She's old, stubborn, spoilt and I'm not too sure how she is going to handle her new home.
She will be flying in, in a couple of weeks, I've made sure her toys from our place are coming with us and will be set-up for her.
I'm going to be picking her up from the airport and bringing her home, thought that was less confrontational for her than being delivered to the door, she is a good traveller in the car.
She's currently at the vets and has been for the last month or so. They will make the call before she is picked up if she needs slight sedation.
What can I do to help her settle. I'm thinking for the first few nights to lock her in the bathroom, as that is where her litter will be, it will also stop her spraying around the place in protest.
I'm going to keep her on light food to start with.
I've heard of people putting a small amount of butter on their paws, the idea being they lick it off taking the scent of home with them. But we've only ever locked them in the house for 2-3 weeks and they've been fine.
She'll be locked inside for quite a while, until I slowly start letting her out on her harness. She is primarily an indoor cat, so being stuck inside won't be too bad as long as she can see out the window from her scratching post.
I find with my cats that as long as there's stuff with their scent on it, and my scent on it, then they are OK. Definately one room at a time though, and not until you unpack and have everything set up so it doesn't change again.
I agree with the others. Start in a small room that is comfortable and unlikely to give her any nasty surprises. The bathroom may not be the best room if she is likely to find showers, flushing toilets etc a bit scary but think about it in the context of your house. Gradually open up the amount of space she has access to depending on how she seems to be coping. Give her some dark hiding spots and keep the travel cage available for her to hide in if she wants to. Keep food/water/litter available all of the time so she can come out when she feels most comfortable. Make life as predictable as possible while she is adjusting. Make yourself available to her for pats but let her come to you on her terms. You can find a pheromone spray/plug in from the vet if you think you may need it called Feliway. It can help settle anxious cats.
You must be so excited to see her! Hope she settles well.
I've moved a thousand times with my 15yo cat, and he has always been confined to the laundry for about 24hrs... Then allowed into the bigger areas like Lounge n dining room but we keep the bedroom doors shut for a day or two, then let him in our bedroom n bathroom and by then he is fine. He's done heaps of moves tho so adjusts really well. Just take it slow for her, let her into new areas bits at a time...
Sounds like she handled it ok. If she's still banned from your room this might sound odd but maybe leave her a worn tshirt or something where she sleeps for a few days or so - it'll have your scent on it.
Best way to settle a cat into a new home
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