To move or not to move; that is the question for my old cat.

December 30, 2008 12:40 PM

CatFilter: Thinking about taking my 11 year old cat with me to college. Too traumatic of an experience for her?

I have an 11 year old cat who has lived in my parents house all her life. With me off at college and both of my parents gone for most of the day, Cookie is very lonely and depressed. I've been thinking about taking her up to my cat friendly dorm, but I'm not sure how this change of setting will affect my elderly cat. In addition, the dorm will have several other cats, and Cookie has little experience with her own kind.

Thoughts? Does anyone have experience with a similar situation? The move is from Florida to Massachusetts. Input on actually getting her to the dorm would be appreciated as well.

posted by losvedir to pets & animals (22 comments total)

I wouldn't do it. Just the traveling from Florida to Mass. for breaks and so on would be enough for me to say no. I've never had a cat who enjoyed traveling.
posted by FergieBelle at 12:44 PM on December 30, 2008

Has your cat ever been around a lot of (unfamiliar) people? Also, how much is a 'little experience' with other cats? How has she reacted?

I think it would definitely be stressful and probably a bad idea. We had to drive my young cat from Connecticut to Ohio for a move, and that was super stressful for her. I wouldn't want to do that to her several times a year.

Do you have any other family that lives near your parents (maybe with children) that could come play with your cat a few times a week?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:49 PM on December 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

Cat friendly dorm? Holy cow. I wanna go to your school.

Can you keep her away from the other cats?

11 is pretty old for a change, but if you think that she's healthy and happy, bring her down and if it doesn't work out, bring her back.
posted by k8t at 12:55 PM on December 30, 2008

i wouldn't do it. if she's never been around other cats, and she's moving to a totally new environment with lots of people, this could really flip her out. i agree with the poster above who suggested finding someone who could play with the cat at your parents'.
posted by sdn at 1:07 PM on December 30, 2008

I wouldn't do it either. Cats are much more comfortable in familiar surroundings. If you think he's depressed now, wait until you've uprooted him from everything he knows (including your parents) and force him to deal with all these other new cats, as well. You also won't be around much either -- you'll be swamped with school and partying it up in the dorms... not an ideal situation.

If he's lonely, is getting your parents another kitten a possibility?
posted by cgg at 1:15 PM on December 30, 2008

Nthing it being a bad idea. Aside from the stress of traveling to a new place, it can take cats upwards of a couple months to really settle in and get used to a new place. As soon as she's settled, it'll be time to travel back home for a break, and it'll stress her out all over again.
posted by All.star at 1:16 PM on December 30, 2008

Having just traveled cross country with a couple of cats I say no. Not even young cats. But that could just be me.
posted by FlamingBore at 1:17 PM on December 30, 2008

Would she be kept in only your room, or running around the whole building? I'd be scared some drunken jackass would hurt her, or one of the other cats. (unless your dorm is the complete polar opposite of every dorm I lived in, and contains no drunken jackasses...)
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 1:17 PM on December 30, 2008

I'm posting this question for my girlfriend, so I'll provide her answers when I can. In the meantime, I can try to provide a little more background information.

My girlfriend's room is a single, along a long hallway that has about 30 other rooms, two lounges, and a kitchen. Currently about 40 people live on the hall and maybe 5 other cats. In my experience, everyone has been pretty decent with the cats that currently live there.

The school is MIT, so it's not as rambunctious as the video linked to above by plexi, but it's not as studious as you might imagine, either. (Are other colleges really like that or, say, Animal House? I've always assumed those sorts of things are a caricature of college life.)

It's a good point about coming home for breaks and whatnot. How much would it change people's opinions if it was one solid move, and then the cat doesn't leave the dorm? There's almost always someone at the dorm who can look after the cats at any given time, summer included.

Thanks for the responses so far! I'll get back with her answers to specific questions when I can.
posted by losvedir at 1:36 PM on December 30, 2008

I left my cat at home, and getting a kitten seemed to be the magic solution. I always thought he'd hate it, but they're best friends and he's like a brand new cat now.

