I'm moving down the street this weekend and my cat Hydrox will have a new home. He's skittish and antisocial enough as it is, any of you cat people have advice on moving a cat? (Heck, I don't even own one of those carriers).

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2000

Answers

Primary advice - beg. borrow, rent or whatever, do use a carrier. Never drive a car with loose kitty inside. I will be happy to tell my little kitty tale if anyone is interested.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2000

Yeah, a kitty carrier is definitely a must, unless you can walk, but that's probably not so great either. Do not under any circumstances EVER put kitty kitty on a leash though! BTW, you can get a cardboard carrier at your local pet store. Ours was nice enough to give it to me although I would have been very happy to pay for it (those real ones are way to expensive for the rare times you need them).

As far as once you get your kitty to his new home, be prepared for all manner of misbehavior. He will hate you for a few weeks, but he'll get over it, don't take it personally. Since he hates you and cats are pretty smart, he will everything he can to make your life miserable like quit using the litter box, refuse to be pet or even come within 10 feet of, growl & hiss at his favorite person, not eat for at least 3 days causing you excess worry, tear up your most prized possessions (if he's got claws) and start throwing up in hard to find places.

If you get anything less than that, you are very lucky. Good luck!

Yes, Doug, LOVE to hear kitty tales! I've got a few doozies myself.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2000

Wow I guess I have been pretty lucky with moving my cat he loves the car as a matter of fact when ever we are in the car and he is in the carrier, he cries and howls until I let him out once I do he will just sit calmly in my lap until we get where ever we are going (of course I do make sure we keep the windows closed). The only time I had trouble moving into a new place with him was when we moved in with our dog, he kind of came with the apartment and we took him with us when we left. But duing every move since that one his attitude has gotten a lot better he used to be very mean and now he is the sweetest furry thing you have ever met. So I guess it probably differs from cat to cat just be sure to give your cat ample space and time to adjust to his new surroundings and you'll both be fine.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2000

Sarah, I've no doubt your cat loved the car, but these are unfortunately few and far between. Though, your story fondly reminded of a little kitten I had adopted that was nearly run over by a friend of mine on a bike. Since it was still too young to be away from its mother, I took her with me with everywhere. I remember wrapping her up in a towel and taking her to the county fair with my son. I even took her grocery shopping...never got busted once!

She became so accustomed to riding in the car that she would run up the driveway meowing at full blast upon seeing me come home and jump inside the car before I even had a chance to get out. When I did take her for rides, her favorite spot to sit was on my left shoulder so she could see everything! This got a little awkward as she got older and bigger and eventually she had to flop her back end over the back of the seat to keep from falling forward into my lap. I absolutely loved it. It was almost like having a dog only without the stink! She was a wonderful companion. She was the only cat I ever had who would curl up right under my chin every night in bed. I so wish my spoiled brat cats would do that once in awhile.

Gosh, I miss her ::sniff, sniff:: Thanks Sarah for the memory... :-)

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

Keep 'im on a steady supply of catnip from before you leave to a few days after you arrive, and he might not really notice you moved at all. I don't think mine did, and they were so happy!

I am all about keeping the cats stoned, for their own good.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

Cat carrier: absolutely! If the local pet store doesn't have a cardboard one, your local animal shelter will for less than five bucks.

When you get to your new digs, turn the cat loose in one room with the doors and windows closed. Leave food, water, and litter box, too. After a couple of hours, possibly one day, start the introductions to the other rooms. If he's already a 'fraidy cat, this will allow him time to slooowly adjust. He'll be okay...it just takes time.

Good luck!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I've moved a bunch of times with my cats and my suggestions are:

1. Get a carrier immediately. You should have one on hand anyway for emergencies.

2. Cat nip, cat nip, cat nip- and if they are really skittish and weird just ask the vet to prescribe some tranquilizers. A gentle one would do it for a move.

3. Just give the cat some time to get used to the new place. One of my cats is afraid of herself she's so anxious, and with all the times I've moved she has done fine with the adjustment.

Don't worry, they adapt better than you think they will. She/he might be a little scared at first, but it gets better with time.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

We just moved with a cat in September, and will be doing it again soon... the previous move, we were only changing apartments in the same building, so we left her in the old place while we gradually moved things to the new one. We tried to have all the furniture set up in relatively permanent places, and familiar things unpcked, so she would know she was home when we did bring her to the new apartment -- we did that last. It worked very well -- she was scared at first, but warmed up to the new home pretty quicky. (Although the look on her face when I packed up her toys, food bowl and litterbox was heartbreaking...) We're moving to another town soon, though, so I think it'll be more stressful for her. But I agree with putting her in one room with the door closed for a day or two after moving, then opening the door and letting her explore on her own.

And yes, yes, yes to the cat carrier.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I've moved twice with my cat (I'm a student) and it has always gone well. Each time I go to the vet and buy a sedative which is good for 'fraidy cats. It doesn't knock them out, just makes them very mellow and still. Both times I've moved her first before all the furniture because I was afraid of her getting out and running away, what with all the open doors and people around helping us. So, I bring her to the new place and put her in the bathroom (smallest room in the house, also don't need to move stuff into it, so it's the quietest) with her litter, food water etc... Also some towels for her to sleep on. When all has calmed down I let her out and just let her explore, reminding her every so often where the new location of her litter is!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

As an addendum to this: does anyone have advice on how to move _5_ cats cross-country in the car?

