Moving with cats

[Jenny]

As time gets closer to my family moving (end of May/beginning of June), I am getting more and more nervous about moving with our 3 cats. Even going across town (2 minutes) makes 2 of the 3 (don't know about the 3rd on long trips. on short ones, she seems to do ok) get sick in their carriers. So drugs have been suggested, but other than that... :shrug: Just not sure how best to handle it all. Any suggestions?

Here's my cat Ben. We got him shortly after we got married in August 1996. He was born that same month and we adopted him when he was 4 weeks old. He's a whiner and a bully but we love him. :)

http://www.jennyrarden.us/ben.jpg

[Hol]

Currently, I don't have any cats, but I grew up with many. Your Ben reminds me a lot of my first tom. His name was Tag : he was the sweetest guy.

As for making the move easier for your 3 ,, I would ask your vet - see what he/she suggests. I hope it goes as smoothly as possible for you all.

[Boof]

and both hate car rides. If I had to do any sort of long car ride, I would ask my vet for a kitty sedative. I don't like to drug my pets, but in this case, I think it is the most humane, kind thing to do. There is nothing else you can really do to make them more comfortable, they will just be miserable, sorry to say. Your Ben is a handsome boy.

I'm gonna try to post a pic of my two girl cats. The black one is Layla, the black and white one is Trixa. I'm usually found on the Golden Board, but I'd like to start posting about my cats more.

Let's see if this works!



http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3df33b3127cce93ff81b102ea0000003410
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3df33b3127cce93ff81b883d30000003410

[Jenny]

Here's my girlie girl Fluffy. She was a stray that showed up on our doorstep last year. We brought her in and put our cats in the bedroom and her into a cat carrier to protect her & us from any diseases or what not. Called the pound and they couldn't come til the next day so she stayed overnight with us. They came the next day and got her. No one had picked her up in 3 days and we had all fallen in love with her. (Well, at that time, we thought she was a he. ;) ) So we took her to the vet after adopting her, they went to do surgery to emasculate h(im)er and figured out he was a she. And they didn't realize she was pregnant until they had opened her up to take out her uterus. But they did say the babies would probably not have lived. Still made me very sad, though. :(

She is a doll, though. LOVES to be petted and is just a sweet sweet baby. She is definitely my son's cat. He loved her right from the start and he is the one that named her. :) She has the SOFTEST fur. We thought she might be part persian because of it but now, we don't know. :shrug: Oh well.

http://www.jennyrarden.us/fluffy.jpg

[Boof]

she has the same glossy, black coat as my cat Layla above ('cept Fluffy is longhaired). I love how the hair is so shiny they look like little wet seals. You're story is wonderful. I adopted my two from my local shelter. Layla came from a home when a "cat lady" was put into a nursing home by her family. Her fifteen cats were given up to the shelter. And Trixie comes from a litter of kittens someone abandoned outside our high school. At least whoever left them, left food and water for them. Now they live in the lap of kitty luxury. :p

[Beth]

I agree with Boof about the kitty sedative. But it is all situational. My first cat, Andy, did not mind riding from New York to Maryland, as long as she got fresh water and air at the rest stops. (She did offer to drive once, but that was o-u-t. :) ) But my current fur ball, Sam, needed a tranquilizer just going from one house to another 30 miles away in Maryland. You don't want them getting under the brake pedal, nor barfing all over the back seat. Based on shorter rides you've taken together, you could probably guess what your little fur people will find best for them. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Snickerdoodle]

I agree, your vet would be your best bet. But I do have some ideas. Pehaps the type carrier would help? My thinking is this. People who transport horses drug them and put blinders on to cover their ability to see what's going on. If you don't already have one, consider getting a carrier that has the solid sides and back, with a cage door front. This way, you will be able to cover the front while you carry your pet to the car, then face the cage opening towards something solid, such as a seat or door. Of course, once placed, you'll remove the cover. My thought is this, if your vet gives your pet something to keep it tranquil, and it can only hear sounds with no visual, it should help. It works for horses! Also, once you arrive, confine your pet to a small room with only one entry door with all their creature comforts, especially their bed if they have one. During this time, do not leave food out all the time. Feed your pet twice a day. Leave the food for no more than 1 hour, then pick it up. Be sure to measure the amount of food given vs. eaten. It will be important to know your pet is eating and how much. Also, if they get a little hungry, it helps stimulate them to adjust. Being a little hungry changes their focus and re-establishes their dependancy on you. Also, by wathcing their intake of food, it helps you to know the pet is adjusting. Per my vet, if a moved pet hasn't eaten in a week, they need to see their new vet. Anyways, you will want to leave your pet in that room for a few days trying to visit every hour, or as best you can time permitting. This will allow your pet time to hear the familiar sounds of family and get used to the new noises of the home. Observe how your pet is responding to you. You don't have to rush the process. After a few days, if your pet seems relaxed, then open the door and let your pet decide when it's time to explore. They will instinctively go back to where they were safe as they learn the layout of their new home. Be patient and expect to see them running for cover for a few weeks. Good luck!

[Jenny]

Thanks for the advice! Actually, we have moved with our first two cats MANY times and Fluffy has gone across town to a new house, so... :) We just have always dealt with the mess of them throwing up and going to the bathroom in their carriers.

This time, we'd prefer not to have to deal with it. We have never had a problem with them once we get to the new place. They come right out and start to explore the new place and settle into their routine. We show them where their food, water & litter are and keep an eye on them, but other than that, we've never had a problem. :)

[Snickerdoodle]

You are lucky to have such confident cats...all of my cats have been, should I say it? "scaredy cats". First time I moved my Puff, I thought she ran away. Never did figure out where she was hiding. My Snooter would reside to a dark closet for a week and wouldn't eat a thing. He was normally such a pig, so I knew he was beyond upset. Snickers, who is my new adoptee is going on a month and still takes for cover by running from one piece of furniture to another. It's too funny to watch. But I must say I'm glad I never had the throwing up thing. Did you ever wonder what we would look like if we could throw up, hide in a closet, or make a run for it everytime something upset us? No doubt, it's a honest reaction!

[AlienC]

Well sorta, we're all a bit different. I've had cats that would ride in the car on the seat if I would let them and others that seemed to need to be sedated to just go across the street.
If they can't get calm by being together in a carrier or surrounded by familiar objects, Kitty Tranq's will be the answer.
I have a friend who had to move from SF to LA and she had to sedate her Louis (r.i.p.) for the ride. The mom cat had no problems, just went and hid in the closet for three weeks after she got there was all.......:scratch:

Here's Ginger... who hasn't been in a car since she came home on Thanksgiving.....http://www.talkpets.com/upload/ginger_face_300.jpg

[Jenny]

Woohoo! Got moved! All 3 cats survived although it freaked the heck out of Fluffy.

We dosed em with the tranqs and it took the longest to affect Fluffy (she had the smallest dose, about a quarter of the pill), but the other 2 conked out within about 45 minutes and were out the entire trip. They are all loving the new place. Yay!