Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My sister and I have recently bought a new house and are getting ready to move our cats over. Now all of our cats are rescued (we have six indoor, three outdoor) and they all know each other and get along pretty well. Some are even bonded. Our first indoor cat, however, has some issues currently. We're thinking it's due to stress and some of our other cats playing a bit too roughly. We originally wanted to buy a house specifically for more space for them all and have set up the new house to accompany them, large cat trees and shelves for them for more vertical space. Our first cat lately has been having urinating issues (vet has found no problems) and has been peeing all over the house. Once again, we figured he's stressed because of the lack of space.
Okay, now that some background has been laid down, on to my question: how should we go about moving the indoor cats? Should our stressed cat be moved over first to get used to the new place and cut back stress? Or will it be better for all of them to come into new territory so it doesn't disrupt the hierarchy so much? It's a bit difficult on all of us cause we just want to do what's best for our cats. Currently two outside cats are getting used to the territory at the new house until they are comfortable enough to be outside. Remember, our indoor cats know our outside cats well, so I don't think smell will be a problem. Any advice on this or experiences will be greatly appreciated!
My sister and I have recently bought a new house and are getting ready to move our cats over. Now all of our cats are rescued (we have six indoor, three outdoor) and they all know each other and get along pretty well. Some are even bonded. Our first indoor cat, however, has some issues currently. We're thinking it's due to stress and some of our other cats playing a bit too roughly. We originally wanted to buy a house specifically for more space for them all and have set up the new house to accompany them, large cat trees and shelves for them for more vertical space. Our first cat lately has been having urinating issues (vet has found no problems) and has been peeing all over the house. Once again, we figured he's stressed because of the lack of space.
Okay, now that some background has been laid down, on to my question: how should we go about moving the indoor cats? Should our stressed cat be moved over first to get used to the new place and cut back stress? Or will it be better for all of them to come into new territory so it doesn't disrupt the hierarchy so much? It's a bit difficult on all of us cause we just want to do what's best for our cats. Currently two outside cats are getting used to the territory at the new house until they are comfortable enough to be outside. Remember, our indoor cats know our outside cats well, so I don't think smell will be a problem. Any advice on this or experiences will be greatly appreciated!
Yes, that would be my opinion. Others may differ, but I would think the already stressed cat would benefit from getting used to the new home without the added stress of the other cats around. As I said, that's my take on it FWIW.
Yes, stressed cat in first. You don't want the other cats there and he has to enter that milieu which he already finds threatening. Can you bring over the others a little at a time and not the whole bunch at once? Can you make him a safe place. There are some cats that want their own and are perfectly happy with a house full...as long as they have their totally safe world.
My neighbor has a little female kitty that decided to stay upstairs because one of her loves, the husband, did office work up there. This cat would go in his office to watch him when he was working but would then go to the other upstairs bedroom when he went downstairs. The gentle alpha male would visit her now and then. And she liked that alright. The other cats didn't like her and she hated them. So that worked out.
But even a smaller spot that was somehow all hers could keep stressed cat content.
About the outside ones. If it's a consideration, you know about birds of prey picking up small cats and dogs? And that cats should be kept inside a while so they get to know their home and where to come back to? Of course, that said, our alpha male thought he had gone to heaven when we moved from where he roamed the neighborhood before coming in our house....to the wider open country spaces. He could not believe the small animals, the trees, etc etc. It was his dream come true. He quickly slipped out...but was often on the porch and always came to his whistle.
Enjoy your new home. Keep us updated on how the cats like it.
Yes, stressed cat in first. You don't want the other cats there and he has to enter that milieu which he already finds threatening. Can you bring over the others a little at a time and not the whole bunch at once? Can you make him a safe place. There are some cats that want their own and are perfectly happy with a house full...as long as they have their totally safe world.
My neighbor has a little female kitty that decided to stay upstairs because one of her loves, the husband, did office work up there. This cat would go in his office to watch him when he was working but would then go to the other upstairs bedroom when he went downstairs. The gentle alpha male would visit her now and then. And she liked that alright. The other cats didn't like her and she hated them. So that worked out.