Yes -- I have carriers, the nice big robust plastic ones.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I'm particularly interested in this myself, since I'll be moving cross country too! I asked my vet what she suggested, and she mentioned Rescue Remedy (it's a Bach flower essence). Anyway, she said to get some of that, rub it on him near his ears twice a day. She said it'll help calm him down (and not just cover up the fear, which is what a tranquilizer will do). Anyone else heard of this?

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I moved two cats across country last summer. I used plastic carriers and stayed in pet-friendly motels so they were only contained for about 10 hours a day for 5 days (CT to OR). I had a driving companion, so each cat also got to sit on the non-driving lap once or twice a day. Neither cat needed to use a litter box during the day, and they just nibbled at food or water offered at rest stops. I gave the more skittish cat a vet-provided tranquilizer to take the edge off, not knock him out, but just for the first day. After that the cats were acclimated enough.

I leave the carriers (with doors off) accessible to the cats all the time (stacked in a closet). Sometimes they even sleep in them. This way, while they don't like being shut in, the carriers are more like safe havens than dungeons of doom.

If you stay in motels, watch out for hidden space under beds. I know someone who had to cut open a boxspring to get the cat out, and mine were very interested in hiding way way way underneath anything they could.

fyi: Ryder truck has what they call a "family van" which is a 12 foot truck with a larger than normal cab. behind the two regular seats is a space about 3-feet deep with two jump seats. We put the cats back there, on some 4x4s to keep them off the floor which got very hot.

also, the carriers weren't that expensive -- less than $20 each. Be sure you get one big enough for the cat to stand in.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I think I have a really well-adjusted cat or something. She's flown across the country (from Toronto to Vancouver) without any trouble. I also had to move twice a year while in college, and she seemed to deal just fine. What I usually do is move her in last. This time though, I've been having some trouble getting my apartment set up, and I think she *is* a bit disturbed by all the boxes. But she's using her litterbox and eating and drinking just fine. In fact, I knew she was okay within the first few hours because she went and had something to eat and flopped out on the floor.

Any advice on how to help a cat adjust from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat would be *greatly* appreciated. I'm getting a bit worried about the carpets! And of course, I can't keep the windows open (no screens) because she doesn't seem to realize that the 6th floor is *really* high up. Just waltzed out onto the window ledge and looked set to investigate the construction of a building three floors down. Yikes!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

Heather -- I leave the carriers accessible as cat houses to the throng on a daily basis as well. Two out of the 5 enjoy sleeping in them. Two won't have anything to do with them, doors or no doors.

It's so cute to look up from doing something, and see two round green eyes peering out of the darkness inside the carrier.

I'll ask our vet about that Remedy stuff to help Shara in particular. She was abandoned road-side out of a car so she just freaks every time we take her to the vet. She's gotten better about it as every time she does in fact, go back home, but she has a bad habit of hyperventilating in the carrier, which worries me.

Does anyone specifically know what motels are pet-friendly, other than Motel 6?

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I've moved what ended up being an 11 hour trip twice now, with two cats.

The first time I was all nervous and got tranquilizers from my vet just in case. We had one of the family vans mentioned above, and three people. Both cats cried and cried for the first half hour and then fell asleep, just like the vet said they would, so the drugs were not necessary. My older cat fell asleep and refused to get out of her carrier even when we stopped for a litter break (we brought a disposable litter pan since neither cats go outside and I was worried they would get confused without it). The younger cat sat on the third person's lap for the whole trip as she kept throwing herself against the wall of her carrier, but she was fine also.

The second trip, we only had two people and no jump seats. We stacked the carriers into kitty condos and both cats were pretty happy after the initial half-hour yowling.

Also, the first thing we unpacked upon arrival were the cats, the food, the water and the litter boxes, and then shut the cats in an empty room (with some towels and some of our shirts, for comforting smells). Once we let them out, they ran around sniffing everything, but they were pretty well-adapted after a day or so. My older cat hates change, so it took her a little longer to adjust, but she eventually did, and we made sure to give her a lot of love and attention to calm her fears.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

I think it really depends on the cats. My three have totally different reactions to moving: Benny and Rudy have moved a million times, and they are totally cool with it. Benny hates the packing part, and the riding in the car (in a carrier) part, but you dump him out at the new place and he starts checking out the view: "Cool. I can dig this." Rudy doesn't mind the car ride unless it lasts too long, at which point he'll start bitching (but not freaking like Ben does). He's a little slower to adjust to the new place, meaning it takes him about an hour instead of ten seconds. Sally flips out. She hates the car. She hates the cat carrier. She hates the house. We don't see her for weeks, and in the meantime she yells at Benny and Rudy whenever they approach her. She generally acts like a psychopath for the first two months. We've moved her three times, and she gets worse the older she gets. Benny and Rudy have moved four and five times each, and they've never worried at all. That mirrors their basic personalities. Not much bothers Benny and Rudy; Sally is a complete spaz. You can probably guess where your cat will fall along this continuum. As for turning an outdoor cat into an indoor cat, the main thing is to be consistent. At first I let my cats out once in a while, and they were always bolting for the door. Once I said no more, they became afraid of the great outdoors, and they're fine now. Some things you can do to ease the transition:

• Keep the litter box really, really clean. Cats that are used to going outdoors usually will not use a dirty litter box. You might have to clean it twice a day until he gets used to the idea. (And watch your house plants. Most cats prefer litter to anything else, but if the litter is dirty, they'll go for what they know, which is dirt.)
  
