How to re-locate 4 outdoor cats to new home with us?
May 2, 2019 3:56 PM Subscribe
Mrs. Thistledown and I care for four outdoor cats who have more or less adopted us. We love them a lot, but we're moving and we're worried about getting them acclimated to a new neighborhood. Need some ideas, complications within:
They have shelters that they use and like, and we've even equipped them with heating - they're quite comfy for outdoor cats - so those shelters are definitely coming with us.
Three live on our front porch, one on our back porch. #1 and #2 are willing to come in and out of the house, no problem - they are very friendly and #1 is really attached to us.
The other two are the challenge. #3 is very sweet, loves being petted, but he's not terribly bright and absolutely does not like being indoors. Freaks out completely if we bring him inside, absolutely hates the cat carrier for trips to the vet, and generally spooks very easily.
#4 is completely wild. He gets along with #1 and #3, doesn't like #2 much. It's mutual and they avoid each other. But we've never been able to pet #4 or even touch him, though he's a consistent resident. We give him food and treats and we've been trying to bond with him patiently for a couple of years now.
The new home has a lovely back porch that they could come and go from like they do now, but we're worried about them running away and getting lost. We can't keep all of them inside (although #3 is FIV+, and it would be a struggle but we could MAYBE start making him an indoor cat) and they've never known anything but our neighborhood and house.
Because we can't get to #4, we have a trap we can use for him, and the working theory we have right now is that the shelters and food will be familiar if the surroundings aren't, so they may not wander too far away, but we're scared of losing them and Mrs. Thistledown will be utterly heartbroken if #3 takes off - they're very attached.
Anyone have experience with this? Got any ideas about how we can acclimate them without losing them? I'm open to a lot of ideas, including screening in the back porch and putting some litter boxes out there for a while so they can adjust. The neighborhood is pet-friendly, which helps, and they have collars with identifying info, and we're going to have them chipped....but....how do you get a cat to want to stay someplace new?
They have shelters that they use and like, and we've even equipped them with heating - they're quite comfy for outdoor cats - so those shelters are definitely coming with us.
Three live on our front porch, one on our back porch. #1 and #2 are willing to come in and out of the house, no problem - they are very friendly and #1 is really attached to us.
The other two are the challenge. #3 is very sweet, loves being petted, but he's not terribly bright and absolutely does not like being indoors. Freaks out completely if we bring him inside, absolutely hates the cat carrier for trips to the vet, and generally spooks very easily.
#4 is completely wild. He gets along with #1 and #3, doesn't like #2 much. It's mutual and they avoid each other. But we've never been able to pet #4 or even touch him, though he's a consistent resident. We give him food and treats and we've been trying to bond with him patiently for a couple of years now.
The new home has a lovely back porch that they could come and go from like they do now, but we're worried about them running away and getting lost. We can't keep all of them inside (although #3 is FIV+, and it would be a struggle but we could MAYBE start making him an indoor cat) and they've never known anything but our neighborhood and house.
Because we can't get to #4, we have a trap we can use for him, and the working theory we have right now is that the shelters and food will be familiar if the surroundings aren't, so they may not wander too far away, but we're scared of losing them and Mrs. Thistledown will be utterly heartbroken if #3 takes off - they're very attached.
Anyone have experience with this? Got any ideas about how we can acclimate them without losing them? I'm open to a lot of ideas, including screening in the back porch and putting some litter boxes out there for a while so they can adjust. The neighborhood is pet-friendly, which helps, and they have collars with identifying info, and we're going to have them chipped....but....how do you get a cat to want to stay someplace new?
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