5 Tips For Helping Your Cat Transition To Your New Home
You’re ready to move into your new home – but is your feline friend as excited as you are? Follow these five tips for helping your cat make a fast, low-stress transition into your new home.
Use a Pet Carrier
Crating your cat during your move is the ideal way to keep them safe. If your kitty is unfamiliar with using a carrier, start introducing it about a month before your move date. Place some food near its carrier along with a favorite toy inside. Make sure to take your cat for a few short rides in the carrier to get used to it.
Create a Safe Room
Keep your cat away from the hustle and bustle of the moving activities as much as possible. Cats will instinctively sense that things are changing. This unusual activity around them might cause stress, and in turn, spraying, vomiting, or escape attempts. A “safe room” for them where you can close the door and shut out the chaotic activity might help them cope better. Before placing your cat in this room, make sure that the room is packed and cleared out to minimize disruption. Place your pet’s carrier with the door open as well as favorite toys, so it has a place to feel safe.
Take It Slow
When you arrive in your new home, you might be tempted to watch let your cat explore immediately, but it’s best to take it slowly. Gradually expose your cat to different areas of the home. Giving them access to one room (with food, water, and a litter box) is a good way to help them start to get used to the area.
Helping your cat understand their surroundings can be an important part of helping them feel comfortable in your new space.
Keep It Familiar
Bringing their familiar litter box, special toys, and old bed is an excellent way to help them recognize that not everything has changed. These items can provide some comfort for your cat. Don’t forget to gather up their old toys as you move out of the house, too – a forgotten catnip mouse or a laser pointer that has long been sitting in a drawer can provide your cat with a fun distraction from the stress of getting used to a new space.
Expect Some Negative Behaviors
Your cat may mark your new home or may engage in some scratching. This is normal, and to be expected. To curb negative behaviors, focus on the positive. Give your cat plenty of attention, and don’t leave anything around that cats are known to mark on (piles of clothes on the floor, heaps of blankets, etc.).
Plenty Of Snuggles
Your cat needs to know that you’re still there for them, providing the love and care that they need. Make sure to attend to them with plenty of playtime, and be extra vigilant in ensuring that their litter box is scooped, that they have plenty of water, and that their food bowl doesn’t run empty. Taking care of these things before becoming an issue can help ease your cat’s stress levels.
Calming Options
If your cat is seriously struggling with adjusting to your new home, talk with your vet about calming options. There are many over the counter sprays that contain scents that can soothe cats. Some are a part of a diffuser that gets plugged into the wall, while others are a spray you can use on your cat’s favorite lounging chair. If over the counter options aren’t cutting it, your vet can prescribe temporary anti-anxiety medications to help your pet through this transition.
Most importantly, simply be there for your pet. Show them that you love them, hug them, and reassure them that you’re still there and everything is going to be ok. While they can’t understand your words, they can appreciate your love, and they need to know that that will never change.
Moving Help
Do you need assistance with a move? Contact us for a free quote. We can help with a stress-free move.
