Moving With the Cat

If you are moving with a cat, there are many things you should consider to avoid unnecessary stress for your velvet paw. This is how you make the move and the first days in the new home as cat-friendly as possible.

Most cats hate change. Moving is arguably one of the biggest changes that can happen in a cat’s life and causes stress for many cats.

Preparations For Moving With Cat

It would be ideal if the cat found everything in the new home as it was before: e.g. feeding bowl in the kitchen, toilet in the bathroom, drinking bowl in the hallway, its well-known scratching post, a cat flap out into the garden (will only be opened after three or four weeks ), a secured balcony and so on. If you plan such details before you move, you can make the move and especially the arrival in the new home as stress-free as possible for your cat.

Tip: No matter how tempting it may be to replace your old scratching post with a new one, don’t do it! Especially your cat’s favorite piece, this creates a feeling of familiarity in the new apartment.
The hot phase: moving with a cat
Depending on your cat’s state of mind, it will be disturbed or curious when it’s packed. In both cases, there is a high risk that you will pack the animal with you or that the cat will disappear through the open front door. The best solution is to give the cat into foster care during the “hot phase” of the move.

If this is not possible, set up a “cat room” for the time of the move, in which all the cat’s important objects are: toilet, food and water bowl, sleeping place and toys. In this way you can clear the rest of the apartment and the cat is undisturbed and can rest. This also has the advantage that the cat’s utensils are all put in the car at once and last, so you have everything to hand first!

Checklist For Moving With a Cat

Ask yourself the following questions when choosing your new apartment and before and during the move:

• Is the new apartment cat-proof?
• Does it offer everything that the old apartment had?
• Where are the cat utensils supposed to be there?
• Where does the cat stay while packing and loading into the car?
• Is the transport basket ready?
• Are important items readily available upon arrival, e.g. litter box, bedding, food and water bowls?
• Didn’t forget any cat’s favorite items?
• Do you have a sedative for the cat or emergency drops (Bach flowers) in case of an emergency?
• Do you have the phone numbers of veterinarians in your new place of residence ready in case of an emergency?
• Do you have enough food and bedding for the first few days?
• Who will reliably take care of the cat during the move?

In the New Home

In the new apartment, pack the cat and all accessories back into a separate room until you have unloaded everything. A very anxious cat stays in the protected booth for a while. A curious one can already explore everything when the front door is closed. Then let the cat watch where you put their things.

But there is no freewheel for the time being. Everything in the house has to find its place and the cat has to find its way around, which can take a few weeks before it seems to feel comfortable. Wait at least three weeks before letting your cat outside (at first only briefly and under supervision).

Tip: spare your cat the vapors of paint, glue or other chemical substances. Choose a room for the cat that is fully furnished and comfortable.

What to Do if no Cat Flap is Possible Anymore?

If the cat had a cat flap in the old apartment, but this is not possible in the new one, you have several options.

• If you are at home, you can of course let the cat out at any time and regularly check whether it wants to come in.
• It is not advisable for working people to lock out the cat from morning to night, especially since it first has to find its way around. It is better to let the cat out when you are at home. In any case, late afternoon is the most interesting time of day for cats to go exploring. She should then be brought into the house regularly in the evening.
• Sometimes it is possible to build a small outdoor cat ladder by a window. This requires the permission of the landlord and the possibility of using a cat flap in a suitable window. A glazier can install replacement glass with a cat flap in the original window, so that when you move out of the apartment, only the original glass needs to be replaced. Or you can swap the window for one with a cat flap. With such projects, it is best to ask your landlord before you get in trouble.

Cats get used to the fact that free running is only possible at certain times and that the night is taboo for this. On particularly warm spring and summer nights, the cat may refuse to come in voluntarily. But then the runaway is probably sitting in front of the door again in the morning after an eventful night.

When it is No Longer Possible to Freewheel

Whether it’s because you no longer live on the ground floor or because the street situation in the new apartment is too dangerous: It’s possible that the cat no longer has the opportunity to go outside after moving. The cat will certainly protest if it suddenly can’t go outside. She’ll probably be screaming and fidgeting, maybe even scratching at the front door. It can also happen that it becomes unclean.

Try to make the best of the situation, possibly with a cat-proof balcony. However, clarify with the landlord beforehand whether you are allowed to attach a cat safety device to the balcony. As a rule, you can attach a cat lock if the balcony does not face the decorative side of the house, but rather a backyard. If this is not permitted, you can stretch or place a net or wire mesh insert in front of the balcony door as an alternative, which can be removed at any time. It also gives the animal at least a breath of fresh air.

Inside the apartment, you should offer the former freedman lots of climbing, sleeping and hiding places so that he doesn’t get bored. Other design options that are close to nature and that can replace outdoor access a bit:

• a large bowl of cat grass
• a box of hay or moss
• a real tree trunk
• other natural materials

The most important thing is that you now have a lot of understanding for the cat, play with it a lot and be there for it.

Some cats get used to being on a leash even as they get older. Try to give her a short daily walk on a leash in a protected, dog-free backyard. Maybe she likes it.

Of course, it would be best if you made sure when looking for an apartment that your free-roaming cat could still go outside after the move.

What to Do if the Cat Runs Back to the Old House?

The fear that cats will return to their old home after a move is widespread, but rather unfounded. While such animals are occasionally heard of, they appear to be isolated cases, according to a survey of Beloved Cat readers.

If you’ve developed a close bond with your cat and wait a few weeks before letting them outside for the first time, it’s very unlikely that they’ll run back after a move. If you move into a new apartment more than five kilometers from your first home, you can assume that a cat can no longer orient itself to the sounds of its surroundings. This reduces the risk of the cat running back.

TIP: Leave your new address with the neighbors and ask them to call them if they do see the cat.