What can I do to help my adult cat with his first move?
April 3, 2019 1:18 PM Subscribe
Later this month, after about 8 months, I'm taking one of the cats from my ex. We adopted him as a young but definitely adult cat when he was a wild bramble boy, and he's been an indoor-outdoor cat at the same home for about 10 years. How can I help him adjust to a new home as an only cat?
I've got/am getting the basics, and for the first time in his life I'm getting him a proper cat tree with scratching posts. The move is only across town, so travel etc is not an issue.
Things I'm worried about:
Will he be lonely? We had 3-5 cats the whole time we had him, and when one of the other cats passed away about a year ago he went through a long stretch of crying more at night. Is there anything I can do proactively?
Leave him outside or keep him inside while I'm at work? The old house had ways for him to get in and out even when no-one was there, and I don't know how I'd do that in a rental.
Anything in particular I need to do right when he comes in to make sure he doesn't immediately freak out/try to run away/spray inside? (He used to spray before he was fixed, and occasionally outside only at the old house.)
Honestly, I haven't moved any cat in 16 years, and this one ever, and I'm just nervous he's going to be unhappy or that it's going to wreak havoc in my new space. Help me figure out how to calm my fears and take care of this big floof.
I've got/am getting the basics, and for the first time in his life I'm getting him a proper cat tree with scratching posts. The move is only across town, so travel etc is not an issue.
Things I'm worried about:
Will he be lonely? We had 3-5 cats the whole time we had him, and when one of the other cats passed away about a year ago he went through a long stretch of crying more at night. Is there anything I can do proactively?
Leave him outside or keep him inside while I'm at work? The old house had ways for him to get in and out even when no-one was there, and I don't know how I'd do that in a rental.
Anything in particular I need to do right when he comes in to make sure he doesn't immediately freak out/try to run away/spray inside? (He used to spray before he was fixed, and occasionally outside only at the old house.)
Honestly, I haven't moved any cat in 16 years, and this one ever, and I'm just nervous he's going to be unhappy or that it's going to wreak havoc in my new space. Help me figure out how to calm my fears and take care of this big floof.
Assuming your multiple cat household had multiple litterboxes...we adopted our cat from a multiple-cat foster home. We finally figured out she missed not the cats as much as the multiple litter boxes. With just the one box available to her at our house, she found ...other places. Suggest two litterboxes even if quantities don't necessarily seem to mandate.
posted by Tandem Affinity at 1:55 PM on April 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Tandem Affinity at 1:55 PM on April 3, 2019 [3 favorites]
Best answer: feliway diffusers can help keep them calm.
posted by evilmonk at 2:49 PM on April 3, 2019
posted by evilmonk at 2:49 PM on April 3, 2019
Best answer: Aw, what a darling!
Set up feliway diffusers in advance. If he will tolerate a collar, get him a feliway collar.
Consider getting him a friend. It might be good to get the friend around the time that you're moving him in, so that the space is new for both of them and they can sort it out fairly easily rather than having one of them move into an established territory. If you want to wait a bit, that's fine too. But if he's used to having other cats around and you're up for a buddy or two for him, that might be really good.
Definitely do bring his litter with his poops in it, so he'll be all like "oh yes this is where I like to poop" and won't panic and poop elsewhere. Rule for litterboxes is one per cat plus one extra. If you can also bring his other personal items, like favorite blankets or toys, that will help too - you want him to smell his usual smells because it will help him adjust.
Treats, catnip, the usual.
I do not let my cats go outside, though I have known cats who cannot be happy as indoor-only. Evaluate the area carefully and if you decide it's okay for him to go out, then let him tell you what he wants and go from there. I would seriously recommend transitioning him to being an indoor-only cat if that's possible for him.
Spend as much time with him as you can for the first few days.
posted by bile and syntax at 2:54 PM on April 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
Set up feliway diffusers in advance. If he will tolerate a collar, get him a feliway collar.
Consider getting him a friend. It might be good to get the friend around the time that you're moving him in, so that the space is new for both of them and they can sort it out fairly easily rather than having one of them move into an established territory. If you want to wait a bit, that's fine too. But if he's used to having other cats around and you're up for a buddy or two for him, that might be really good.
Definitely do bring his litter with his poops in it, so he'll be all like "oh yes this is where I like to poop" and won't panic and poop elsewhere. Rule for litterboxes is one per cat plus one extra. If you can also bring his other personal items, like favorite blankets or toys, that will help too - you want him to smell his usual smells because it will help him adjust.
Treats, catnip, the usual.
I do not let my cats go outside, though I have known cats who cannot be happy as indoor-only. Evaluate the area carefully and if you decide it's okay for him to go out, then let him tell you what he wants and go from there. I would seriously recommend transitioning him to being an indoor-only cat if that's possible for him.
