Moving houses, advice needed

[roadpupp]

Hello all. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Here is my tale (tail?). I have a 5 year old neutered male named Buster. He is a great cat with a very sweet disposition. He mostly hides when company comes over but does eventually warm up to strangers.

He sleeps with us but walks on us too much and gets hair everywhere! Recently he puked in our bed in the middle of the night and we have just about had enough of him in our bed. (He pukes about once a month, has done so as long as I can remember but never in the bed before).

My wife and I are expeciting our first child and think this would be a good time to start Buster sleeping somewhere else.

We lived in NYC for a long time and our apartments were so small we felt bad keeping him out of 1/3 of the square footage of the tiny apartment (our bedroom).

We are now moving to a spacious house with a finished basement.

My question is, when would be the best time to start putting him down the basement at night? We woudl prefer NOT to have to keep our door closed and with midnight feedings, etc, he would definately sneak back in.

I think that he will be traumatized for the first few weeks of moving (last time he hid under the bed for at least a week) so perhaps we should wait until he is adjusted to his surroundings before introducing a new sleeping arrangement for him.

My wife thinks perhaps it would just be easier to put him in the basement on day one after we move so he accepts the new routine as part of the new house.

Thoughts?



Thanks!
Roadpupp

[Traci]

My opinion: don't confine him, anywhere. He should be allowed free roam of the house. Confining only causes stress, confusion, apprehension, withdrawal, and socialization issues. Stress, including the stress of a new baby in the home, is a precursor to many health issues.

Those who are expecting a baby do NOT have to make major changes or disruptions for the cat, they only have to work at keeping both the baby and the cat safe, secure and happy. Your kitty will deserve just as much love, attention, comittment and care from you then as he does now.

If you're concerned about where and when the baby is sleeping, simply keep the door to the baby's room closed. At other times, you simply have to work on slow introductions between the baby and the cat, take measures to ensure the safety of both, via supervision, etc. I would however, recommend a safe haven for the cat to retreat to when the baby is crying, fussy, learning to crawl, etc. etc.

[Cindy]

I would let him explore the house as much as he wants. Decide where you want him to sleep (hopefully not the basement, poor kitty!). Wherever you decide, put some of your unwashed bedding there, so it still has your scents on it. In a much bigger house he may decide he doesn't want to sleep with you anymore either! Also, in a bigger home you will want to get a second litterbox.

As for the hair everywhere, daily brushing and good quality food should put an end to that.

[roadpupp]

Traci-

I would not confine my Buster, if he would let us sleep. He is very active and jumps on us and walks on us through the night. We love him dearly, but feel that we need to be able to sleep when we are given the opportunity. We have tried saying no and pushing him off the bed, but our heart hasn't been in it. We love him!

Still, I think we are going to have to find a solution that keeps him out of our room at night. We aren't worried about him and the new baby.

Thanks for any and all replies.

[Cindy]

I just re-read that your basement is finished? He just may like it down there, you never know! But let it be HIS choice, or you may stress him out and he may start marking or something.

If he does like it down there, you can't keep the door open when baby starts crawling, so maybe a cat door is in your future.

[Traci]

And by that, NOT an outside petdoor!

I guess I would just be concerned about the basement, or any other room, being used in lieu of training to keep him out of your room at night. Why don't you just close the door, or, more appropriately, spend quality time with him and encourage playtime/activity with him before you retire at night, he would be more likely to rest during the night. Try keeping a nightlight on in another room for him, keep a small amount of food in his dish at night, etc. If you don't want to close the door, then provide something for him in your bedroom, like a cat post, a bed for him, a special area in the room where he feels comfortable and welcome. All cats enjoy being near their kitty parents, including during sleeping. Chances are, when the baby comes, he will retreat elsewhere for calm and quiet times, but do be sure to give him lots of love and attention at those times so he isn't stressed, feeling alone or neglected.

[slvrwhispr]

This is my cat and my experience; I can't say it'll work for all cats. But I just moved from a tiny apartment to a decent sized house. Izzy went from bugging me all night to having way too much else to do to be bothered with bothering me! I don't know where she goes at night now or what she does, but with more room to play, she's found something better to do.

I do keep my bedroom door closed at night. She meows outside it once in a while, but she eventually finds some other activity that keeps her busy and she forgets that she wants in. Maybe the same will happen for you.

[Cindy]

And by that, NOT an outside petdoor!

right, I meant in the basement door, so the baby won't fall down the stairs when she starts crawling.

I've seen some pretty nice finished basements, the cat may just prefer it down there, it's just best if it's HIS idea and not forced exile

[lmd]

Maybe you culd set up a screen (door) type arrangement where the cat can see, but not enter or climb in.

[roadpupp]

To all-

Thanks for your tips. To clarify. The basement is finished with sheetrock, carpet and a fireplace! Buster would be very comfy down there. He has a bed and a kitty tree in our bedroom, but prefers to sleep and walk on top of us. He will not stay out of our room just because we would like him to. I refuse to shut myself into my bedroom so that he can have the run of the house at night.

I believe that 8 hours a night in a 500 square foot finished basement would not be so horrible, he can have the run of the house when we are awake or at work.

We spend lots of quality time with him every night, cuddling on the couch and wrestling on the floor. That won't change and I know from experience won't keep him from wanting to sleep with us.

I do hope that the new house will encourage him to sleep elsewhere. That would be the easiest solution.

I just wonder if it would make more sense to let him sleep with us for the first few weeks, or try to slowly get him to start spending the night down there.