It’s not great to see your cats upset during a big transition.
Even moving furniture around might get your cat a little testy. But moving houses can really test the patience of both you and your cats!
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to make this process a lot easier for both you and your kitty companions.
From stress therapy to a little extra training, there are plenty of tools you can use to make moving with a cat a lot easier.
So keep reading to learn more. We’ll cover some great tips for moving with a cat to offer peace to both the residents’ human and feline residents.
Familiarize It With Its Carrier
While you prepare the transition from home to home, your cat’s going to need to be in its carrier a lot. So if your cat isn’t already used to being in a travel carrier, you’ll want to make sure that you start acclimating it to being in one weeks in advance.
Simply sticking them in the carrier won’t do the trick. At least, it won’t make the process as seamless as possible. You want to ensure that your cat is happy to be in its carrier, which will make the move into a new home more pleasant for both you and your feline.
Deck out the carrier with its favorite toys, treats, and comfortable bedding. You could even put its food bowl inside it and get them used to doing part of its everyday routine in there.
Keep the carrier door open so that it can wander in and out. This way, it won’t associate the carrier with restriction and will be happy to saunter in when you need it to.
Pheromone Therapy
One of the key tips for moving into a new home with a cat is using pheromone therapy, especially if your pet is particularly stress-prone. Pets are already not too flexible with change, and you won’t be able to communicate why the change is necessary for them. So you’ll want to make sure that your cat experiences the least amount of stress possible while moving.
By using a pheromone spray, diffuser, or wipe, you can make the busy process of moving much more pleasant for your cat. Use it during any time when your cat might be stressed out. This means using it while you’re packing, driving, and even while settling into the new home.
Let Them Play With Empty Boxes
Moving with cats can get a lot easier if it loves playing with empty boxes. Most cats already do, but you’ll want to intentionally use this advantage. So while you’re packing, set aside a few unused boxes.
You could even keep it busier by hiding its favorite toys and treats in various boxes. It’ll have a lot of fun figuring out where its next prize is on its local adventure!
On top of using pheromone therapy, you could also a catnip spray to maximize its excitement for this process. There are even sprays formulated with both catnip and pheromones to help them experience the ultimate amount of fun while you’re busy packing up.
Designate a Safe Room
As you probably already know, cats can be stealthy when it comes to an escape plan. So one of the packing tips that you should definitely consider is setting aside a safe room in your current home. Otherwise, it can easily slink between your legs and escape during the many times you open your doors to load up boxes into your truck.
By all means, let it hang out with you while you’re packing boxes. But when it comes to loading up, quarantine your cat into a different room so that it can’t make its escape. You don’t want to find your cat in your rental roll off dumpster or a nearby bush.
Ideally, this room is your own bedroom. This can make your cat feel most comfortable since your scent lingers the strongest here. But if not, then your bathroom should do the trick, too.
Here, you’ll want to set out its food and water. You could even set out its carrier that it is now acclimated to so that it has an even more concentrated safe space. Use any and all of the de-stressing methods mentioned above to make this room feel as safe as possible for your cat.
Update Cats’ ID
Update and implement anything that will help you find your cat should it ever go missing. So if your cat isn’t microchipped yet, get it microchipped. If it doesn’t have an ID tag on its collar, get it one.
If it does, make sure it’s updated. Make a tag and keep it ready until you spend your first night in your new home. That way, you leave no room for any sort of additional mayhem should you ever need to get your cat home.
Top Tips for Moving With a Cat
When your human needs necessitate a move, you shouldn’t discount your cat. If you’ve stumbled across this page, then you definitely know that much! By using these tips for moving with a cat, both you and your cat will experience ease of mind and a pleasant moving process.
This guide should have explained some great tips for moving with a cat. If it did, then check out the rest of our blog! We’ve got plenty of other great information for caring cat parents such as you.