But even a smaller spot that was somehow all hers could keep stressed cat content.
About the outside ones. If it's a consideration, you know about birds of prey picking up small cats and dogs? And that cats should be kept inside a while so they get to know their home and where to come back to? Of course, that said, our alpha male thought he had gone to heaven when we moved from where he roamed the neighborhood before coming in our house....to the wider open country spaces. He could not believe the small animals, the trees, etc etc. It was his dream come true. He quickly slipped out...but was often on the porch and always came to his whistle.
Enjoy your new home. Keep us updated on how the cats like it.
Thank you so much for the reply!
The cats can be brought over a little at a time. We don't have our lease end until June, so it works out well. He usually loves my room. There's this blanket that my mother crocheted that he absolutely LOVES to lay on. The bed is also a loft bed, so it's higher up, which is a plus for him.
As for the birds of prey situation, I've done a ton of research and have also taken it into consideration. I've read that red tailed hawks can't actually pick up and carry off things more than their body weight and our cats weigh over 6lbs each. They're also used to living around red tails, owls, etc. Today Sidian (one of our outdoor cats) watched a helicopter go by in the sky. He also was very weary of a buzzard that flew overhead, so he seems to be used to keeping his eyes on the sky. There is a pair of red tails that lived at our old house but they didn't seem to bother our cats.
So far the inside cats have been kept inside a week and do NOT go outside without being supervised. Sidian does rather well. He stays with me without worry and seems to really like our privacy fenced in backyard. Jewel, on the other hand, instantly tried to jump the fence and go into a neighbor's yard. Nabbed her really fast and back in she went. She seems to be a frightened cat, always has been, and constantly hides in places she feels safe. We have a cat house we put outside that she loves staying in.
I should mention that at the old house these cats didn't come around until around twilight/night time. Sidian tended to come around sometimes in the day, but was more frequent at night. During the day here they don't seem comfortable outside, but cry all night long wanting out. So night seems to be their comfort zone. Collars and tags are going to be coming in and microchips are in the near future. A catitat is also in the near future, especially for our inside cats. Our house was bought with our cats in mind so there's still a lot of work to do. But this is getting long so I'll end this here for now!
The outside cats are doing spectacularly! They know where their home is and they return throughout the day. No fights with the neighborhood cats yet (by day one they started coming in the yard to see what was up) and the tags and collars still remain around their necks. The third outside cat is still inside getting used to the place, but he's doing surprisingly well. The stressed cat, Graphite, just came over a few days ago and he's taken to the house like he already owns it. We did have a little accident of him pooping in one of the rooms, but he was too afraid to go to the garage where the litter boxes are. I moved the box into that room for a few days until he got used to the house and now he goes into the garage confidently.
Some things came up with the catitat so it'll have to wait just a little longer. If anyone has any advice on attaching fencing (not chicken wire, we won't use that) then please let me know! I've never done anything like a catitat before, but I think all that will need to be done is attaching the fence/a door to the pergola we're ordering and adding on shelves and sit spots for them. I'd really, really appreciate any advice anyone can give so that they'll be safe and happy!
Thanks for all of your support and advice in the past. It's helped this moving process along nicely and has relieved some of the stress that's built up.
Can't help much with advice, but maybe others can and will chime in. Just want to say you're doing a great thing caring for those outside cats, and have gone above & beyond. Glad things are working out fairly well so far, and hope that continues for you & the kitties.
Does anyone know what kind of dangers a cat would encounter in the Summerville S.C area if the cat is outdoors and is accustomed to staying in the partially open garage and yard.
Our 5 cats will fly with us across country. I'll be lucky if we can rent something with 3 of the cats and house 2 of them hoping it will be very temporary until we find a home to purchase. Has anyone gone through having to rent first having more cats
than a landlord would accept?
Were we live the cats only deal with birds and geckos and unfortunately the cats go after them. The only other animal
they have to deal with are cats from other neighborhoods.
Feedback from others similar experiences will be welcome.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
