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11924850 tn?1601364171

Moving Worries

Hi, everyone.

  My spouse & I have  2 kitties, Sookie & Spike.  They're almost 10  & are strictly indoors.  They are "the babies" and we 4 are a wonderfully happy family.

  We're moving down the street in a couple of weeks to a 1-story house.  I'm the most worried about them missing an upstairs.  With my Multiple Sclerosis I've not been going upstairs much.  I have to sleep downstairs sitting up and my spouse sleeps in a chair beside me.  

  For some time now it's as though  the babies have had their own upstairs apartment.  You can see why the loss of a 2nd story is gonna be a shock.

  Does anyone have a suggestion on how to help them adjust?

  We all appreciate it.

  Blessings,
  Melinda
Best Answer
506791 tn?1439842983
Kitties adjust well to new conditions, just give them the same amount of fuss and affection as always..

Our house in Illinois was a 3 bedroom ranch.
The 1-bedroom apartment we rented for a year was a 2-story.
Our house in Maryland is a 2-story.

The kitties that made the near 950 mile move with us were all over 10.  Hildie was 11, Chessie was 10 1/2 and Teia was almost 14.

They made the adjustment just fine, dividing up the new places between them.
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11924850 tn?1601364171
Hi.

  Thanks for taking the time to give me a suggestion for the babies.  You can bet they'll get all the love they've always gotten and we have bought them each  a new kitty  bed (a dog bed for Spike, he's a big cat) and a new kitty condo.  That's along with their old stuff.

  Speaking of Spike, a.k.a. Mr. Goofypants,  he's the more sociable & needy of the 2.     We'll just be there for them both & they'll adjust no matter how long it takes.

  It was so kind of you to share your experience with me.

Blessings,
  Melinda
Helpful - 0
506791 tn?1439842983
It'll also help if you can insulate them a bit from the noise and bustle of the moving.

When I was packing up a room, I'd close the door, got one of those battery operated toys with the peekaboo tail under a cloth covering as a distraction for kitties in the other end of the house.

Another thing is to not wash your blankets, so kitties will have something that smells familiar when they get to the new place.  Cats depend a lot on their sense of smell to identify their territory.

Getting a Feliway diffuser or two may also help.  They act like those little plug in room fresheners, except they throw out a calmoing scent only kitties can smell.
Helpful - 0
11924850 tn?1601364171
Hi there.  Melinda here.

  I just saw  your latest reply to.me.  I'm so glad you mentioned the part about not washing the blankets.  I wouldn't have thought of that.

  I've never heard of Feliway diffuser, but I'm gonna check that out.

  Sookie is a dark calico and Spike is a big little guy, still a kitten at 9+ years.  He's short haired w/white fur coat, grey spot on his head, & blue eyes.  They are brother & sister; my sis has their mama.  They're all smart to the point of pitying us poor humans and they're all lookers.

   Noticing the pictures you've posted you have all lookers too including the non-furry one.

  My babies are  dealing quite well with the packing so far.  When Spike is scared he gets between my legs under a blanket; Sookie almost likes the paper shredder now.  She's a bit more independent.

  Thanks for all your great advice & thanks for letting me go on & on.

Blessings,
  M
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi Melinda.  I love your post.  You fit right in here; welcome!  And no problem with going 'on and on', we love to hear all about it, trust me.  

Yup, Pip is the community expert on moving and knowing how to help his kitties adjust to their new environment.  Excellent suggestion to keep the blankets unwashed.  Or anything the kids lie on.

That's what we did when Jade was boarded after her surgery.  Brought the towel I put down on the chair she slept on, and an unwashed t-shirt of my husbands to comfort her.  

Spike and Sookie may surprise you.  Jade was 5yrs or more when she moved in with the neighbors next door.  They gave her up, and while 5yrs is far from a kitten, she had no anxiety or issue in getting used to our home.  Hopefully that will be the case with your babies.  I mean, after all, the most important thing in their world is you and your spouse...which will be a comfort in itself no matter where they are.  

I wish you well with your move.  Keep us posted.  Hugs..
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