Moving Home with Your Cat

Moving home can be stressful for your pets! So, to make the transition as calm as possible I’ve asked Olivia Parker from Atlanta Peach Mover to give us their tips on moving home with your cat…

MOVING HOME WITH YOUR CAT

Moving with Cats: Best Things You Can Do When Moving Your Home with a Cat
Moving to a new home can be stressful for anyone, especially the pets of your family. While you may not think it will affect them that much, your cat isn’t immune to the routine changes and overall upheaval that moving to a new home can do to their life.

For cats, in particular, moving to a new home will bring out new stressors. These stressors can be things such as strange new smells, not being fed on time, not having a familiar and usual playing/sleeping area, and having to reclaim their territory again.

While these may not seem like much to you, for them it’s a big deal. When moving to a new home with cats, it’s important to try to ease their stress as much as possible. Here are a few things you need to consider when moving a home with your feline friend.

Before the Move
Before the big move occurs there’s a few things you’ll need to complete, and these include:

• Make sure your cat’s microchip is fully up to date and is working.
• Add an updated pet tag with the correct phone numbers and new address on it.
• When packing a room, keep your pet in a less chaotic and less stressful room, such as a bedroom, laundry, or bathroom.
• To reduce the stress, try to keep meal times and the rest of your cat’s routine the same and on schedule as much as possible. This includes any cuddles and playtime.
• Consult your vet if you have an elderly pet to see whether their health will be impacted from long travel trips.
• On the morning you’re moving, try to avoid feeding your pet. Some pets will be sick when fed before traveling.

During the Move
During the move there’s a few things to consider to make the transition a good one for your pet. These include:

• Make sure you have a strong and structurally sound carrier with a locking enclosure to place your cat in.
• If your cat is meowing, talk to him to comfort him, and try to avoid opening the carrier, as they’ll be more inclined to dash out and run off.
• On hot days when you’re moving from your house, make sure you don’t leave your pet alone in your vehicle, especially with the windows wound up. Temperatures can get extremely hot and can cause your pet to overheat and die, even on average hot days.
• Unless you’re going to be on the road for more than 12 hours, try to avoid placing water or food in the carrier.
• If you know your travel in between homes is long, you’ll need to have a larger carrier to fit a litter tray. Try to get a carrier which won’t spill during the travel, and one that provides easy changing of the litter tray during the drive.

Carrier Tips for Your Cat
When getting a carrier for your cat, it’s best to get one well in advance and place it in view of your cat so they can get used to it. Over the weeks leading up to the move, place your cat within the carrier for short periods of time, to allow them to get used to it before moving day comes around. If needed, begin to feed your pet closer to the carrier to help them acclimatize to it. Before moving, place a few absorbent towels within the base of the carrier to help reduce any mess during transit.