Moving? Will my reps/pets be okay?

[dragonfoot]

I have a cat (Smoki), an EWD (Tilly), a Central Beardie (Ajax), and two pure-breed english staffies (Sophie and Khaos). The two staffies are going to my brother, the cat and lizards are coming with me.

I am concerned about how the move will affect my reps, but most of all my cat, Smoki. I've heard of Cats trying to get back to place they consider "home" after a move, and I really don't want to lose her. I've had her since I was 13, we've been through everything together, me rescuing her as a baby (she was once a very different cat), then later sitting on my drive-way as I watched her be hit by a car, and joking about it moments before, so I'm really scared. I know you guys think cats are pests, but please if you don't want to help, don't reply.

What I'm wondering is, how has moving affected your reps and pets? Have you ever experienced a cat trying to go back to what they consider "home"?

Ajax has only just began to settle in and to eat regularly. I just don't know what to expect from him, he's my biggest rep concern. I just don't want to go 10 steps back with him.

I once had 4 frogs, but when I moved into the house I'm living at now they died from the move. I just really don't want this move to be the end of my animals. Is there any way to make the move easier on my pets?

 

[Kitah]

I've moved a few times with my parents, and they have two cats. One was about 12yo at the time, the other 3yo. whenever we moved, we kept them confined 100% indoors, no outdoor access for at LEAST a week- it enables tehm to become familiar with the house, realise it is safe, where you now live and where the food is. Then I took them outside on harnesses so I knew they were safe when becoming accustomised to the place. Then eventually they were allowed off the harnesses when supervised outside. I've never had them try to go back 'home.'

I don't have any personal experiences with moving reptiles, other than my turtle, however.

 

[Jeannine]

i moved 6 cats and 3 dogs to here but they were not allowed out until we had enclosed half the back verandah in lattice work for them to go in and out of

i've heard supposedly putting marg/butter on their feet so they lick the old smell off and get the new smell but in all honesty the ONLY effective way to stop them going 'home' is to keep them as inside cat/s or build them an outside enclosure that they can access from the house, mine go in and out of the backroom thru a window that is left open enough for them to get thru

as for the reptiles sorry but have never had to move as we got them after arriving here

 

[notechistiger]

Your reptiles should just fine. Just put them in tubs while moving, set up their enclosures and put them back in. They may be a little stressed while they get used to everything, so just tone down handling for a bit.

Keeping your cat inside keeps it from going back and has the added benefit of keeping it away from roads and keeping our wildlife save

 

[Bel03]

When i moved to my last house, it was on the same street as where i had just moved from......& yep, every chance our cat Bella got, she went back there! She had a habit of pouncing on the door whenever it was opened & legging it! Mind you, we had tried the 'butter on her paws' trick......they just lick it off before taking a step! When we moved to our current house, she was locked in the bathroom for the first month whenever we were heading out, & has never attempted to run away........we have moved a long way from where we were, so she wouldnt make it to our old house even if she tried. She is an inside cat anyway, she very rarely goes outside to the cat run, she prefers the comforts of my bed. Your best bet is keeping her locked inside & when she is let out, as someone mentioned, have her on a lead, or put her in an enclosure so she cant escape. Goodluck with the move, hope all goes smoothly!

 

[Fantazmic]

I agree...I used to be one of those owners who let my cat go where ever it wanted to......and in the end it left one day and didnt come back.....so something happened to it and I will never know what.

I always said if ever I had a cat again I would always have it as an indoor cat...saves on vets bills from road accidents as you have mentioned...and vets bills from cat fights...and something you should know is there is an awful illness called feline aids (it is like human aids)....and it is spread between cats from bites.....so if you really love your cat as much as you say you do then then is a perfect opportunity to turn your cat into an indoor cat. She might not be too happy about it at first but being in a new house is a perfect time to set new rules.....make sure you ahve a big litter box and lots of places for her to curl up in nice and warm and she should be fine.

if you find she has accidents inside there is a fantastic product you can get called urine off.....you can buy it at pet shops and it completely destroys any odour.....also there is a product in a red bottle in the washing section of the supermarket called 'stain goes' or stain off something like that and it dissolves stains.....fantastic also for getting rid of nasties !! I have a very naughty Stafford here who is a stud dog and every now and then he has to let us know he is the 'boss' so I know all about stains and smell........

 

[dragonfoot]

Thanks guys.

I think this will be Smoki's time to become an inside cat. It sounds like the only way I can make sure she's safe after the move, and as you all said, I'll save a heap on vet bills. My next door neighbour is a bird enthusiast and all the bird seed he throws out attracts rats. These rats have nasty bites, and they're not normal sized rats, so you should see some of the abscesses she's had.

Plus I wont have to jump out my window anymore to save any little lizards I see Smoki stalking, she had a really cute one the other day that I took across the road to the park, lol.

Thanks for the suggestions on cleaning products, Fantazmic.

A cat enclosure sounds odd, what do you guys mean by that? I imagine some huge kind of avairy-type-thing with a scratching post.. haha.

 

[Bel03]

A cat enclosure sounds odd, what do you guys mean by that? I imagine some huge kind of avairy-type-thing with a scratching post.. haha.

That is exactly what it is. You can buy proper cat runs, however they are quite expensive! I just picked up an old bird aviary, it is 6m long 5m high & 4m wide, & made some minor adjustments, adding shelves, 'ladders', climbing ropes & posts etc. The 2 males spend a little time out there every day, the kitten often sleeps out there, as he just loves being outside, the older male still comes inside to sleep though. The female......she doesnt like the outdoors much as i mentioned before, she loves being inside & very rarely makes her way out to their 'cage'.

You will most certainly save $ on vet bills keeping your cat inside, not to mention the wild life!