4 Tips For An Easy Move With Your Feline Friends
Cats thrive on stability in routine and territory. Changing a cat's home turf often causes strife in the household for weeks after the move. You might even notice a change in your cats' demeanor as you load up the moving boxes with your belongings. Your cats may start to pace, meow loudly or even spray in a desperate attempt to mark their territory. Luckily, you can ease their distress during the moving process by utilizing the four following tips.
1. Confine Your Cats In The Bathroom
To keep your cats from destroying your moving efforts by spraying or clawing boxes, create a sanctuary for them in the bathroom. This is especially important if you're having your moving company help you pack up. The movers may inadvertently startle your cats with their presence, causing the felines to bolt out of the house unexpectedly.
Put the litter boxes, food dishes and bedding in the bathroom immediately prior to pulling out the moving boxes. Although this will make your bathroom feel quite cluttered, it's only temporary until you get settled. Soon after transporting your belongings over to the new home in the moving truck, bring your cats over and confine them to the bathroom there until you're done unpacking.
2. Send Cat Trees and Bedding On The Moving Truck
Each home contains a particular scent that cats easily pick up on. The scent may even contain traces of animal dander belonging to prior resident pets. If your cats' belongings, like the climbing tree and bedding, pick up the scent of the new place, your felines may not want anything to do with them.
As a result, your cat could suffer a bout of insecurity from feeling like those items belong to an unknown cat. Your cats may arch their backs, hiss wildly or even violently lash out at the belongings. You can reduce the chance of this happening by transporting the items over on the moving truck with the rest of your belongings. Ask your local movers to bring the items in last and avoid rubbing them on the carpet upon entering the new place.
3. Maintain A Stable Feeding Routing
Enter the bathroom often to give your cats attention, clean the litter boxes and provide food on a regular schedule. If you normally feed your cats in the morning and at night, continue this routine throughout the moving process. Cats are sensitive to changes in their routine, especially when it comes to food.
If you are not right on time, your cats may yowl and scratch at the bathroom door in an attempt to escape and find their own meal. This is especially true for cats that often go outdoors and snack on rodents in between meals. Provide treats for moving professionals, friends and helpers to feed your cats while entering the bathroom to associate visitors with good vibes.
4. Keep Cats Indoors For As Long As Possible
Once you finish unloading and unpacking all of your belongings, secure all of the windows and doors before letting your cats out of the bathroom. Allow your cats to explore the inside of the home to their hearts' content.
Do not allow them to go outside at this time, however. Your cats pick up on scents of neighborhood animals through drafts coming in around the windows and doors. If cats go outdoors right away, they may rush into a dangerous situation without thinking, as their minds are clouded with all of the new smells. Cats may also lose their bearings and get lost due to a lack of their own scent on and around the new dwelling. To prevent this situation, take your cats out for a walk on their harnesses to allow them to scent-mark the area by rubbing their necks and tails on outdoor structures.
Enlisting Help
Cats are squirrely creatures that move quickly and without warning. As a result, keeping them confined during such a busy period can prove to be quite a challenge. Alert your movers and other helpers to the presence of the cats in the bathroom beforehand. Also, enlist a helper to open and close the door for the movers as they transport heavy items out to the moving truck, instead of propping it open.
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