Relocating with a cat(Moving tips?)

[PLUTO2]

I would appreciate any tips about relocating/moving and also about relocating a cat. We will be relocating from Ohio to Florida and I have talked to the vet but I know I always get the best tips from the DisBoard. Any tips in general about moving long distance also appreciated.

 

[MosMom]

We moved from Alberta, Canada to Indiana with our kitty and used kitty downers to keep her calm on the plane.

 

[PLUTO2]

I should have included we will be driving to the new house.

 

[MosMom]

Still kitty downers...just more of them?

 

[disneybaby05]

Last year in February, I moved from Virginia to Colorado with my two cats. They were in one crate. Everyday when we stopped for lunch, I let them out on leashes that I had for them and gave them food and water. We mostly stayed at Motel 8 on our way, since most places don't allow cats.

I didn't have any problems with them (except one who liked to hide when we were about to leave the motels). I was most worried about them going to the bathroom in the crate, but that was never a problem and only once did one of my cats take advantage of the lunchtime bathroom break.

I will add, though, that it took us 4 days to drive. We traveled with my then 6 week old DS, so we had to stop frequently and only drove for about 8 hours total a day.

I think the picture in my mind of what it would be like was a billion times worse than what it was like in real life. After my experience, I do not believe moving is the most valid excuse for giving your pets away, because it is not that difficult.

Good luck!

 

[eclectics]

I'll be facing the same thing this month when I move. I guess I should thank my lucky stars it's only a 3 hour drive. Still, with three (terrified I'm sure) cats, it's not going to be a picnic. I'm still debating the "kitty trank" route. I heard knocking them out is really not good for them and should be avoided if possible.

 

[Nickimouse]

We just moved from West Virginia to Texas 2 months ago. We drove with, besides our 2 boys, DH and myself, 2 cats a dog ,2 African dwarf frogs and a fish. We were quite the crew!
We didn't drug the cats because I did that once years ago with another cat and it gave her diarrhea. Not pretty all over her cage!
I got them both a harness and leash so I could safely let them out in the grass during stops. Neither cared for the outside though! I put a small disposable aluminum cake pan in their cages with litter a couple of times a day.
We stopped at a pet friendly hotel and they were able to get out and stretch and eat.
We were surprised how smoothly the drive went for everyone! Even the fish and frogs are fine!
Good luck on your move!

 

[PLUTO2]

As I stated this board has the best people!! Thank you for making me feel a little less stressed about the situation. I was also not sure about the meds and was looking at PetSmart at a natural spray you are supposed to spray in the carrier 5 min before the cat.Anyone heard or use something like that?

 

[eclectics]

As I stated this board has the best people!! Thank you for making me feel a little less stressed about the situation. I was also not sure about the meds and was looking at PetSmart at a natural spray you are supposed to spray in the carrier 5 min before the cat.Anyone heard or use something like that?

I never heard of this, but I would be very interested also. Anybody have info?

 

[katerkat]

We've done it too many times... Virginia to Virginia (two hours), Virginia to Mississippi (2 days), Mississippi to Oklahoma (10 hours), and Oklahoma to Washington (5 days). And one plane flight from Washington to New Jersey. And they once went from Mississippi to New Jersey and back.

Anyway... My cats are obsessed with each other, so we bought a medium dog crate, cut a piece of plywood to fit in (with a gap) so they had two "stories." The plywood is padded, of course. Wouldn't want their highnesses to suffer. On the bottom floor we have the litter box and the food and water. They like to see things, so they usually sit on the top floor and watch the cars go by. Neither has ever gotten car sick, and we only tried tranqs once. (Didn't work.) Oh, and I also put a plastic shower curtain around the edges by the litterbox so they wouldn't spray on the car if they get jostled while peeing. Though as I recall, they never used the box in the car - just held it all till the hotel.

We always got fast food and never stopped for long, so they weren't left in the car more than the couple of minutes to go potty or whatever. (Though we haven't driven with the toddler and the cats, which would be harder on breaks.)

The hardest part was getting them in and out of the hotels. The last trip, I was just carrying them in and out, but by the end of the trip, they were fighting me hard. (The crate is too heavy and awkward to lift.) I think next time we drive, we'll bring a same carrying crate to take them to and from the hotel. Finding a cat-friendly hotel is getting easier, though always ask - some charge extra for them, and others require you to stay in a smoking room.

When you get them to their new home, confine them in one room with their box and other familiar stuff (bedding, toys, toddlers... ) for a couple of hours until them get used to the smells of the new house. Obviously, keep them locked up when you're actually moving in furniture and boxes, so they don't decide to sneak out and look for their old home.

