How to Move with a Cat

Last Updated: March 29, 2019 References Approved

If cats had their way, everything would always stay the same. They do not always adjust well to change, so imagine how they feel when you move to a new home! Their anxiety and nervousness with the move can cause them to act out in different ways, such as hiding, trying to escape, and fear-based house soiling.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
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Go to source} It will be very important for you to do all that you can to reduce your cat’s anxiety before the move, during the move, and after the move.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Your Cat for the Move Process

1
Check your cat’s ID tag. Although you will do your best to prevent your cat from getting spooked and running away during the moving process, she may still find a way to bolt. Proper identification will be very useful if someone finds her. Make sure that her ID tag has your mobile number on it, since your landline number will change after the move.^{[2]
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- If your cat is not already microchipped, take her to the veterinarian to have that done.^{[4]
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  Research source} A microchip is a small device that is implanted just under the skin. If someone finds your cat, they can take her to a veterinarian’s office or animal shelter that can scan the microchip and identify you as her owner.
- Preparing ‘lost cat’ flyers is also useful. These flyers should contain a picture of your cat, your cat’s profile, the addresses of your veterinary clinic and local animal shelters, and your contact information. If your cat does run away, having the flyers already prepared will allow you to quickly start posting them in the area.^{[5]
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2
Take your cat to the veterinarian. Ensure that your cat is up to date on vaccinations and parasite control. Moving is a stressful process for your cat, so you will want to make sure that she is as healthy as possible. Your veterinarian can administer any necessary vaccinations and provide you with more parasite control.^{[6]
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- While you are at the veterinarian's office, ask for a copy of your cat’s medical records. This is especially important if you will need to switch veterinary offices after you move.^{[7]
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  Research source} Having a copy of your cat’s medical records will make it easier for the new veterinarian to know your cat’s full medical history.
- Talk with your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medication. Depending on your cat’s temperament, she may need medication to reduce her anxiety during the move. Your veterinarian can discuss what medications are available and how you should administer them, if necessary.^{[8]
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3
Find a pet-friendly hotel. If you are traveling cross-country with your cat, you will probably need to spend the night at a hotel. Finding a hotel that accepts cats may be challenging, though, since not all pet-friendly hotels accept cats. Even if the hotel accepts cats, it may not have pet-friendly rooms available when you are moving. In addition, pet-friendly hotels could charge you an expensive convenience fee.^{[9]
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- When you arrive at the hotel room, cat-proof the room as much as you can before letting your cat out of her carrier. The room will be unfamiliar to her, and she could easily find a place to hide or crawl under (under or behind the bed, under a chair).^{[10]
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- It may be best to keep your cat in your hotel room's bathroom, and set up the room as you did when you moved out of your old home. Leave her carrier in the bathroom with her.^{[11]
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4
Get your cat comfortable with her carrier. Start getting your cat comfortable with her carrier several weeks prior to the move. You can use either a hard-top or soft-top carrier. The hard-top carrier is more sturdy, but you may need the soft-top carrier if you are flying to your new destination and plan to carry her with you on the plane.^{[12]
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- Make the carrier look inviting by leaving its door open and placing her bed and some treats inside.^{[13]
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- Encourage her to spend time in the crate by feeding her meals in the crate.^{[14]
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- Place a blanket over the carrier to make it look like a safe hideaway to your cat, which will be helpful on moving day.^{[15]
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- Reward her with a treat each time that she goes in the crate. Doing this creates a positive association with the crate.^{[16]
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- Ride with her when she is in the carrier. Start with placing her in the car with you without driving. When you see that she can remain calm in the car when it's not moving, take her on short drives, then longer drives. Reward her with treats each time that she stays calm in her crate while she’s in the car with you.^{[17]
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5
Get your cat comfortable with the moving boxes. The sight of moving boxes may be enough to make your cat very anxious. In the weeks before the move, set out some empty moving boxes for her to explore and get comfortable with. If she seems extra wary of the boxes, try spraying some cat pheromones (available at your local pet store) on the corners of the boxes; the scent of these pheromones should encourage her to explore the boxes.^{[18]
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- Giving her time to explore the boxes can end up being play time for her, which will help reduce her anxiety with the move.^{[19]
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6
Keep your cat’s routine consistent. Preparing to move means that you will be busy packing boxes and running errands. Even with these changes in your schedule, make sure that you keep your cat’s routine as consistent as you can to reduce her anxiety with the move. For example, continue to feed and play with her at the same time each day.^{[20]
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- If you see that she is getting increasingly anxious even with a consistent routine, you could try to increase your play time with her.^{[21]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Moving to the New Home

