Tips on moving with cats indoor and outdoor? Need advice.?
We have 3 cats, 2 are indoor and one is an indoor/outdoor cat. I’m not worried about moving the indoor cats, one of them that I have had a long time has moved with many times and been okay. The other one has always been in the same house with us but when we adopted him he did well and had been adopted (and unfortunately brought back) many times before that.
My problem is this, one of our cats sort of adopted us. He is a lot older and it started with him hanging out on our patio staring in the window a few years ago (he was abandoned here when we moved in). After some months of persuastion I convinced him it was safe inside. He goes in and out many times a day and I have only seen him use the litter box a few times. If you don’t let him out, he will spray the furniture/walls…heck he’d probably pee on me… even though him and all the others are neutered.
How can I move with him? I’m afraid that he is going to try and make his way back home once he goes outside. However, I don’t want him to ruin everything.
Part of the yard is fenced I was planning to let him out there and monitor him the best I can for a while rather than just letting him out like he does here.
To responder #1, he is neutered (see above, they all are, another one will spray occasionally, its territorial). He still insists on spraying, Ive never seen him go pee pee in a squat. He sprays everything!
To responder #2, this cat is a bum lol, he really likes to hang out all over the place. He however does not like other people besides us. Once he started coming inside our home and we began taking him to the vet I put warning tags on his collar not to feed him and I also spoke with neighbors.
(He only has 1 tooth and has to eat wet food) I also did not want them feeding him scraps.
Part of the yard is fenced at the new home so I am hoping to try to keep him contained to that area supervised for a couple of weeks, long enough for him to understand it is home. I was just wondering if anyone knows of anything else.
Thank you responder #3, very informative.
First I would get him neutered so he won’t spray. Cats are creatures of habit, so they do get a little freaked as their entire world is changing. I put my cats in the bathroom until everything was settled. Otherwise they can really hide in different locations.
I would check to make sure he hasn’t “adopted” one of the neighbors as well before you try to move with him. If he has another family, it might be best to let him stay rather than face the trauma of moving.
I worked for a veterinary clinic and got this question a lot. When you first move, keep him in his own little space, like a spare bathroom, with everything he needs (food, water, litter box, toys). That gives them time to relax in a new surrounding. I understand that he may spray. There are products you can get (search “Feliway”) that may help him with that issue. If that does not help, talk to your vet about behaviour issues. If he absolutely has to be outside, look into getting an invisible fence or keep him on a harness and leash.