Good luck! It's really not that bad. Just give them lots of love and reassurance.

 

[PlutoPony]

Get a complete print-out of their medical history from the vet and take it with you just in case....

 

[Virgo10]

When we moved to Florida, my son and step son drove our 16 cats down here from Massachusetts. They (the cats, that is ) ate and drank little and only a couple of them used the litter box during the 28 hour trip. They were housed in cages that would be comfortable for a medium size dog. We paired up 14 of them but two don't really get along with the others very well so they had their own cage. I wish I had taken a photo of the van with all the cages in it. It was a work of art.

I had all of them to the Vet just before we left so that their paper work would be up to date. All the documentation from the Vet went into a folder that the kids took with them just in case they were stopped for any reason.

All the cats did quite well and, after 5 days or so, they were happily exploring their new home. The kids, on the other hand, have never been the same.

 

[rcraw45425]

I too had a bad experience tranq-ing my cat. I had a Himilayan and found when we went to have her spayed that the flat faced cats don't do well with the IM (intra-muscular) anaestesia. Had to use gas. One time the vet gave her a IM shot to examine her foot, it was like the poor thing was on LSD for almost 24 hours. I'd advise if you plan on using that natural stuff you try it out ahead of time, at home ,so you can take your baby to the vet if she has a reaction. We travelled with Lacey extensively throughout the first 5 years of her life. SHe made every trip back home to visit her "grandparents", riding either in her crate on the seat, or in my lap. No carsickness, thankfully. She stayed in hotels from NW Florida to Birmingham AL, we just travelled with a litter box. None of the trips was over 5 hours, however. The only reason she stopped travelling was we finally settled back in our home town and there was no need to take her every trip. I also endorse harness and leashes for cats, we used the figure 8 type harness on her. As for acclimating her to a new home, I'd say start her out in 1 room with familiar stuff for at least 48 hours, then slowly let her into more rooms until she gets run of the house. We made the mistake of letting Lacey out into the entire house when we moved once and she hid for 2 days, convincing me she had escaped. Not fun, too much trauma/drama!

 

[LucyStorm]

Made this same move (Ohio to Florida) 18 months ago. I assume you will be taking 75 down? Same as everyone else, small litter box in the crate, both cats held it until the hotel. Didn't feed them a whole lot, just small meals so they didn't get sick. No tranquilizers. They settled in after an hour or so of meowing. I also bought one of those water bottles that attaches to the outside of the crate.

There are several RedRoof Inns on 75 that are pet friendly and nice. I know we stayed at one in Georgia on the first trip with two dogs, and then at one in Tennessee on the second trip with the cats and the other dog. I moved here 6 weeks before DH and couldn't stand to leave all of my babies behind......

 

[Cool-Beans]

I moved a cat once (across town). Just tossed it in the car, thinking all would be well. It went UNDER the seats and peed.

So, I recommend not using the "We'll just put her in the backseat" approach.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We moved from Alberta, Canada to Indiana with our kitty and used kitty downers to keep her calm on the plane.

Our vet refused to tranquilize our cats. His theory was that if the plane hits turbulence (or in your case, the car brakes hard suddenly), and the cats are tranquilized, they may not be able to steady themselves as well, and may hit the side of the carrier, resulting in more physical damage to them. We flew/drove for a total of 9 hours in our move, and the cats were surprisingly good. We just brought some of their own cat food and kitty litter from our first home in case the new location didn't sell that brand. They have enough to get used to the first few days!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

As I stated this board has the best people!! Thank you for making me feel a little less stressed about the situation. I was also not sure about the meds and was looking at PetSmart at a natural spray you are supposed to spray in the carrier 5 min before the cat.Anyone heard or use something like that?

I think you are talking about the Feliway feline pheremone (sp?) spray - I've had mixed results with it. The idea is that it mimics the scent of a happy cat's pherimones (I can't figure out the spelling on that word - sorry!). If you spray this in the car, carrier, room, etc. where the cat will be going, the cat will smell the "happy smells" and calm down. That's the idea, anyway.

Our vet recommended it to us when we were introducing my cat (Simon) to DH's cats (Beatrice and Rosalind) after we were married. I do think it worked somewhat, but not as much as I'd hoped it would. It never worked on any of our cats for car trips, but did seem to help with lifting tension with the introductions. We could tell when we hadn't used it in a while, and it did seem to settle everyone down when they were especially upset about the merging of the kitty households.

