Moving with Your Cat: Expert Tips for a Calm Transition

Cats love living in your home. It is a familiar and pleasant place where they can feel safe and relax.

Moving to another home will definitely be a lot of stress and confusion – for both you and your cat! However, there are many things you can do to make your cat feel calmer and comfortable in the new environment when moving and relocating.

As the big move approaches, your cat’s cat will become anxious in your home – you may be intimidated by packed boxes, strangers coming in and out, new smells, and previously well-known rooms emptying. If your cat is accustomed to living in the home of some acquaintances or friends or in an animal hotel, it may be worthwhile to put her there for a short time so that she experiences less stress. If you decide to accommodate your cat in an animal hotel, book it well in advance and make sure it is vaccinated with all valid vaccinations. Read our article on cat sitters and pet hotels for more helpful tips.

If you want your cat to be with you when you move, give it a quiet room in your old house and don’t touch it until the last minute. Let her get used to that room for about a week before moving out – put her bed, litter box, food and water bowls there. Soon it will become for her like a house at home and a refuge from the hustle and bustle in another part of the house!

Leaving the old house

If you use the services of a moving company, warn the staff in advance that you are moving the furniture to a new home and a cat. They will need to know which room is for your cat so as not to interfere with her quiet hiding.

Before the relocation team arrives, calm down, cuddle, or pat the cat and gently place it in a travel bag containing fresh water. If you are worried that your cat will be scared, you can spray her bag with sedative pheromones (available from a vet or a larger pet store) or cover it with a piece of cloth to keep it dark and calm. You can then leave it in a bag in a “safe” room until everything is finally arranged.

Upon arrival at the new home

Familiar environment is the key to a successful new home, so try to create a new environment as normal as possible for your cat as soon as you can. Much like in the old house where you created a safe haven for her, place a cat bed, a litter box, a clean water bowl in one room of the new house and put the toys in.

Gently rub a soft cloth into her mouth and neck while soothing, gently stroking. It will absorb natural cat pheromones, and at home you will be able to rub it on new surfaces at your cat’s height to make it feel safer. You can also put your worn cozy sweater or old towel on her bearing to surround her with more soothing scents.

Synthetic pheromones would also help soothe the cat. You can spray or spread them by turning on the lens – talk to your vet about what he or she would recommend, or visit a large pet store to see what’s there.

Once you have done your best to make your cat as comfortable as possible, you should allow her to stay undisturbed and quiet without noise while she explores the new environment. Keep her room door closed until the movers leave and until you check that all doors and windows are securely closed. You should only open her door when you are fully moved in, then let her look around the house. However, even then, let’s explore only one room at a time so she can get used to it all.

Settling after relocating with a cat

After moving to a new home with a cat, you have to give her at least a week to get used to the new environment before you can let her out. Some cats recognize new homes fairly quickly, while others take time to get used to. It would be easier for a cat to get along if you could stay with her at home for the first few days and weeks. Don’t rush her, let her get used to the sounds and smells of the new environment as much as she needs. For more tips on housing a cat, read our article on adopting a cat at home.

When moving with a cat, you should consider the following:

• If you have moved out not far from the places where you have lived, it is possible that the cat will try to return to the old usual places whose images and smells are familiar to her. If that happens, don’t let her out of the house for a little longer until she recognizes the new home as her new safe area. It’s worth talking to the new owners of your old house and asking them not to feed your cat and not let them back into the old house if they return there after falling out! Keep in mind that its collar can still activate the barrier of the old door jamb, so it’s better to replace the collar with a new one that will only work in new homes.
• Once you get to know your cat with the new garden and outside, just spend a short time and watch it. It is best to spend just before feeding. Then, after exploring the field for a few minutes and hearing familiar sounds heard during feeding, such as the pounding of bowls or the rustling of a bag of food, she is tempted to go back inside. Consistently extend the time of field trips for a week or two, but don’t let your cat go dark or completely alone until you’re sure she’s familiar with the new environment.
• Lastly, take extra precautions if you know someone is approaching who could scare your cat, such as a fireworks show or a storm. Such things can upset any cat, not just those already upset, so make sure she has a safe warm place to hide. Synthetic pheromones and a soothing pat on the host should calm you down and prevent you from being intimidated or perhaps trying to escape to your old home.
• Soon the cat will realize that the new house is as welcoming and full of love as the old one, so soon she will have fun exploring the new world. All it takes is a little patience and a lot of understanding.