how long for cats to 'settle' after a move? (eating, food, blankets)
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I'm trying to figure out logistics for a future move. I will have 5 cats when we move to a different state (12 hour drive). None of them are happy riders, so I've already talked with the vet about how to have them sleep through the trip. Now here's my issue:
They are gong to be pretty unsettled when they wake up in a totally new place - even though all the stuff in there will smell the same. How long, on average, does it take a cat to settle in to a new home? We are planning a winter move, but want to be back for christmas. I'm concerned about uprooting them and then disappearing for 4 days and whether that will stress them too much. in general, the 4 boys are relatively mellow guys, the girl is a skittish, scaredy cat.
My cats hid for a least a week the last time I moved, and we only moved 5 miles. And only one of them is at all skittish. They are generally pretty outgoing, relaxed kitties. I'd guess it took them close to a month to be really at ease. I don't know if that's "normal" or "average" or not. I do know that the former owners had a cat (I petted it when I viewed the house) so its scent may have added to their anxiety.
with 2 of the cats at least, not sedating them would be far worse! they have trouble with teh 20 min car rides to the vet. They hyperventilate and freak themselves out! One time, we tried ACe for the worst one: the vet was amazed at how fast his heart was beating on ace! he'd never seen one like that. we decided that we were not going to do that again. but physically, they will not be able to handle a 11-12 hour car ride, they're likely to give themselves a heart attack. I've been trying one of the pheramone sprays with some luck, but not that would last that long. and for me personally, there is just no way that I can stand to listen to the manic yowls for that long without going insane. so... under their own vet's supervision and prescription.... they get to sleep through the ride.
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Dropping them in a new place and then leaving them alone is also a bad idea.
well, that's my concern. I know it's not good. It wouldn't be an immediate thing, but a week after the move? a few weeks? dunno!
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Cats take several weeks for their bodies to adjust spatially. If they are outdoor cats, do not let them out for at least a month.
Luckily they are all indoor cats - with the occasional exception of Henry who was a streetwalker. Now he only goes out on a harness (and has been chipped), but he wants to go out much more often than he gets to.
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Tinare wrote: My cats hid for a least a week the last time I moved, and we only moved 5 miles. And only one of them is at all skittish. They are generally pretty outgoing, relaxed kitties. I'd guess it took them close to a month to be really at ease. I don't know if that's "normal" or "average" or not. I do know that the former owners had a cat (I petted it when I viewed the house) so its scent may have added to their anxiety.
Oh, and ETA - Good luck with your move!
Thanks! Our new house was empty for a year before we bought it, we've owned it for 1.5 years at this point and have been slowly moving things up. some is new, some still has cat fuzz/dust on it
Acclimating an animal to a house is all about scent/smell. We have been transfered a # of times and I found this works best. (Of course, it does depend on the animal itself, I have one that has no fear of ANYTHING and will be at home in the first 5 minutes of being anywhere). Set up a small room with their things....cat tree, toys that have their scent on it...a few pieces of clothing that belong to you or family with your scents on them. Slowly, as they adjust, open up their living quarters. If you overwhelm them with the big open spaces of a new house, they tend to freak.
We only moved about 15 miles, but our elderly cat adjusted much better than we thought he would. We set up a hiding place in a closet with his blankets, etc., and scattered his toys around in that room before we moved in. When we brought him along, we took him to that room -- also where his food and litter box were -- and let him sniff around. He started exploring the new house within a couple of days, and had a great time doing it; I swear it took several years off him!
I think it all depends on the cats in question and how traumatic the move was for them. I'd go with the tranquilizers on mthe cat I have now; he is absolutely hysterical in a car and might well have a heart attack, as well as making my time miserable. ShelbyGirl1 gave you some great advice in post #5.
thanks. yeah, I'm planning on doing that as much as possible. Ideally there would be no problem if we can find a mover that will work between christmas & new years! but we need to be here (old) for the last christmas and want to be out before new years... and my friends want me to be here for my birthday (2 weeks before christmas) - which makes things very awkward for moving! how to make it least stressful on them, and not just suddenly moving them and then being gone for 4 days (which of course would stress them that early. they're used to it at the moment). hubby can't leave his job until the end of the year. Logistics! what a pain.
I think it all depends on the cats in question and how traumatic the move was for them. I'd go with the tranquilizers on mthe cat I have now; he is absolutely hysterical in a car and might well have a heart attack, as well as making my time miserable. ShelbyGirl1 gave you some great advice in post #5.
My Phaedra does the same thing. She cries and gets frantic. She pants and her little paw pads become red hot. We always fear she'll have a stroke or heart attack on us. We've tried everything but Felaway and none of them worked. Herbal remedies that have no effect on her at all. Putting her in a Kitty playpen helped but don't stop her hysteria completely. It's only when the van is moving. When we stop for some reason she's fine. As soon as the engine starts she again freaks out. And this cat has been camping and traveling with us since she was 6 weeks old. Once she's in the RV she's fine in minutes. This is the one we have for the van.
I know a guy who has 9 cats and moved them in an RV from NH to SC! he says they all love to travel: he lets them roam free in the RV (which I would not do: what if I have to stop quickly?) and they are just fine. they don't get in his way and they don't howl at all. Maybe it's the confinement that makes them nuts? I don't know. but I'm sure that if Canue & Magnus got freaking, it would upset Henry, Sweet William and Hannah - even if they weren't unhappy already. 5 hysterical cats would make me hysterical! And their vet doesn't think it would be healthy for them to go that long being that upset either.
That's a fancy play pen, =^..^=, wish I had room for something like that! but in a Santa Fe, I may not even have room for all 5 (share the joy with DH in his car )
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