Moving with older cats

[lisalee]

I will be moving with Sash in a month and I'm very worried how he will adjust. He's 13 1/2 now and we've lived in this apartment for 11 years now and will now be moving to a small house with two floors. Sash is a very easy going boy and not too afraid of much, so I'm hoping for the best that he will be happy there. :)

I would love to hear from anyone that has moved with older cats, especially one's 13 and older and how they adjusted. Any advice, stories would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[LittleOrangeKitten]

Well, I have moved with older kitties before and never had a problem. What I usually do is get everything moved to the new location first, keeping kitty in a closed-off bedroom with food/water/litter pan while all is happening. Then I put kitty in the carrier with something that smells like me (old t-shirt) and off we go to the new home! When you get there, open the carrier and let kitty come out by himself and explore at his leisure. He will look and smell and smell and look. And if Sash is like other kitties he will LOVE the stairs!

Good luck and let us know how the move goes!

Lisa and Naranj and P. K. Knickers :)

[lisalee]

Well, I have moved with older kitties before and never had a problem. What I usually do is get everything moved to the new location first, keeping kitty in a closed-off bedroom with food/water/litter pan while all is happening. Then I put kitty in the carrier with something that smells like me (old t-shirt) and off we go to the new home! When you get there, open the carrier and let kitty come out by himself and explore at his leisure. He will look and smell and smell and look. And if Sash is like other kitties he will LOVE the stairs!

Good luck and let us know how the move goes!

Lisa and Naranj and P. K. Knickers :)

Thank you for the reassurance, I sure hope it goes smoothly! :) I will certainly be taking all the necessary precautions. I'll let you know how it goes.

[G535]

Finnigan was ten when we moved across town to this house and we had no problems at all. For the first few days he just took his time checking everything out, at the end of the week it was "his" house! Just be extra careful about open doors and windows, cats always find them before we do! :)

[lisalee]

Finnigan was ten when we moved across town to this house and we had no problems at all. For the first few days he just took his time checking everything out, at the end of the week it was "his" house! Just be extra careful about open doors and windows, cats always find them before we do! :)

So glad to hear everything went so well with Finnigan. Don't worry, I'll be watching Sash like a "hawk" around everything! :D

[KitCat]

I have had my cat Cocoa Kitty for 8 years, and he was an adult when I got him. I evacuated for a hurricane with Cocoa and it was a 4 hour drive. Then after a few days we went back. Then my house was under construction (for a very long time) because of hurricane damage and so we moved to 2 different places untill it was finished. The apartments were very small compared to my house and packed with furniture so he wasn't very active. Now he is very happy to be back in the house, and he has plenty of space to run around and a nice big screened porch to lounge in. There was more stress for me (about getting the house back together) than you can imagine and Cocoa was very good through it all.

[karlyb]

Bailey was 11 y/o when we moved two years ago and he didn't have any problems adjusting to the new house. The one who gave me problems was Spotnose, then a 3 y/o. He discovered that he could remove the vent covers and get down into the furnace ductwork. What a nitwit! I spent an afternoon screwing down all the vents so he couldn't do that again. Actually, Spotnose is my smartest and most mischievous cat.

Good luck with your move!

[LittleOrangeKitten]

I was taking a look at Sash's website. What a big boy you've got! He looks like such a sweetie kitty! It's hard to believe he has any health problems, he looks so healthy and happy.

He does indeed seem to be a laid-back cat. I don't see where you would have any major problems with the move. He seems like he would just examine everything then tell you "yeah mom, it looks kewl: so where's my food?"

[lisalee]

I was taking a look at Sash's website. What a big boy you've got! He looks like such a sweetie kitty! It's hard to believe he has any health problems, he looks so healthy and happy.

He does indeed seem to be a laid-back cat. I don't see where you would have any major problems with the move. He seems like he would just examine everything then tell you "yeah mom, it looks kewl: so where's my food?"

Thank you, he's a very sweet boy and means the world to me. Your so right, he will certainly be happy if his food is close by and I will make sure it is for "the king." :D

Thanks everyone for sharing your moving stories with me, it helps me feel better.

[Freedom]

If you don't already have it, a collar and ID tag would be a good idea. If the cat is not used to wearing a collar, start now, about a month before the move. And keep it on for 2 or 3 months after the move. Just in case the cat finds an open door or window. If you are not moving too far, and the cat gets out, it may very well head for "home," the old one. So this gives you extra piece of mind. I bought a house and moved 2 miles from an apartment. I had 4 cats at the time, oldest was 8. I took over the food and water dishes, litter box, scratching post, put it in one bedroom which was going to have very little furniture moving into it, ahead of time. Moving day, I took the cats over FIRST, left them in their room with the door closed. The movers arrived at the apartment and could pack without worrying about any escapes. At the house, we set the things for that one bedroom aside (in the living room), set up all the rest of the place, then moved the cats to a different bedroom while the movers set the furniture in that one room. I didn't even bother moving litter box or anything for the 20 minutes. tWhen the movers left, and I opened the 2d bedroom door. The cats scooted back to "their" room, which became their "safe zone" over the next week. I let them explore at their own pace. One was out and about in an hour, the last one didn't leave that first room for two days! It helps that the stuff is all the same, the old smells and so forth. Your cat will enjoy the stairs and all those new places to explore!

[WagarCat]

I think my cat was about 13 when we made the big move to our current house; I agree with all that has been posted:
Get a break-a-way cat collar with a name tag.
Get a chip.
If your old house has carpet and your new does not pick up some carpet samples.
Have some towels or something soft with their smell and something with your smell.
Hope all goes well the cat will love the empty boxes.