How much of this question is motivated by your girlfriend missing her cat? If she misses her cat that much (and believe me, I can relate), she can always adopt a kitten for herself in Mass.
posted by messylissa at 1:48 PM on December 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

An 11-year-old cat is a senior feline. Leave her home with a kitten.
posted by Carol Anne at 1:50 PM on December 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

I would not bring kitty to the dorm. The change, after 11 years, from big house to tiny room would be a big one. I really wanted to bring my kitty with me when I moved from home to Philly to live in a tiny one room studio, but it wasn't what was going to be best for her; it just wasn't enough space for her.

Plus, your gf is going to be at class much of the time, so the cat would just be alone in the dorm room instead of the house she's known for years.

If possible, see if the parents would be willing to adopt another cat to keep First Cat company.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:57 PM on December 30, 2008

For the following, "you" = girlfriend. It depends upon the dorm setup (amount of private space for the cat, number of people likely to be coming in and out of the areas your cat will be in), but I would definitely have taken my then-8-year-old cat with me when I went away to school a few years ago if it had been an option. Previously, I had been his primary caretaker and petter, and after I left, my parents said that he noticeably mourned my absence. I regret those two years without him very much. Kitty lives with me now and we've moved three times to places with multiple people and multiple cats, all of which he's handled just fine despite now being almost 14. I'm out of the house about 10 hours a day on average, but current roommate reports that he sleeps during most of that, and his quality of life during the remaining 14 hours is much better than it was before he lived with me. If your cat is in good health and has a close bond with you, I'd say give it a try.

Tips, with apologies for length:
On a long long drive like that, I would try to stop one or maybe even two nights at pet-friendly motels or hostels. Get her a comfortable harness with a leash and as large of a carrying crate as you can manage, and if possible let the crate sit on the front seat so she can see you. A soft towel or blanket in the crate will keep her comfortable, as well as one to go on top helps to muffle sound, and if your cat finds objects zipping past the dashboard and side windows as mine does, can calm her down. Wherever you put the crate, try to place other objects around it to minimize any sliding in case you have to stop suddenly or swerve. Try to stop every couple of hours in the quietest rest stops you can find- she may or may not want to walk a bit. Set down her food/water a couple of times a day, and a tray of litter at each stop. She will probably cry piteously much of the way. Singing to her may or may not help, but it is amusing.

In the dorm itself, make a sturdy perch for the cat near the area where you'll be doing most of your studying or working. I use a bedside table with a lambswool cat bed on top pulled right up to the edge of my desk. This way, my cat feels safe and special in a multi-cat household but most importantly, he feels like he has part of my attention at all times, so that he doesn't have to meow or claw things in order to attract it. An important thing when you're trying to get work done.
posted by notquitemaryann at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

Another thought I had -- dorm rooms are *tiny*. I can't even imagine having a litter box in there. It's hard enough just keeping a person in one. And is it fair to lock kitty in that small room all the time, or will the cat be roaming the halls? If so -- doors will be open, people will be coming and going, and cats will get out. In a new area, your cat is going to have little chance of finding his way home if he did get out.

Seriously -- this is a bad idea. I understand missing your cat, but your girlfriend needs to do what is best for the cat, and that's leaving it at home.
posted by cgg at 2:28 PM on December 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'll second maryann and say go for it. I left a cat behind when I moved away to college, and my dad said she was missing all the attention I gave her and was not a happy camper. If I had the option, I definitely would have brought her along. Even though your cat may be older, cats can still adapt to change.

