This is not only kitten season but also the time of year (with school out for the summer) when families move. We have two neighbors in the process right now. Both dads have been transferred due to the companies they work for moving out of the area. One family has two cats and the other has a cat and two dogs. Our cat friends, Savvy and Sage from Savannah’s Paw Tracks, also will be moving at the end of the summer.
Moving is stressful for the entire family and can cause your pets to experience anxiety. Cats especially don’t like change. From listing, with prospective buyers traipsing through your home, to selling and the actual packing and relocation to new surroundings, stress can intensify.
By following the tips in the infographic below, you can provide a less stressful move for both your family and your pets.
I’d like to thank Taylor’s Relocations of Adelaide and Melbourne, Australia, for their infographic. And I’d like to offer a few additional moving tips of my own:
- If you are one of those individuals or families who do allow your pet to go outside, stop doing so at least a few days prior to the move. You do not want to be packed and ready to leave and unable to find kitty.
- Do not leave open packing boxes around the house. We know how much kitties love boxes, and we’ve all heard stories about cats being sealed in moving boxes.
- If you are still planning on allowing kitty outdoors after moving, it is essential that you wait several weeks before doing so. And when you do allow this, go with your feline friend and only stay out ten or fifteen minutes at a stretch. Allow puss to become familiar with its new surroundings while under your supervision. I suggest continuing to accompany your pet for a few weeks.
I know from first hand experience that cats will try to return to the home they know. When I was six years old, our cat, Tiger, walked back to our old house. By the time we were reunited he was in such bad shape my parents had no recourse but to have him euthanized.
Better yet, this could be the right time to retrain your pet to be an inside kitty only. Extra playtime with you can help eliminate some of the anxiety and pent-up energy of your now housebound cat.
If you are planning a move this summer, Kitties Blue hope you will find these tips to be helpful. And if you have any additional ones to share, please do so in a comment.
Get Ready to Party
On Caturday we will be celebrating Calista Jo’s third birthday. We’ll “doll” her up for the celebration as well as Athena and Marie’s Caturday Art Blog Hop. Hope you will join us. We’ll be giving away some swag from the BlogPaws conference.
Special Father’s Day Sunday Selfies
We’ll be sharing a special selfie for Father’s Day, and we look forward to seeing what each of you have to offer. Consider including your dad in your photo. Of course, anything goes, and all anipals are invited.
We had our best turnout last week with 60 entries (including our own). And we only have a couple more blogs to visit. It warms our hearts that so many of our friends enter every week and that we continue to have new entrants. Thanks!
We don’t know that we’ll be moving anytime soon, but we’re going to save your post out so we can refer to it when we do need it. Thank you!
Very good tips…thank you.
Jean
Those are really great tips. We know some day we’ll move, and Mommy will have to remember all this good advice.
Those are great tips. We’ve never moved, but the mom has moved with the cats that came before us.
Great tips…but I must tell you, I am not budging…ever!
I don’t like change…so to sum up we will be staying put, period!
Noodle
What great information! We know that will help anyone getting ready to move. There is no “M” in our near future but we will keep this in mind because one day we know we have to downsize.
Excellent post, I hope I never need it though.
I hear that moving can be stressful…except for all the boxes!
Very timely. We’re in the process of finalizing things around here to put our house on the market. I worry so much about how to do this with so many cats. Thanks for posting.
These are all great tips. Moving with five kitties last year was certainly stressful. And we were only moving down the road! The kitties did surprisingly well, but I was so paranoid about one of them getting out. I have one piece of advice to add – be sure to scout out your new place for secret hiding spots. Cats always have a way of finding the most out-of-reach and hidden spots, and if you don’t know where those are, you can easily stress yourself out by thinking that one of your cats got out, when really they are holed up in some secret place. I know, because that’s what happened with Sampson!
Anyway, thanks for sharing these great tips! Have a a wonderful Thursday. Sampy sends Astrid a kiss for everybody in the world that has ever moved, and we all send lots of love!
We will be moving one day and appreciate (and will keep) the colorful tips! OMC, Tiger walking back to your house, that’s a lesson. So sorry it didn’t have a good ending!!!!!! Thank u for sharing this valuable information.
We have not moved in 40 years and I dread the thought of it. Excellent tips.
Great tips! None of us have had to move, unlike our previous generation of cats who had to move as many as five times.
Happy early birthday to Calista Jo in case we don’t get to comment on Saturday!
I’ve had to move once and I hated it! My felines have moved several times – BobbieSue, 3 times, Simon, 5 times, Piper, 6 times and Toby, 4 times. If we have to move again, I’m sure they will help me cope!
Binga has lived in three different houses with my human, and Sparkle and Boodie lived in two. I really like the house we live in – other than the occasional hotel rooms, I hope we never have to move!
These are all great tips. Everyone should print this out and file it with the vet records so you can review it again before you move!
OMC!! We hope we nevfur have to move…it seems unlikely though as the peeps have lived here all 28 years of their marriage,and pawppy was here a few years befur that, MOL!!
Hope we can get a pawppy/kitty picture…
And happy early birthday to Calista Jo!
This is a very important post. Great job with this. Cats and dog both get stressed with moves and too often become lost. Looking forward to your celebration! ❤