How Moving Affects Cats

How Moving Affects CatsCats are territorial creatures, so moving your feline to a new home can be highly stressful for them. Knowing what behavioral changes they may exhibit, however, can reduce your worry and help you focus on your moving preparations.

First, it’s important to know that cats rely on a daily routine to feel safe and content. This means that, despite the bustle of planning and packing at your home, you should adhere to the feeding and play schedule that your cat is familiar with. Also, after you move into your new place, you should:

Place Familiar Smells In and Around Your Home

To avoid behavioral problems, such as separation anxiety or hiding, keep familiar smells in and around your home. For instance, if you brought potted outdoor plants with you on your move, place those outside again but near entry doors, so that if your cat runs away, the plant’s familiar smell can help to draw it back to safety.

Expect Your Cat to Crave Food

Cats usually eat a little at a time, but when a cat moves to a new home, it may ask for food more often as a way of seeking reassurance. Keeping a bowl of dried food down at all times can help your feline adjust to its new environment faster.

Protect Your Carpet

Cats experiencing stress from a move have been known to tear up carpets. Because cats hate anything sticky, to discourage your pet from shredding your carpet, fit a strip of double-sided sticky tape on the part of the carpet it tends to scratch.

Retrain Your Cat to Use a Litterbox

Unfortunately, when your cat first moves into your new home, it may act out by doing its business outside the litterbox. This is not unusual and may happen quite often. It’s important to be patient. Your cat requires lots of attention during this period of adjustment. With your gentle and consistent redirection, your cat should once again start using its litterbox.

The professionals at Atlantic Relocation Systems understand the challenges that pet owners like you encounter when preparing for a move. That’s why we’re committed to making relocations as stress-free as possible and can handle everything from packing and loading to transporting and unloading. With more than 40 years’ of relocation experience under our belts, we have the knowledge and skills you need to ensure a smooth transition into your new home.

Contact Atlantic Relocations Systems today to learn more about our moving services.