1
Set up a cat-safe room. On moving day, people will constantly be moving from room to room and going in and out of the door. This level of commotion will make your cat extremely anxious. Keeping her in a separate room will protect her from the commotion. To make the room comfortable for her, put her food bowl, water bowl, litter box, toys, and bed in the room.^{[22]
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- Place her in the room before you start the actual process of moving. Once she is comfortably settled in the room, place a sign on the door advising people to keep the door closed.^{[23]
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- The bathroom is a good place to put her, since people will not need to go in and out of the bathroom.
- You may also want to put her carrier in the cat-safe room, since she will have become comfortable with it at this point.
- If you are not moving far away, you may want to consider boarding her for the day of the move. Discuss this option with your veterinarian.^{[24]
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2
Feed your cat a small breakfast. Your cat will probably be anxious on moving day and may not want to eat. Even if this is the case, offer a small amount of food at her usual feeding time so that her stomach doesn’t get upset later in the day.^{[25]
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3
Place her in her carrier. You can do this either when she is in the cat-safe room or when you prepare to put her in the car. Make sure that you keep the carrier door closed until you are in a closed room inside your new home. Although it may be tempting to open the carrier door beforehand to soothe her, her fear and anxiety may cause her to bolt.^{[26]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Acclimating Your Cat to Her New Home

1
Set up a cat-safe room in your new home. Do this before you begin unloading and unpacking your things. Prepare this room like you did before, but also place her scratching post in the room with her. Open the carrier door and scatter some treats throughout the room to encourage her to come out of her carrier and explore the room.^{[27]
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- Even after the hustle and bustle of moving day is over, keep her in the cat-safe room for a few extra days.^{[28]
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  Go to source} It will probably take those extra days for her to calm down and feel more comfortable in her new environment.
- Spend some extra time with her in the room. You can play and interact with her, but also do quiet activities in the room, such as reading.^{[29]
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2
‘Cat-proof’ your new home. While your cat is in the cat-safe room, make sure that the rest of the home will be safe for your cat to explore and acclimate to. Make sure that there are no pest traps, since these traps contain pesticides that are toxic. Hide electrical cords, ensure that the window screens are secure, and cover any nooks where you cat may hide and get stuck.^{[30]
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- Set up multiple litter boxes throughout your home, especially if your new home has multiple levels.
- Place her scent around the house. To do this, put a clean sock on your hand and gently rub the sock against her cheek to get her pheromones. Rub the sock against the corners of furniture at her eye level. Do this several times before you let her out of the cat-safe room. When she comes out, she’ll recognize her scent as if she’s already marked her new territory.^{[31]
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3
Place scratching posts and toys in multiple places. Your cat may be tempted to mark her territory in your new home. Having familiar scratching posts and her favorite toys throughout the home will encourage her to scratch and play with what's familiar to her and not find new areas to scratch or mark.^{[32]
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4
Establish a regular eating schedule. Your cat may feel too anxious to eat much while she's getting used to her new environment. Even if she may not feel like eating, feeding her small and frequent meals on a regular schedule will help her feel some sense of normalcy and routine in the new home. In addition, the frequency of meals will increase the amount of time that you spend with her, which will also help reduce her anxiety.^{[33]
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- Feed her these meals in the cat-safe room.
- Establishing regular schedules for playing and sleeping will also her acclimate to her new home.^{[34]
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5
Let your cat out of the cat-safe room. Give her plenty of time and space to explore her new environment. Even after a few days, she may still be anxious, so let her get comfortable at her own pace. Offer her treats as she explores and give her access to some of her favorite toys.^{[35]
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- Offer her hiding or resting places, such as cat tunnels, where she can go while she is exploring.^{[36]
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- It may be helpful to introduce her to one room at a time, rather than having her explore the entire house at once.^{[37]
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- Keep a litter box in the cat-safe room until your cat becomes acclimated to the entire home. That room will still be her sanctuary for a while, so allow her to continue using the litter box in that room for several weeks.^{[38]
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6
Keep your cat indoors for a few weeks. This is important if your cat was indoor/outdoor or fully outdoors. The outdoor environment will be just unfamiliar as the inside of your new home, so letting her out too soon may cause her to run away.^{[39]
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Research source} If you would like to let her outside, consider putting a cat leash on her, which you can find at your local pet store.
- You can also purchase a cat-safe enclosure for your cat to be in while she is outside, which will protect her from predators.^{[40]
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- It may be helpful to scatter some of your cat's used litter around your house before you let her outside. This will help your cat feel like she's in a familiar area when she's outside and will let other neighborhood cats know that there is a new cat.^{[41]
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Warnings

Be prepared for loud wailing on the car journey; most cats find car travel extremely disorienting and strange and will vocalize loudly. This can be very distracting for the driver and distressing for all concerned unless everyone is prepared for this noise. You can reduce the likelihood of wailing by getting your cat comfortable with the car in the weeks before the move.

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Do not give your cat more anti-anxiety medication than what your veterinarian prescribed. You may give your cat too much, which could become a serious medical problem. If your cat does not seem to be responding to the prescribed dosage, contact your veterinarian to see if it is okay to give more.

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