I have a similar story to Sia1's. When I was leaving my last residence, I put my two kitties in the upstairs bathroom (far from the noisiest of the action.) I put their carrier, litter box, food, water and toys in there too.

After the movers were done, and it was time to head to the new place, I went in ... and found only one kitty! I could hear the other one mewing, so I knew she was SOMEWHERE. Turns out there was a little hole in the baseboard under the cabinet, leading into a hollw base. Kitty had somehow gotten in, but couldn't seem to get out on her own ... even when offered tuna. We had to remove the baseboard to free her. She was fine!

My move was cross-country (3 days) so I got kitty-valium at the vet. Each morning, I will give one pill to eat cat, then go have breakfast while it took effect. Then I would load them into their carrier, where they would sleep all day. (At night, I would let them out to play in the hotel room. Because they are older and not TOO rambuncious, I managed to sleep through theiur play-time!) They both ate okay (although less than normal) and used the litterbox at night.

Once we got to the new place, they settled right in and had no problems at all. No hiding, no nothing ...

I HIGHLY recommend kitty-valium. Just make sure you understand your vet's dosage and instructions.


Good luck!
Catwoman

FYI - I gave them opportunities to use their litterbox during the days, but they never were interested.