Hello to everybody,
I have a difficult situation. My cat has to be transported to a new place we moved to. The first attempt to take him failed: we were looking for him for about half an hour, then tried to put him into the special cat container which took some time but we finally succeeded. In a few minutes we had to let him out though, because he desperately wanted to get out and we were afraid he could hurt himself badly.
So comes my question: how can we calm down such a nervous cat so that he isn't afraid of being transported? How can we safely transport him? The road will be about 10 mins by taxi, then about 2,5 hours by train, and then about 15 mins by foot.
We love him dearly and we do want to take him with us. It's a must. But how??
He is kind of used to that cat container by the way. We used it to take him to a vet, and it was in our house for about 1 week, with his favourite scarf inside (as bedding), he slept there with no fear etc. But the day we had to carry him, he decided to show his character... :/
I'll be very grateful for any advice, really!
Alice
I have a difficult situation. My cat has to be transported to a new place we moved to. The first attempt to take him failed: we were looking for him for about half an hour, then tried to put him into the special cat container which took some time but we finally succeeded. In a few minutes we had to let him out though, because he desperately wanted to get out and we were afraid he could hurt himself badly.
So comes my question: how can we calm down such a nervous cat so that he isn't afraid of being transported? How can we safely transport him? The road will be about 10 mins by taxi, then about 2,5 hours by train, and then about 15 mins by foot.
We love him dearly and we do want to take him with us. It's a must. But how??
He is kind of used to that cat container by the way. We used it to take him to a vet, and it was in our house for about 1 week, with his favourite scarf inside (as bedding), he slept there with no fear etc. But the day we had to carry him, he decided to show his character... :/
I'll be very grateful for any advice, really!
Alice
Normally I'm very opposed to using drugs on cats, but there are times like this when it may be necessary. Talk to your vet about a mild tranquilizer or sleeping pill for your kitty. He will just go to sleep, and then wake up in his new home.
Upon arrival, do not let him straight out of the crate, or he will probably bolt and you'll be very hard pressed to find and calm him. Keep him in the crate for at least half an hour. Bring some of his favourite toys and some of your every day things to the crate for him to sniff. This will give him the reassurance that he IS home, even though it's a new location.
When I moved last year two of my kitties had never been out of their birth home. It took them almost a full week to come completely around. One of them even hid behind the dryer for most of the week, hissing and snarling at everyone and everything.
Upon arrival, do not let him straight out of the crate, or he will probably bolt and you'll be very hard pressed to find and calm him. Keep him in the crate for at least half an hour. Bring some of his favourite toys and some of your every day things to the crate for him to sniff. This will give him the reassurance that he IS home, even though it's a new location.
When I moved last year two of my kitties had never been out of their birth home. It took them almost a full week to come completely around. One of them even hid behind the dryer for most of the week, hissing and snarling at everyone and everything.
Comments
Thank you. I'm not a fan of drugs either but looks like it will be the best option. Thanks again.
- Anonymous
You're very welcome. Good luck, and let us know how he makes out with the move.
- JustaBrat
I have moved 2 times in the last year with one very nervous cat. The second time though, we moved him to the new place first with a pet carrier put him in the bathroom with some food, his litter box, something to lay on, and a couple of his favorite toys. Then we moved our big stuff (furniture, totes, ECT.) it was alot easier the second time, I think moving all of your furniture out of a home your cat is used to before actually seeing the new place is what makes him nervous. Hope this helps! But all cats are different!
- peaches