I am moving to a new apartment next weekend. I have two little kitties, both about 6 months old (brother and sister). They have lived with me in the same apartment since they were 6 weeks old. They have never once had an accident outside of their litter box.
The apartment I am moving into is brand new with brand new carpeting. I'm worried that the move will freak them out and they will have accidents on the new carpets. Is there anything I can do to make the move a smooth one for them? Any advice would be great. I am a first time cat owner so all this is new to me
they may take it with no obvisou signs of strain except r you...but itf they don.t then leave several liter boxes around and gradually decrease the number as they get acclimated....
You also might want to have some enzyme cleaner such as Nature's Miracle on hand to immediately neutralize the odor, so they are not attracted back to the same spot.
The usual moving advice is to keep them in one room for a few days (at least while you are doing major moving and unpacking). That way they get a chance to get used to the new smells and such, and they feel like they have their own room that they can go to when you let them into the rest of the house.
My boys seemed to do great on their move across the country. They rode in the u-haul with us and slept in a different hotel every night. Then they spent a week with my parents, and a week somewhere else, then back to my parents for two weeks. Then finally they came to their new home, which was pretty much unpacked by then.
They all seemed to be doing fine, but then I realized that somebody was peeing and pooping in the spare bedroom closet and not in the litterbox. This was new carpet, too, so I was a bit annoyed! So I closed the door of that room, and then the next morning there was poop and pee in the hallway by the front door. I then got two more litter boxes and put one pretty much in every room as well as in the front hallway. Then I spent a whole day putting each of them into various litterboxes at least once an hour, just to make sure that they were clear on the concept.
Apparently the problem was just that they didn't like the location of the litterboxes. So my suggestion would be to have at least two, in different locations, and let them decide where they want it (see which one they use most). My boys are just funny because they seem to enjoy an audience... At night they use the ones in my bedroom, and during the day when I'm home they use the ones in the living room.
Most likely you will be fine. But if there is a problem, remember that they aren't doing it to be mean or purposefully bad, so you shouldn't punish them.
Also, you might consider having a towel or blanket that they have slept on to put into the new place so at least something smells like them. Good luck with the move!
Since you have not had any litterbox problems up to now, you may not have any problems after the move. My cats go to a catsitter (many times a different cat sitter each time) a couple times a year while I am out of town. I use this technique and I have never heard of any accidents.
Set up the litterbox. Pick up each cat and put him/her down in the box. This way they feel the litter and as they walk out they learn exactly where the box is located. They can't help but remember where the box is because they have already been there. I also do this anytime I move their box in my house.
Don't worry too much. I think that most cats are much more resilient to change they we give them credit for.
But definately keep them confined to a closed room during the move. With movers coming in and out and doors usually propped one, it is be easy for one to sneak out. Or climb into an empty box that gets taken out to the curb as trash. A apartment full of boxes and crumpled packing paper to explore is like an amusement park for kittens!
Better yet, have the furry ones stay with a friend for the day of the move and only bring them to you new apartment once the doors will stay closed for the day.
i think the one-room thing is the best bet. keep them in there for a while and make sure they are using the litter box, then let them out and maybe put 2 litter boxes. unfortunately, when you have pets you have to accept that sooner or later they will have an accident on/throw up a hairball on/scratch up something nice. all you can do is have a good stain-fighter on hand, keep the litter box clean, and try to keep them from gettin bored so they don't have as much incentive to wander thru your collectibles!
