Moving house with a cat

A move upsets a cat because its home is its territory, and it knows that territory by smell. You can help by keeping the cat out of the chaos on moving day, setting up one small safe room in the new home first, and holding off on outdoor access for a few weeks. Update your cat's contact details before you leave.

Why moving is hard for a cat

A cat treats a home as a set of familiar scents, routes and hiding places. Boxes, strangers and noise disturb all of that. In the new house, none of its scent is on the furniture and it does not yet know where to hide, eat or sleep. Stress can show up as hiding, not eating, over-grooming, or soiling outside the litter box. Most cats settle within days to a few weeks. Some take longer.

Cats that usually go outdoors face another problem. They may try to return to the old house, especially if it is nearby. This is why a gradual introduction to the new area matters.

What to do, step by step

Before the move

1. Check identification. Make sure the microchip record has a mobile number that will work during the move. Put a tag on a breakaway collar if your cat accepts one. Plan to change the address on the record as soon as you know it.
2. Plan a quiet place on moving day. Choose a room that will be emptied last, such as a bathroom or spare room. Put the cat there with food, water, a litter tray, a bed and a note on the door that says the cat is inside. Close the door. Tell movers and helpers not to open it.
3. Get the carrier out early. Leave the cat carrier in the home for the weeks before the move, with a blanket and treats inside, so it is a normal place.
4. Pack slowly. Introduce boxes a little at a time. Pack the rooms your cat uses least first. Keep the cat's feeding times and play sessions steady.
5. Tell the vet. If you are moving to a new area, ask for copies of records and find a new clinic nearby. For a long-distance move, ask your vet about what to expect on the trip.
6. Prepare a settling kit. Pack food, bowls, litter and trays, scratching post, favourite toys, beds and unwashed blankets in a box that travels with you, not the van.

Moving day

1. Keep the cat in its room until everything else is loaded. Place the cat in the carrier at the last moment.
2. Travel in the car, not the van. Secure the carrier with a seatbelt. The guide on travelling with a cat by car has more detail. If you must stop overnight, take the cat into the room with you.
3. Keep the carrier closed until you are in the new home, in the chosen room, with the door shut.

The new home

1. Set up one room first. Put the litter tray, food, water, bed and a hiding place such as a box or covered bed inside, plus a scratching post. Place items so food and litter are not close together. A pheromone diffuser plugged in here is an option for some owners, though the evidence is mixed.
2. Let the cat come out of the carrier on its own. Open the door, sit quietly, then leave the cat to explore.
3. Add scent. Rub a soft cloth on the cat's cheeks and rub it on corners and furniture in the new home. Cats leave their own scent marking this way, and it helps them feel at home. Place familiar bedding in the room.
4. Expand slowly. After a few days, when the cat is eating, using the litter box and moving around calmly, open the door to the rest of the house. Let the cat explore with you nearby. Close the rooms it has not explored yet.
5. Check the home for hazards. Look behind appliances, under floors, in chimneys and in gaps where a frightened cat could hide or get stuck. See cat-proofing for the usual hazards. Check windows, balcony doors and screens are secure.
6. Keep to routine. Feed and play at the same times as before. Spend quiet time with the cat.

Going outdoors again

If your cat used to go outside, keep it indoors in the new home for a few weeks. Cats Protection in the UK, for example, suggests at least two weeks, and longer for some cats. Ask local vets or rescue groups what they advise where you live. When you start, let the cat out just before a meal, so it returns for food, and stay with it at first. Choose a calm time. Make sure the microchip details are current and the cat is neutered, since an unneutered cat is more likely to wander.

For a long-distance move, some cats do try to find the way back. Keep the cat in longer, and tell the owners of the old home to contact you if the cat turns up.

Common mistakes

• Letting the cat out too soon. The cat may get lost or return to the old home.
• Leaving the cat loose during packing or on moving day. Open doors and strangers lead to escapes.
• Washing every blanket. Leave familiar smells with the cat.
• Letting the cat have the whole new house at once. It can be overwhelming.
• Changing food and routine at the same time. Keep the diet the same.
• Forgetting to update the microchip. A cat found near the new home with an old address is hard to return.
• Punishing accidents. A stressed cat that soils outside the litter box needs reassurance, not scolding.

When to see a vet

Stress is common, but some changes need a vet. Contact your vet if your cat:

• does not eat for a day or more
• strains in the litter box or passes little or no urine, especially a male
• vomits repeatedly or has diarrhoea for more than a day
• has trouble breathing or breathes with an open mouth
• hides for days and will not come out even for food, or appears limp
• starts over-grooming and creates bald patches
• keeps soiling outside the box after the first week or two

Ask your vet before using any calming product or medicine. Never give human medicines.

Summary

• Update the microchip record, and put a tag on a collar if the cat will wear one.
• Keep the cat in a quiet closed room on moving day, then in a carrier in the car.
• Start with one safe room in the new home, with food, water, litter and a hiding place.
• Rub the cat's scent around, expand space slowly and keep routines.
• Keep the cat indoors for at least a couple of weeks before outdoor access.
• Call the vet if the cat stops eating, cannot urinate, or has trouble breathing.