THE PET CONNECTION By Gina Spadafori Pet Columnist

For most cats, one of the most stressful events of their lives is a distracting time for their owners as well: changing addresses. Combine traveling with suddenly being in unfamiliar surroundings, and you can easily understand why cats end up freaked out after a move.

While you'll never manage a stress-free move, for either you or your cat, you can make the best of the situation by keeping your cat secure before, during and after the move, and then allowing your pet to ease into his new surroundings.

The best way to move your cat is to confine him to a small area (I call it a "safe room") before and after the move. The ideal is a spare bedroom where your cat isn't going to be disturbed, outfitted with food and water, a litter box, a scratching post and toys.

Don't feel bad about confining your pet: He's more comfortable in a small space, and he isn't subjected to the stress of seeing people tromping out of the house with his belongings. Confining your cat also prevents him from slipping out, which is a danger at both the old and new home. Even if your cat turns up back at your old place, a reunion can be hard to arrange if you need to leave before you find him, especially if you've moved to another city.

Your cat should be confined in his safe room before packing begins, be moved to his new home in a carrier, and then be confined again in his new safe room until the moving is over, the furniture arranged and most of the dust settled.

When you get to your new home, put the carrier down in the safe room, open the door and let your cat decide when to come out.

After he's a little calmer, you can coax him out with some fresh food or treats, but don't rush him and don't drag him out -- you may be bitten or scratched. Leave the carrier, with its door removed, in the safe room. It is the most familiar place in your new home in your cat's mind and will likely be his chosen spot for a few days until this new house becomes his new home.

After a couple of days, open the door to the safe room and let your cat explore at will, on his terms, but just within the limits of the house. He still needs to be kept completely inside for a couple of weeks if he's not a completely indoor cat, to start him forming a bond with his new surroundings.

If you've been contemplating converting your cat to indoors-only, moving is a great time to do it, by the way. He'd carry on like crazy in your old home if locked in, but in new surroundings he'll accept the change better. Part of the reason cats don't like to convert is because they've marked the outside as part of their territory and have a natural desire to revisit and re-mark. A newly moved cat will come to accept the territory he has been offered, and if the outdoors isn't part of it, he won't miss it so much.

Above all, don't rush your cat. A slow transition with a period of confinement is also good for avoiding behavior problems that might pop up with the stress of moving. By limiting your cat's options to the litter box and scratching post in his safe room, he will quickly redevelop the good habits he had in your old home.

Date Published: 7/2/2002 2:50:00 PM

    

Gina Spadafori is the award-winning author of Dogs for Dummies, Cats for Dummies and Birds for Dummies. She is also affiliated with the Veterinary Information Network Inc., an international online service for veterinary professionals. Write to her at petconnection@gmail.com.