Moving apartments with a cat.

[Thom]

My roommate and I have a 100% indoor cat. She is a year old. We are going to move to a new apartment soon and want to know what is the best way to handle her during the move. I think we should just put her into a cats-only kennel for a couple of days. (She's been to this kennel before during vacations.) My roommate feels that we can just put her into a room and close the door. I think this may be too stressful for her being closed in a room and hearing all of the comotion outside. Could someone please help us find the best, most non-stressful solution? Any reply would be much appreciated.

[jason]

hmm, my initial thought is the one room only for a couple days in the new apartment. be sure to keep lots of things in there that has her scent (toys or rugs/blankets that she likes). not really sure though , hope someone else with more exp. can chime in.

the kennel sounds really bad to me, just more change.

[Mona]

My thoughts are:

If kitty would be upset by being in a room and maybe even escape, do put her in the cat only boarding. Does she do well there?

If not , then do not put her there, keep her isolated from the noise and confusion and let her gradually get used to her surroundings. Maybe bring her out for awhile in the evenings to let her get her bearings??!

Mona, Honeybun and Chloe

[Katie F.]

I moved a few months ago and put my cats in the bathroom of the old apartment (with a big sign, do not open door - cats inside - in case you have movers/people helping you). I played music (to block out the noise) and put their favorite toys, pillows and blankets in there so they would be comfortable. And visited every once in a while to calm them. Once everything was in my new house, I again placed them in the bathroom for a few hours, then gradually let them explore, room by room, so they weren't too overwhelmed.

I have heard other people use Flower Essences as a calming tool but have never tried it. Good luck with the move.

[2_sox_squared]

i moved my indoor cat from a dorm room to an apartment last may. we left him in his old house for as long as possible while we were moving, then just brought him to the apartment and set him down. he is not a very high strung cat and he was just fine comming to this new place. i think that he was much less stessed out than he would have been in a kennel. i think that you should leave him in his old home for as long as you can and then bring them to their new place and maybe keep them in one room for a while. but in my experience, my kitty was totally fine, he loved the opportunity to explore a new place!