion of packing/unpacking and you have the makings of one very unhappy feline. However, there are a few  simple things you can do for your cat to reduce the stress of moving.

• When packing, empty out one room and then put the cat’s food and water, litter, carrier, bedding and toys in there. This will not only keep kitty out of the way while you are packing, but it will keep the cat happy and feeling safe.

• While moving into the new place, put all the cat’s things (along with the cat) in an empty room before you start unpacking. If you do not have an extra room, unpack one room first, then set the cat up.

• Let kitty out of the room to explore the house only when everything is set up. And trust us, it will want to explore. But make sure the cat is as relaxed as possible before letting it out, as it may be nervous of the new surroundings.

• Show your cat where the litter box and food are.

• If you have a yard, only let your cat out when it is used to the new house. If not, it may run away and try to find your old, more familiar place.

• When you let the cat outside, only do it in short intervals. And be there with the kitty, so it gets used to the area with you there. Also, make sure the cat knows how to get back in.

Use these simple steps to get your cat familiar with its new home and the transition wil go much more smoothly for everyone involved. And by everyone, we mean your cat, because we know the old saying is true: If the cat ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

Image: Mary-Lynn / via Flickr

Front page image: mava / via Flickr