I think your cat will be able to adjust fine, though I'd worry about the size of your room as being a bit confining, but probably not too big of a deal. I wasn't totally clear on what the environment was like - are other cats out in the halls, like some sort of Animal House? Make sure your cat gets accustomed to your room and feels safe and comfortable and not threatened by other felines there, and you'll be fine.
posted by antonymous at 2:48 PM on December 30, 2008

11 isn't that old! My cat's at least 16 and pretty weird and hates short term change. (We left her at my grandmother's once when she was younger for a longish vacation and she flipped out - hissing furious beast under the bed until we came back.) But 3 1/2 years ago during Katrina she lived in a couple of different houses for a month and a half until we could move home and was fine. Then a year and a half ago, we had a house fire and she happily lived at my mother's house and then in an apartment for 6 months until the house was fixed. I would be much more worried about the drive than about being at college with you.
posted by artychoke at 2:53 PM on December 30, 2008

Okay, I talked to her. Some more answers:

Has your cat ever been around a lot of (unfamiliar) people?

Yes. She likes people, even unfamiliar ones.

Also, how much is a 'little experience' with other cats?

Essentially zero. Other than her littermates and mother when she was a kitten, she's never seen another cat.

Would she be kept in only your room, or running around the whole building?

The plan would be to keep her in the room (probably about 15' x 15') for a couple weeks to adjust, and then try opening the door to the rest of the hall (one particular floor of the dorm). This is how the other cats operate and there hasn't been any issues with drunk people or cats escaping.

How much of this question is motivated by your girlfriend missing her cat?

She does miss her, but I don't think that's the motivation. She's been away at college for a year and a half now. She and her family considered moving the cat up with her last year when she started, but decided against it since it seemed hard on the cat. Now, they're reconsidering given how down the cat seems to be in her absence. Plus, my GF's mom got a new job which keeps her away from the house more.

I think that answers most of the questions up there. Thanks everyone for your input! One further clarification is that if the cat does move, they're thinking about doing by air, rather than driving.
posted by losvedir at 3:44 PM on December 30, 2008

I also think that 11 isn't that old. Cats adjust to new spaces pretty quickly, but to other people and animals much lest quickly. I've seen a 8 year old cat (I think that's how old she was) adapt pretty quickly to an off-campus apartment, but she did NOT like being near other cats at all.

I've flown with kitties before. A few years ago at least, the airlines asked for $50 and let you take them on as carry on luggage in a pet carrier. Once I brought her on board and didn't even have to pay. I would strongly caution against "checking" the cat in the storage hold, that's a recipe for disaster. The cat I flew with just sat silently in her box for the most part, and when she meowed I petted her, and she was okay.
posted by abirae at 3:45 PM on December 30, 2008

No no no. A single dorm room is far too tiny for a cat to be happy. A cat is a territorial animal and wants to explore his territory = wandering down the hall, peering in open doors, being confronted by other cats (who figure this is already their territory). That's a recipe for an unhappy cat.
posted by exphysicist345 at 4:20 PM on December 30, 2008

I say take kitty... a kitty OK dorm is awesome. I'm a bad person, I just tossed kitties in the towed car when moving, they didn't like it much but dealt. Your cat might find another human. MIT sets off my OK alarms, like CalTech.... this isn't your regular college dorm, it's freaks who paint the walls with Escher pictures, walk around naked, refuse to wear shoes, build roller coaster tracks down the halls, chase each other around with air-soft guns, go tunnel hopping, everybody has a master key. You have a kitty friendly place, take kitty... if she doesn't like it, send her back. Be prepared that he likes hanging out with the cosmologist down the hall.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:40 PM on December 30, 2008

A dorm, even a cat dorm, is not the right place for a cat. You don't want to worry about taking care of it in college, and you don't want it to be freaked out by tons of people and tons of other cats around it all the time. For both you and the cat, massively not worth it.
posted by devilsbrigade at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2008

I'm going to say no, too. My primary worries would be:
1) traveling back and forth with an older cat ("almost always" someone at the dorm does not mean there will always be someone that your gf trusts to look after the cat)
2) or, if "almost always" does mean there is ALWAYS a responsible person at the dorm, I would still question your gf's choice to leave a family pet in a dorm over long vacations, like the summer
3) escaping in a strange city
4) being lonely anyway (gf has classes, activities)

Getting kitty her own kitty to keep her company is the better solution.
posted by Mavri at 6:54 PM on December 30, 2008