Moving House with Your Cat

Cats love sharing your home with you – for them, it’s somewhere familiar and comforting where they can feel safe, secure and relaxed. 

When you’re moving house with your cat, it’s bound to be disrupting, stressful and disorientating, for both of you! However, there are things you can do to help your cat keep calm during and after the move to help them feel comfortable in their new surroundings. 

In the build up to the big move, your home will start to feel unsettled for your feline friend; packing boxes, strangers wandering in and out, new scents and the emptying of once-familiar rooms can all add to their anxiety. If your cat is used to staying with some familiar friends of yours or in a cattery, it may be a good idea to have them stay there for a short break to spare them the stress. If you decide on a cattery, book well in advance and make sure all their vaccinations are up to date. Read our article on cat sitting and catteries for more helpful tips and advice. 

If you’d prefer to keep your cat with you during the move, set aside a quiet room in your old house and leave it untouched until the very last minute. Get them accustomed to that room about a week before you move by placing their bed, litter tray, toys, food and water bowls in there. It will soon feel like their home within a home, and allow them a haven away from the hustle and bustle in the rest of the house! 

Leaving your old home

If you’re using a removal company, let them know in advance that as well as your furniture, you’re also moving a cat to a new house. They’ll need to know which room has been designated for your cat so they don’t disturb them in their quiet den. 

Just before the removal team arrives, give your cat a reassuring cuddle or soothing stroke and place them gently into their travel basket with a supply of fresh water. If you’re concerned that your cat will get stressed it can be a good idea to spray their basket with a calming pheromone (available from your vet or larger pet stores), or cover it with a cloth to keep it dark and calm. It's important to apply the spray about 30 minutes before covering the carrier box with the towel or blanket. You can then leave them in their basket in their “safe” room while you make your final rounds. 

Remember, if your cat wears a collar, you’ll need to swap their identity tag on the day you move for one with your new address and phone number and don’t forget too that you need to supply your new details to their microchip registration company. The last thing you need on moving day is an escaped cat with out of date ID! The last piece of admin to take care of is registering your cat with a new vet, if you’re moving to a new area. 

Arriving at your new home

The secret to moving a cat to a new house is familiarity, so start to make your new surroundings more recognisable for your cat as soon as you can after you arrive. Similarly to how you prepared a “safe haven” in your old house, fill one room in your new home with your cat’s bed, litter tray, toys and a bowl of fresh water. 

When you’re soothing them with strokes, gently rub a soft cloth on their face and neck. This will pick up their natural pheromones, which you can then wipe onto new surfaces in the house at cat height to help your cat feel more secure. You can also add a worn cosy jumper of yours or an old towel to their bedding to surround them with more reassuring scents. 

Now that you’ve done all you can to make your cat as comfortable as possible, you’ll want to give your cat some uninterrupted peace and quiet while they explore their new surroundings. Keep the door to their room shut until the removals team has left and you’ve checked that all doors and windows are firmly closed. Only once you’re fully moved in should you open the door and let them take a look around the rest of the house. Even then, only do one room at a time to allow them time to take it all in. 

Settling in after moving house with your cat

Once you’ve moved home with your cat you need to give them at least a week to get used to their new surroundings before you let them go outdoors. Some cats accept their new home quite quickly while others need time to adapt. It can help if you’re able to spend some time with them at home in the first few days and weeks to help them settle in better. Don’t rush things; let them take as long as they need to get used to the sounds and smells in their new environment. Here are a few steps you can follow: 

1. Choose a room for the cat 

To make sure everything goes well during the moving process, put your cat in a quiet room as soon as you get there. This way, they will be safe from the hustle and bustle, and you’ll be able to unload your things without worrying about them. It might take a while until they get used to the new place so it’s best to start introducing them to the other parts of the house gradually.  

2. Cat-proof the house 

To keep your cat and your belongings safe, you can start by covering or putting away your electric cords, charges, or cables. Close any cabinets and drawers they might have access to and make sure the windows and doors are locked. Lastly, don’t forget to cat-proof your furniture like your couch or chairs as these can be very easily damaged by an overly active cat. 

3. Let them get used to the new home before going outside 

It’s important for your cat to be familiar with the new home before taking them outside as seeing too many new places all at once can be disorientating and frightening. When they are finally ready to go outside, it’s best to use a harness with a lead so that they feel more protected and comfortable.  

4. Give them time to adjust 

Adjusting to a new place won’t happen overnight so be patient and give your cat time to take it all in and make themselves at home.  

5. Keep them relaxed through playing 

To help your cat get more comfortable in the new home, you should interact and play with them as often as possible. This will make them feel more at ease and will help them better adjust to their new surroundings.  

For more advice on settling your cat in, read our article on welcoming your cat home. 

Abnormal cat behaviour to look out for  

When a cat finds themselves in an unfamiliar place, they might at times react negatively until they get used to it. Some of the behaviours you might encounter in your cat can include hissing, biting, aggression, scratching etc. It’s important to give them time and show care and affection to help them become more comfortable in their new home. 

Medication 

Finally, some cats may not adapt even after optimizing the environment to the fullest to avoid issues. In these cases, the use of medication may be necessary. Consult with your vet behaviourist to seek their assistance. Moreover, if your cat has previously experienced issues while traveling by car or during journeys, it might be worthwhile to consider using medication before changing residences and throughout the entire process. 

When moving house with your cat, you should consider the following:

• It’s a good idea to speak to the new owners of your old address and ask them not to feed your cat or allow them back into the house if they do sneak back there! Remember, their collar might still activate their old cat flap so it’s worth replacing their collar with one that only works in your new home. 
• When you introduce your cat to their new garden and outside space, keep the outings short and keep an eye on them. The best way to do this is to let them out just before mealtimes then, once they’ve had a chance to explore for a few minutes, you can make familiar feeding time noises, such as clanging bowls or shaking bags of food, to entice them back inside. Over the course of a week or two, gradually extend the length of their outdoor visits but don’t let them out after dark or completely unsupervised until you’re sure they’re confident in their new surroundings. 
• Finally, take extra precautions if you know that something is coming up that could alarm your cat – like fireworks or a storm. These can be disorientating to any cat, let alone one that’s already nervous, so make sure they have a safe, warm place to hide. Synthetic pheromones and soothing strokes from you should help them to stay calm and stop them panicking and perhaps trying to run back to their old home. 

Before long they’ll discover that their new home is just as welcoming and loving as their old one, and they’ll soon enjoy exploring their new world. All it takes is a little patience and a lot of understanding. 

If you want to learn more about travelling with your cat, look at our article on how to travel with your cat by car or by plane, next.