Moving with cats?

[Malee]

Okay, cat. I've been in my new apartment now for a few weeks so thankfully everything is finally put away. Felt it was time to bring my kitty over to be with me. She has never been in a house other than the one she grew up in.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions to make the transition easier for her? I've taken Friday off work (oh the sacrifices for the kitty) so she doesn't have to be home alone for her first full day. Probably bring some of her toys and food dish.

Any ideas would be great. Thanks!  

[Anlina]

I just moved with my two cats.

I brought them over after most of the furniture was moved over and brought over all their stuff (food dishes, eating mat, toys, bedding, scratching post, carrier etc) with them. I scooped the litterboxes but didn't change them so the smell would be familiar. When I brought them over I put both cats in the living room on the familiar furniture and then kept an eye on them while they explored.

They both adjust pretty well to change. If they were more skittish, I'd probably have confined them to a single room and let them get used to that environment before letting them loose in the whole house.  

[Malee]

I didn't think about just scooping the litterbox and then leaving the litter in, that is a good idea. The only familiar furniture is my bed, so might start her there.

I dunno how she will do though, she is a rather bi-polar cat. Thank you for the suggestions.  

[Miss-Shade]

If you're afraid she's not going to handle it smoothly, try Richard's Organic Pet Calm herbal stuff to help her calm down. I used it on my cats when we moved and it really helped. (we also had a 12 hrs drive, so we needed something like that)

Also, having a place to hide is important. And just let her explore and doing things on her own.

Good luck!  

[milkbun]

I moved a few months ago, and my cat is very skittish and hates changes. It still went well in the end.

I put her first in the bedroom since it was more enclosed there. The bed was there for her to hide under, and there was a big window to entice her (she likes looking outside). I put the litter box right outside the bedroom door (in the bathroom) and I put a food and water dish in the room. She spent like 23 hours a day for the first few days up in our closet XD. She eventually came out and explored more and more so I set up a second litter box and food/water in the kitchen (where I wanted them to be). I kept all the stuff in both spots for about a month just to make sure she knows where everything is. It's a big house, so that might not be a problem for you.