Questions
- How to Help a Cat Move to a New Home
- How Long to Keep Cats in After Moving Home
- How do Cats Find Their Way Home When You Move?
Moving house can be one of the most stressful times in anyone’s life when you consider everything that you have to plan and prepare. But wondering how to move a cat to a new home can be another stress-inducing task. But as with most things, good planning can make what can be an anxious time, run a lot smoother. If you already have an idea of what the first few weeks and months will look like for your beloved feline friend in their new home, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task.
There are some things you can do to help prepare for the move before you even leave your old home, along with making sure they have everything they need in the new house to make sure they feel comfortable and secure.
How to Help a Cat Move to a New Home
There are many things to consider before you even step foot inside your new home with your furry friend.
Whether you’re only moving down the road or several hours away, your kitty will need to travel safely. So many cats hate the pet carrier - especially when it only comes out for those dreaded vet visits. You don’t want your moggy running and hiding at the sight of it, or the entire journey can be stressful for them - even if it’s a short one.
For a few weeks before you go anywhere, bring out their carrier and put a nice comfortable blanket in it to try and entice them in. If your carrier splits in half and you can take the lid off, you can start with it like that, so they only have the base to lie in before adding the lid when they’re happy.
Putting treats in can entice them to spend some time in there, so ideally by the time you have to secure them in there, it will be a happy, comfortable place. Some cats prefer to see out of the carrier while they travel, while others will be calmer if you cover it so they can’t see out. If you have time before you move, take them on short trips in it just to get used to it, especially if the journey to your new home is a long one.
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When you get to your new home, it can be tempting to treat your pets to all new beds and blankets, but bringing familiar smells with you will really help them feel safe in a new environment. The more of their own smell that is already in the new home, the more at home they will feel.Additionally, you should keep their routine as similar as possible to their old one. A new home is a big change, so even things like their diet, when you feed them and the cat litter you use should all remain the same.
If you think your kitty is feeling a little stressed from the move, there are products that can help ease their anxiety. Stress relieving plugins like the Feliway Pheremone Diffuser help by filling your new home with appeasing, stress-reducing pheromones that will stop your cat from getting too anxious as they settle in. You can also get sprays like the Pet Remedy Calming Spray that contains essential oils to help calm them.
How Long to Keep Cats in After Moving Home
Cats need time to settle into their new home and associate it with a safe place to return to when they do start going outside. This means they need time to really establish their scent around the entire house, which can take up to three weeks.
Three weeks should be the minimum timeframe for keeping them indoors, but every feline is an individual. If you have a mischievous moggy that is prone to staying out for long hours and wandering far, you might be looking at a month or more to make sure they are really settled before letting them out.
If you’re concerned about their lack of exercise while indoors, you can get them lots of toys to keep them active or even teach them how to wear a harness so you can take them on walks with you around their new local area and start getting them used to it.
How do Cats Find Their Way Home When You Move?
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When you’re ready to start letting your feline friend out on their own, the time indoors should have been plenty of time for them to be able to find their way back home. Cats have an amazing sense of smell and will find their way home using it.You can make it a little easier when they start to venture out and explore by leaving windows open to allow their scent from inside the house to carry further than it would if everything is closed. Initially, they may not wander far and should only be allowed out for short periods. Calling them back in to a tasty treat after fifteen minutes to half an hour should be ample time for them to start to learn the lay of the land.
When they start exploring further, you can let them out just before they usually eat their dinner, which means they will get hungry and come home sooner. Once you gradually build up the time they are allowed out, they can eventually have their cat door unlocked so they can pick and choose when they go on their own adventures.
While you’re going through the process of allowing them out, be sure to have their microchip up to date with your new address so they are able to be traced back to you if they do get lost.
If you gradually let them out and they have enough time to settle in, they should see their new home as a comfortable and secure place to return to. If you’re planning on moving home in the near future, make sure you have everything you need from our range of cat products to make the move as seamless as you possibly can.