The best advice I can give with moving a cat is to make sure you gradually introduce your kitty to the new house. Make sure you have some familiar items for your cat, and keep him/her locked in one room for a few days with those things, and then try to gradually increase his/her roaming range. And make sure s/he has a "safe" place to go and hide when it's too crazy. I second the advice to have copies of your cat's medical history from your vet with you during the journey. Oh, and make sure the cat is safely and securely locked up while the movers are there - I can't tell you how many times I've heard about cats escaping during the move because some well-intentioned mover opened the door to the cat's room and the poor scared kitty bolted. Keep the cat in a carrier, in one room with the door closed. It sounds terrible, but it's safer than the cat escaping and getting lost in a new city, and it will only be for a few hours.

 

[rcraw45425]

I moved a cat once (across town). Just tossed it in the car, thinking all would be well. It went UNDER the seats and peed.

So, I recommend not using the "We'll just put her in the backseat" approach.

I had a well meaning friend in high school bring me a kitten, (to school, no less ). I was left to get this wild, hissing creature to my house, alone. I subscribed to the turn it loose in the car school at that time, big mistake. The critter went up under my dash, howled and scratched at my legs the whole way to my house. Then, Mom told me NO, so I had to get this little demon back to my friends house. Longest 8 blocks of my life! Needless to say, I'm a firm believer in crates now.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have had two moves in for years. The first was from Virginia to Florida, and the second was from an apartment to a house.

First one the movers came to pack on Wednesday, and we took the cat to the vet for boarding. The loaded the truck on Thursday, and we closed on the house sale Friday morning.

We then picked up that cat, and the vet had already given her a tranquilizer. That night when we stopped we took her inside the motel with us. We had a temporary litter box and food and water dishes.

(Note - we use clumping letter and we brought along the dry litter that had been in her box, so she was familiar with the odor.)

Saturday morning we gave her another tranquilizer and drove the rest of the way to Orlando. We stayed in a Residence Inn and so we set up her temporary litter box and food and water again. We were there for a few days until our HHG arrived and were unloaded. We made sure that any time we were both out of the room that she was in her carrier.

We had a box marked "CAT" which had in it the regular litter box, the litter container and the large dry food ffeder and water tank, as well as all the cat food. We made sure that was the first box opened after the move.

For the move from the apartment to the house it sort of went the same way. On Monday I took the cat to the vet for boarding. The movers came and packed. On Tuesday the loaded the truck at the apartment. On Wednesday they unloaded the truck at thehouse. On Thursday I checked out of the hotel, went to the veet to pick up the cat, had took her to her new home which was only a 45 minute drive, so no tranquilizers.

 

[hopemax]

In November 2005, I helped move my parents 12 year old cat from Washington state to Orlando. It was 5 full days in the car. Prior to the move, my Dad would take her for trips in the car. He'd drive around town, and then to a park and stay in the car with her for awhile. I think she was pretty scared by the time we got to the move (all her hiding spots taken away, and all the stuff leaving). My Dad and I were in a van, that was jam packed with stuff. Her cat carrier we set in the seat behind the driver, and we would open it when all the doors were closed, so the passenger could turn around and look, talk, pet and comfort her. The space around the seat was filled with the bedding we had been using so she had a sort of platform that she could leave her carrier if she wanted and walk up to the passenger seat.

The first day, she barely moved. We talked to her and she would meow everytime you said her name or touched her, like she was saying she appreciated you were there. When we got to the hotel, we set up the litter box, and then when we took her out of her carrier, one of us would hold her, and walk around the room, so she could see where she was and that nothing evil would jump out and attack her (this really seemed to help her become comfortable each day). Then we would put her in her litter box. And then I would set up her food and water. She would use the box almost immediately, which was a great relief to me.

The first couple of days, I tried to give her food and water during the ride, and the litter box during our lunch break, but she wasn't interested. She would eat her canned food while we stopped for lunch, and a little water, but that was about it. The morning of the second day, she got herself under the tv cabinet, and it took a little work to get her out, so then we started checking and blocking holes before we would let her out. I think it was the third day, she started fighting back being put in the carrier in the morning. She knew where the lock on the cage was, and tried her darndest to get it to open.

Each day she was in the car, she became more comfortable. Like I said, the first day she barely moved. The second day she stayed in her carrier, but she would turn herself around and look out the holes. The third and fourth day, she would sometimes be real brave and walk out to the passenger's lap for a few minutes. The last day she was bored, I think, and sprawled herself out to cover every inch of the floor of the carrier, and then decided to take a field trip of the back of the van. She also went from responding to your every touch and sound, to the "oh, you're still here, leave me alone" that was more her everyday personality.