Moving house is a stressful experience for humans, there are lots of things to organise and many potential areas for problems, but it is also extremely stressful for cats, whose whole lives are being turned upside down, and you can’t even explain the reason why to them! Whilst it will be a stressful experience, there are a number of things you can do to help reduce the stress for your cat, and make it an easier process for them as you finally settle into your new home.
Why is it important to minimise stress when moving house with my cat?
Stress can make cats prone to illness, and large changes to their life will exacerbate this, so making sure that you minimise stress at every possible stage of a move can help reduce the overall impact on your cat, and reduce the possible knock on effects it may have on them. Once you move house, some of these measures may also help reduce cat behaviours that will cause stress for you as well, including inappropriate urination around the house, vocalisations, and your cat going missing once let out at your new house.
How can I reduce stress for my cat during the move?
There are a whole host of measures that you can take to help your cat be less stressed during the moving process, and whilst not all measures will suit your cat, you can use this list to tailor a plan for your cat specifically.
Check their microchip
Throughout the whole moving process there are many opportunities where your cat might get out, particularly in environments they are not used to. In order to provide some peace of mind, make sure that their microchip number is up to date, and that all of your current details (including your new address) are on there, so that your cat can be traced back to you in the event that they manage to escape or go missing.
Consider using a cattery
The actual practicalities of moving can be difficult to organise, and if you are concerned about your cat not being in the right place at the right time, either so you can move them between houses or so that you can make sure that they haven’t escaped at the new house, considering putting them in a cattery for a few days whilst you actually make the move might be a good idea. This will alleviate the stress of trying to keep your cat in one place whilst moving, and will also prevent them from being exposed to the stress of having their normal home environment turned upside down. Some cats do not get on well at the cattery, so this may not be a good option for all of them, however it may be useful for minimising stress for some cats.
Give them a room
If taking your cat to a cattery for the process of the move is not an option, then confining your cat to one room in both your current house and the new house will prevent them from going missing, and means they will not interfere with the moving process. To do this, provide them with their usual necessities, including a bed, litter tray, some enrichment (cat tree, scratching pole, toys), and a meal in the morning, and shut them in for the day so that you can move the rest of the house. You can also repeat this at the new house when you are unpacking and settling in. This can be especially useful to prevent your cat from being overwhelmed, as some cats may need a staged introduction to the new house, with a single room or couple of rooms being introduced at a time.
Prepare for travel sickness
If your cat is prone to struggling with travel sickness, then preparing with this in mind can help prevent this from stressing your cat. One of the ways you can do this is by not feeding your cat for 3-4 hours before you travel, as this will hopefully mean their stomach is empty and they won’t have anything to bring up, and getting them used to their carrier beforehand will help reduce stress whilst travelling. If your cat is a particularly bad traveller and you are travelling a long distance then you can ask your veterinarian for medications to help reduce feelings of nausea, and if your cat becomes particularly stressed then mild sedatives may also be helpful.
How can I reduce my cat’s stress when settling into our new home?
Make them feel at home
When you are settling your cat into your new house, it is important to bring things that will make them feel at home, including their old beds, litter trays, toys, hides, and cat trees. By bringing things they are used to, with their normal smells on them, your cat will feel more at home and secure in their new environment.
Set the mood
One of the ways you can use to help reduce stress for your cats as you move into your new home is by using their nose – herbal sprays and pheromone diffusers are excellent at providing a sense of comfort for your cat in their new environment. The herbal sprays are calming, and cats often enjoy the smell of these, with one of the most popular examples being PetRemedy. The pheromone diffusers and sprays mimic the pheromones released from the mother cat that calms her kittens, and is very similar to the pheromone your cat leaves in their favourite places when they rub their cheeks on things. These pheromones send messages to your cat that the environment is safe and one they should feel comfortable in, allowing them to be more relaxed as they settle into their new home.
Provide lots of toilet opportunities
One of the main behaviours related to stress in cats, other than hiding, is urinating inappropriately – this can include urinating in areas of the house they wouldn’t normally, or onto furniture. To help prevent this you should provide your cat as many opportunities to toilet normally in their litter tray, for example by providing multiple litter trays around the house in different areas. If there is an area your cat keeps urinating outside of a litter tray, then move one to that area to help prevent this. In addition to providing lots of opportunities, ensuring that the cat litter is nice and clean will also encourage your cat to use these.
Keep them indoors
Just like when you first got your cat, keeping them in for a period of 3-4 weeks as they get used to where they need to call home is important. If your cat is an outdoor cat then this can be stressful initially, however it is very important to help your cat learn that your new house is where they need to stay and that they should not try and make their way back to your old house. Once you have slowly introduced them to the whole house, providing lots of stimulation through play can help them exhibit their normal behaviours and reduce the stress of not being allowed outdoors. When it does come to the time to let them outdoors, there are a few things you can do to make sure they come back home. Firstly, letting them out soon before their next meal, so they are hungry and more likely to come back, and for their first few trips outdoors, supervising them in the garden and encouraging them in after a short time exploring can prevent them from straying too far.
Stick to your normal routine
Keeping as closely as possible to your normal routine will help your cat feel more at home, as everything that is out of the ordinary has the potential to cause more stress. In addition to your own routines, it is also helpful to keep your cat’s own routine as close to normal as possible, including feeding times, times for exercise (initially playing inside, but moving onto outdoor exercise).
If you follow these steps then hopefully the move will be less stressful for both you, and your cat! It’s already a stressful process, so every thing you can do to reduce that will make a big improvement, and a bit of extra planning can go a long way. If you are unsure about any of these things, or are looking for a bit more information then speaking to your local veterinarian is a great starting point.