Moving house with cats

So, we're moving from Hove to Ross-on-Wye on Wednesday, a three hour journey, and we have two cats.

Has anybody got any tips for a stress free journey for the moggies?

Feliway spray is supposed to have a calming effect on them.

How are they with travelling normally?

If they've got beds/blankets/cushions/things they already sleep on, put that in the box with them. It's something familiar and safe. Leave the cat boxes out and open for a while before the move so they get used to them. Maybe do a couple of short trips beforehand if they don't travel much.

We did a 2.5ish hour move, the cats spent a couple of days in a cattery while the packing and stuff went on. Decided that the cattery (which they'd been to several times before) was likely to freak them out less than all the stuff in the house disappearing into boxes. Actually they stayed there until we'd moved and unpacked, we went back for them the following day.

Just tell them where your moving to, that should be enough !

Mostly sensible advice above.

One thing we did that doesn't change the actual journey, but can aid general calmess before and after was to pop them in the cattery for a week before and a week after the move. This meant they missed the general chaos of moving in "their" house before the move, and gives you a chance to get unpacked and the new house "normalised" without them getting under your feet.

It also makes it easier to keep them shut in after the move (we were advised to do this for a couple of weeks) - they will be mightly annoyed at the change to their living accomodation and will need to learn the new place before being let out...

My step mum brought two cats with her when she moved from Chester to sunny Surrey. The vet provided a very mild sedative that kept them very docile for the journey. Not knocked out, but very placid. They came round soon after arriving and it is brilliant to watch them stumbling everywhere, it's like they were p*ssed

Put them in a cattery for a few days whilst you do and complete the move then the shock of the journey will not be compounded by the chaos that ensues for a few days of moving

Then when you pick them up ask the cattery for no feed for them that day... This will avoid sick and crap whilst travelling... And when they get to the other end they will know where their new food place is and be keen to use and come back to it

Try and keep them in for a few days, after that they tend to do their own thing

Jedi master does it again

I've gone through this too many times to mention over the past few years and its never easy. just done the last move two months ago and it was relatively painless, but I would add the following to others advice:

Keep them in for 6 weeks after the move to avoid them getting confused as to where home is, especially if you've used a cattery as that only adds to their confusion.

When driving the most distressing thing for cats is the rapid movement of things out of the windows, the easiest way to avoid that is to put them in decent carry boxes and then cover except the front door with a blanket and have the front door face forward.

Add that to what others have said about no food. I would avoid the sedatives as they can be more distressing and can cause piss and shit everywhere when the cat is too relaxed. I used it once and my cats reacted really badly.

gas mark 6 for 45 mins, they will sit still then , and cause no problem,s settling in