Spend as much time with him as you can for the first few days.
posted by bile and syntax at 2:54 PM on April 3, 2019 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I would pretty much second everything bile and syntax says. If you're open to getting him a lil buddy, now is a good time! (I finally got my cat a friend, and the transformation has been incredible, he's so, so much calmer and happier even as they beat each other up three times a day.) If he's used to having cat friends right there, he might be lonely. Spend as much time as you can with him those first few days and give treats, pets, love and PLAY. If he's into playing at all, definitely engage with him! That might be the hardest transition to being a single cat, and yeah, he might get lonely. Or he might not, if he's truly a single dude at heart. Be ready for either, I guess.
I'm pretty hardcore about keeping my cats indoor-only, and would urge transitioning him to that for his safety and that of the wildlife around you -- a scratching post will help and having plenty of toys to give him stuff to do in the house. Regardless, if he doesn't have a way to get in on his own, I'd be incredibly reluctant to lock him out all day, for his own safety.
posted by kalimac at 3:06 PM on April 3, 2019
I'm pretty hardcore about keeping my cats indoor-only, and would urge transitioning him to that for his safety and that of the wildlife around you -- a scratching post will help and having plenty of toys to give him stuff to do in the house. Regardless, if he doesn't have a way to get in on his own, I'd be incredibly reluctant to lock him out all day, for his own safety.
posted by kalimac at 3:06 PM on April 3, 2019
When I’ve moved before, I kept our indoor/outdoor kitty in for as close to a month as I could. The one time we didn’t, they ran away the first day and we never saw them again. :-(
So - one month (or at least a couple of weeks) inside and then start letting him out for 10-15 minutes at a time until you’re confident he knows his way around.
posted by dawkins_7 at 4:35 PM on April 3, 2019
So - one month (or at least a couple of weeks) inside and then start letting him out for 10-15 minutes at a time until you’re confident he knows his way around.
posted by dawkins_7 at 4:35 PM on April 3, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks for the feliway suggestion, I will give that a try. All the cats have been using one litterbox, so taking that probably isn't an option, nor is getting a second cat at this point. (I will keep that in mind, though, and maybe my ex can put a blanket or towel from the house into his carrier when I have him picked up, for continuity of scent.) And I'll see if I can time it so I'm home for a couple of days, and keep him in while he gets used to the new space.
posted by epersonae at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2019
posted by epersonae at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2019
All the cats have been using one litterbox, so taking that probably isn't an option,
Even if you can't take the whole litterbox itself, maybe you can at least take some of the used litter to put in the new litter box(es) at your home.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:42 AM on April 6, 2019
Even if you can't take the whole litterbox itself, maybe you can at least take some of the used litter to put in the new litter box(es) at your home.
posted by litera scripta manet at 11:42 AM on April 6, 2019
Response by poster: So I got him last Friday morning, and for future reference:
I was not able to take any litter, but did have his blanket and brush. Plugged in a feliway a couple of days ahead of time, have no idea if it made any difference?
He spent most of Friday under my bed (as it happened, I had a cold, so I spent most of Friday in my bed). Having the blanket helped, I think, since it gave him a slightly more exposed but still safe place to sleep. He gradually moved from under the bed, to the box with blanket, to the top of the bed, to a chair in the living room.
I'm glad I had a three-day weekend with him, since I had to direct him to the food and litter the first few times. For whatever reason, he was uneasy going into the kitchen? maybe because it's the brightest room; I did find that he retreated to the dark bedroom quite a bit.
I'm probably going to want to get some more toys for him (cat tree arrives today!) but otherwise he's settled in well and we have a very chill routine already. (which includes some crying at 3am, but he's always been like that) He doesn't seem to be particularly interested in going outside, which surprises me, but I'll take it.
posted by epersonae at 10:25 AM on April 23, 2019
I was not able to take any litter, but did have his blanket and brush. Plugged in a feliway a couple of days ahead of time, have no idea if it made any difference?
He spent most of Friday under my bed (as it happened, I had a cold, so I spent most of Friday in my bed). Having the blanket helped, I think, since it gave him a slightly more exposed but still safe place to sleep. He gradually moved from under the bed, to the box with blanket, to the top of the bed, to a chair in the living room.
I'm glad I had a three-day weekend with him, since I had to direct him to the food and litter the first few times. For whatever reason, he was uneasy going into the kitchen? maybe because it's the brightest room; I did find that he retreated to the dark bedroom quite a bit.
I'm probably going to want to get some more toys for him (cat tree arrives today!) but otherwise he's settled in well and we have a very chill routine already. (which includes some crying at 3am, but he's always been like that) He doesn't seem to be particularly interested in going outside, which surprises me, but I'll take it.
posted by epersonae at 10:25 AM on April 23, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Bring HIS litter with waste to the new location, helps them feel safer.
posted by Freedomboy at 1:23 PM on April 3, 2019 [4 favorites]