We never moved in the entire 17 years we had Kuhio, but we did paint and varnish from time-to-time. Kuhio hated it! She'd act crazy and mean and even bit a visitor and drew blood. Not her normal behavior at all. So, I'd suggest that you air out the house as much as possible (making sure the cats don't get out, of course) and try to keep the fumes at a minimum. Maybe the paint fumes have something to do with their behavior. Cat's have a much stronger sense of smell than we do.