Moving to Cornwall (an in-comers view)
Cornblogger - blogging about Cornwall
Moving house with a cat |
| Posted on Jun 24 2008 >> Back |
I don’t know about you but whenever we throw out some cardboard boxes or put our winter clothes into storage, our cats get a little ’skitty’! Cats pick up on the slightest of changes so you can imagine how they might feel when you move house.
Also, your pets are probably the third most important thing to consider when moving house.
- Number one is your immediate family, i.e. the people who are going to move with you - your spouse, children and mother-in-law!
- Number two is yourself. You need to look after yourself in order to avoid ‘over stressing’ and family flare-ups.
- Number three is your moggie, pooch, budgie or goldfish. The list is endless but your pets really do need looking after when you move house.
Here are some useful tips to help make moving house with a cat a little less stressful! If you have any others, please let me know and I’ll add them to the list.
Send your cat to the cattery.
Sometimes it pays to put your cat in a cattery when moving house, simply because it will keep him/her out of all the packing chaos, prevent him/her getting squashed under a removal man’s boot or even packed away in a box!
The cat travel box/cage/container!
Always transport your cat in a safe and sturdy container - with air holes! It’s also a good idea to leave the box open for a few days before the move so your cat can get used to it and get used to going in and out of it too. Moving house with a cat that is used to its box will mean a happier and calmer cat.
Moving with a cat on the big day.
When the big day comes and assuming you haven’t put your cat in a cattery, it’s a good idea to put your cat, it’s travel container, food, water, litter tray and bed in a room that has been cleared of furniture and packing boxes.
Make sure the windows and doors are shut and the door has a don’t disturb sign on it! Try not to feed you cat lots of food before traveling.
The journey
Cats can get very distressed in a car no matter how short the journey. To help, put some of their bedding in their travel container and secure it properly using a seat belt. Alternatively put the travel container in the seat well of your car.
DO NOT box your cat in on all sides, leave it in full sun, shut it in the boot or in the removal lorry! On long journeys, offer water and the chance to use the litter tray.
When you stop, park your car in the shade and leave windows open to avoid overheating which could lead to the death of your cat!
Some vets can prescribe a product to calm your cat. We used one of these when we moved to Cornwall from Sussex and ‘Morky’ was one cool cat - bless him!
Arriving at your (and your cat’s!) new home.
When you arrive at your new home set up a room specifically for your cat. As in your old house, put down water, food, litter tray and some bedding, lock the windows and doors and tell everyone the room is out of bounds.
When the removal men have left, ensure that all the windows and doors are locked before letting you cat out of the ’safe room’.
Your cat will be very wary and curious all at the same time. He/she will also want to explore every nook an cranny.
Make sure that boxes are not stacked precariously and try not to shut him/her in any cupboards or loose him/her under the floor boards.
I once had a cat that found a hole and went off exploring under the floor boards. She came out eventually - when the fancy took her!
Feeling at home
Some cats make themselves at home straight away but others take time. Food and routine will help as will having the litter tray in the same place. Feed small amounts and often. We even walked around our new house in Cornwall with the cat just to help him settle in.
Letting your cat outside for the first time
You should try to keep your cat indoors for a couple of weeks before letting him/her out. This helps them realise that the move is permanent and your new house is their new home too. The last things you want is for your cat to wander off and get lost!
Some people advocate not feeding a cat for 12 hours before letting them out. It probably helps, especially if he/she has got used to coming to the sound of food being dished up. We did this and it seemed to help.
The first time out of the cat flap is always interesting! We opened the cat flap and ‘helped’ Morky through to the outside where another one of us was waiting. That person then encouraged him out, gave him a cuddle before ‘helping’ him back. We did this a few times before letting Morky out to have a sniff around.
I always think it’s a good idea to accompany a cat on its first roam-around and ensure no other cats are in the vicinity.
After a little while try to encourage your cat back indoors. Repeat this a few times until he/she seems happy with their new environment.
If your cat is timid and shy, you may need to go outside with them until they are more confident.
MISC ideas
- Get your cat microchipped if you haven’t already done so.
- Ensure you have some form of identification on your cat such as a name tag with your new home telephone number on it.
- Search out and register with a new local vet. Keep vaccination etc up-to-date.
- Ask your new vet about a local cattery or take a look through the Yellow Pages.
Sadly, after 11 months of living in Cornwall, Morky (top of the page), who was quite old, had something resembling a seizure and died on the way to the vets in Callington.
He was a lovely, gentle family cat. Never scratchy, didn’t fight with other cats and during the five or so years that I knew him never killed a thing due to being almost blind!
Now if you love cats, you’ll know that a home without a cat can somehow seem empty. With that thought we have now adopted two kittens (brothers) from the RSPCA centre in St Columb Major in Cornwall.
They are great fun and a little crazy but our new home in Cornwall seems complete again.
As I mentioned at the beginning, if you have any other useful suggestions I can pass on to cornblogger readers, please get in touch.