  
• Keep them occupied. I bought my cats a little fish tank so they'd have something to watch. It worked, too -- for two months they were so mesmerized by the fish that they barely remembered they were supposed to be trying to dart outside.
  
  
• Whoever suggested catnip for the move, it works for this, too. Coat their scratching post and sleeping area in catnip. Keep 'em stoned, and they'll forget that they're now in prison.
  
  (That one can backfire, of course -- catnip makes Rudy totally paranoid and aggressive. He's on the wagon.)

Good luck.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

"Keep 'em stoned, and they'll forget that they're now in prison."

I spewed cola all over my keyboard on that one, Beth.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2000

Beth--www.petswelcome.com has stuff on places that welcome pets. You can even search by state/city. Red Roof, Ramada, and Holiday Inn were some that were listed. Bed and breakfasts are also listed, if that's what you're looking for too. Of course, they do recommend calling the place to make sure that your pet is welcome, etc., but this looks like a good place to start.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2000

i don't have time to read all the posts, so if someone has already posted this advice, i'm sorry to duplicate. i know this may sound strange, but, years and years ago our old-time vet shared this trick with me. i've used it 3 times when moving with my cats. it has really seemed to help.

once you arrive at your new place and things have calmed down a bit, put some butter on the pads of your kitty's paws. he will lick the butter and...errmm...ingest (?) the smell/taste of his/her new home.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2000

With my latest cat..he was still sort of a kitten when we moved. He was thoroughly freaked out for like a week, but then he came out and was fine. The cat carrier was quite an experience for him. I've never heard him howl quite like he did in that carrier. We moved from Ohio to California once when I was little - a 7 day move. Our cat at the time spent the whole time in the carrier. The first day he was really upset, but we just made sure he had a lot of water and he finally resigned himself to the trip after that. As a side note..my brother - who was a baby at the time - ended up having his first word be "meow."

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2000

I have moved my cats dozens of times, including cross country.

1. Definitely get a carrier.

2. Get a tranquilizer from the vet. Even if you're only going down the street, they will be stressed by all the activity. You just need to chill them out a bit, not knock them out.

3. Confine them to one room until everything is moved in and all the strangers are gone. Then you can let them out to roam around. They will settle in quickly. Mine just sniff around then jump on the bed or couch and go to sleep like they have lived there forever.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2000

Check with your vet. If the cat's skittish enough, you might be able to get some sort of sedatives to give your cat before the trip. You might also see about getting Feliway, which is a cat pheromone spray. The pheromones are supposed to be soothing to cats. Spray it lightly into the carrier before putting your cat inside it (especially if the carrier was borrowed and has the scent of another cat). You might also spray some Feliway around the new apartment. (The stuff is also supposed to help if your cat has a problem with sharpening claws on furniture or "marking."

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2000

Thanks for all your help everyone. This is great. Hydrox thanks you too.

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2000

As for what hotels are OK with pets, just ask when you make the reservation (if you are going to be that organized). The AAA travel books include that info as well. I'm 99% confident that my cats won't leave incriminating evidence in the room, so I have brought them into motel rooms without asking first (this works best at the places with direct access from room to parking lot).

On my trip from east to west, I found that the places further west had fewer issues with pets (no extra charges, and more places in the AAA books that had the "pets allowed" icon). In Boise, the only restriction placed on my cats was that I couldn't bring them to the pool area. (yes, that's really what they told me)

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2000

My cat is really a dog zipped into an extra-large cat suit. We're convinced. He will ride on a towel, with a leash to keep him on the passenger side when he feels friendly (and away from the pedals or wheel)...he will do this for HOURS.

He rode to Savannah from Atlanta and got me out of a well-deserved speeding ticket by looking up at the trooper and blinking, laying it on thick with his most endearingly sweet "miaow" possible. The trooper melted like butter on a griddle, said "aw, how cute!" and tsk- tsked me and sent me on my way.

Other people tell stories of Houdini-like cats yowling without a need for breath, chewing through metal port-a-pet carriers, and perching atop the driver's head with all 20 claws dug into their scalp. I think I'm lucky.

My friend Amy is moving to Denver, she strongly recommends cat drugs. Gave her cat a test pill and it was zombie time. The cat shook it off no worse for wear several hours later. Success! She anticipates no trouble getting her doped-up little puddle of fur from Atlanta to Denver as long as the meds hold out.

-- Anonymous, March 29, 2000