Give your cat a quiet safe room at both ends of the move, so they’re shut away from the noise and open doors on moving day, then keep them indoors at the new home for at least three weeks while they learn it’s home. Cats feel safest among familiar sights and smells, so the whole plan is about keeping those close.
The steps below follow the advice of Cats Protection, the cat welfare charity.
First, decide where your cat will be on the day
Cats Protection suggests three options, and the best is usually the one your cat will find least stressful for the shortest time:
- a boarding cattery, booked well ahead, with vaccinations up to date;
- a trusted friend or relative who can keep your cat indoors and away from other pets;
- keeping your cat with you, in a safe room.
A week or two before
Choose a quiet room in your current home and clear it of furniture, and pick a safe room at the new home too. Set it up with your cat’s bed, litter tray, carrier and food bowl, and start feeding them there. The evening before, add a scratching post, toys and water, secure the windows and shut your cat in.
If you need somewhere for the furniture from that room, or anything else while you’re between homes, a storage unit can hold it until the new place is ready. Spare carriers and cat beds can go in too, once they’re clean. Cats and other animals themselves can’t be stored, of course: they need the care, light and company that only a home can give.
On moving day
Keep your cat in the safe room with a small meal and fresh water. When it’s time to go, put them in their carrier and take them in the car with their belongings. At the new home, go straight to the new safe room with their bed, litter tray, food, water, toys, something that smells of you and a cardboard box to hide in. Tell the removal team and the family which room your cat is in, and put a sign on the door.
Settling in
Keep your cat in that room for a few days, then let them explore the rest of the house. Cats Protection advises keeping them indoors for at least three weeks, because some cats go missing after a move when they’re let out too soon. For the first time outside, choose the morning or early afternoon, just before a mealtime, and let them decide to go.
Update the microchip
In England, pet cats must be microchipped before they are 20 weeks old, with their contact details kept up to date on a microchip database. Update your address on it when you move, and register with a new local vet.
If you’re planning the rest of the move, our guide to self storage when moving house may help. For space between homes, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585.
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