Moving with animals

[Mr. McD]

We moved to a new house this past week and our cat is totally freaking out. We started keeping him in the house then after a few days we let him out under close supervision. He immediately ran into the garage and has been hiding there for the last 3 days. He only comes out long enough the eat and use the litter pan (as long as we are not around).

Any suggestions appreciated.

[Warpy]

1. Cats are territorial animals and are much more attached to a home

than they are to the people inside it. He doesn't really recognize you now that you're all away from your usual territory. You really do need to get him in to eat and keep him from going back into the garage. He will escape from the garage--guaranteed--and head for your old house, even if it's across the country.

It takes two to three weeks of confinement in a new place to get a cat used to the idea that he's got a whole new territory and that it's not only safe, it's all his. You really do need to keep him indoors and cut him some slack when it comes to exploring and marking his new area. He'll mark it with those scent glands on his face, with luck, and a few scratch marks here and there.

Some cats freak out more than others. Some will seem to take it in stride and others, like your kitty, will be horrified. You'll need to keep him indoors until his behavior matches that in your old house. He'll just have to look out the windows for a while.

[Mr. McD]

2. Thanks for the response

I have always heard you keep them inside for a week, but when I have moved previously we didn't have a cat.

We are okay with most of his behavior except he when urinated on the sofa. He is litter trained though he prefers to go outdoors. He is more of an outside cat. I guess my wife has an excuse for that new sofa she wants now.

He does seem to recognize us though, as long as we pet him he doesn't meow constantly. He is about 5 years old and was a feral kitten born in the the yard of our old home. It is all he has ever known.

[Warpy]

4. That certainly explains why the poor thing is so freaked out

I'd keep him in the house (once you get him into the house) for the full 3 weeks or so, at least until his behavior has gone back to normal.

[Sanity Claws]

3. try confining him to two rooms at first

and then gradually add other rooms to his territory.

Perhaps you can confine him to the master bedroom and bathroom. It's kind of a pain but it may be easier for him to acclimate in those areas. I imagine your scents will be strongest in those rooms. At this point, only your scents are familiar. Everything else is strange and frightening.

[murielm99]

5. When I moved with my cat (many years ago)

I had to move to a temporary place. The poor kitty spent about a week hiding in the closet. When we moved to our new house in the spring, he was not so frightened. We confined him to two rooms, except for feeding time. We allowed him access to the rest of the house gradually. He did not hide, or pee in any unusual places at all. After a couple of months, we were able to let him outside again. He was always the kind of cat who had to get outside and prowl around a bit.

[Mr. McD]

6. He has calmed down quite a bit

I was finally able to coax him out of the garage tonight. He is back in the house and a lot calmer then he was before he hid out in the garage. A little more like his old self.

[spooky3]

7. glad to hear things are better