Obviously I will have to have a word with my vet but we will be moving house soon and I really don't want my cat to go through all the stress of being locked in a room whilst we load up the van and then a two hour drive to our new home and then shutting him in another room whilst unloading. Has anyone heard of a sleeping tablet for a cat just so he sleeps through the whole thing?
Sleeping pill for a cat!!
don't know about a sleeping pill but maybe a couple of days in a nice cattery would be less stressful? That way you can get all of the humping boxes/furniture out of the way without him/her being exposed to all the weird noises.
He would hate being in a cattery, he is used to coming and going at will, I would even rather not go on holiday than put him in a cattery, thankfully we have good neighbours who look after him when we go away. Besides, if we put him in a cattery, we still have to drive him two hours to our new house, he screams blue murder just going three minutes in the car to the vet!
I'm more stressed about the cat and than the move!
I'm more stressed about the cat and than the move!
Your vet will be able to advise you but you can get sedatives for pets - sometimes they are used when cats are flown overseas.
I would think twice about it though because it is a risk and any sedative will repress their breathing which does put them at risk.
I would think twice about it though because it is a risk and any sedative will repress their breathing which does put them at risk.
I'm sure people have good reasons for not putting a cat in a cattery, but I would strongly advise anyone getting a kitten to get it used to being in cars and being in a cattery (obviously one the owner is happy with) as soon as possible. You wouldn't just keep your child at home because they didn't like school, to me it's no different for a cat and catteries! I'm much happier about my cats being safely looked after in the cattery when I'm away than having them being fed by neighbours, and the idea of not going on holiday for 20 years because the cat freaks out when travelling is simply not tenable to me.
Do you live near family (or have any close friends) near your old place.
We recently moved and I took Amber to my Mum's for the day. She was very nervy / jittery and hid almost the whole time {I was there with her for most of the day} but she was at neither the old or new place and missed most of the really stressful stuff - as did I
Once the removals were done we took her to the new place and within minutes she was sniffing around and was pretty much 'at home'....
The thought of knocking her out didn't occur to me to be honest - it seems a bit extreme really?
We recently moved and I took Amber to my Mum's for the day. She was very nervy / jittery and hid almost the whole time {I was there with her for most of the day} but she was at neither the old or new place and missed most of the really stressful stuff - as did I
Once the removals were done we took her to the new place and within minutes she was sniffing around and was pretty much 'at home'....
The thought of knocking her out didn't occur to me to be honest - it seems a bit extreme really?
A couple of years ago we moved our FOUR cats to our new house which was a two hour car journey away, obviously none of us loved that journey, but we all survived unscathed. I wouldn't have considered sedating them, in case they reacted badly to the meds. At least when they were yelling, I knew they were okay.
They went into a cattery (one that they had been to a few times before) for a week so they missed all the packing and unpacking, and when we had got the place straight we drove back and got them, so when they arrived at the new house all their familiar stuff was already in place.
. They went into a cattery (one that they had been to a few times before) for a week so they missed all the packing and unpacking, and when we had got the place straight we drove back and got them, so when they arrived at the new house all their familiar stuff was already in place.
Originally Posted by Lippincote:
“A couple of years ago we moved our FOUR cats to our new house which was a two hour car journey away, obviously none of us loved that journey, but we all survived unscathed. I wouldn't have considered sedating them, in case they reacted badly to the meds. At least when they were yelling, I knew they were okay.
They went into a cattery (one that they had been to a few times before) for a week so they missed all the packing and unpacking, and when we had got the place straight we drove back and got them, so when they arrived at the new house all their familiar stuff was already in place.”
“A couple of years ago we moved our FOUR cats to our new house which was a two hour car journey away, obviously none of us loved that journey, but we all survived unscathed. I wouldn't have considered sedating them, in case they reacted badly to the meds. At least when they were yelling, I knew they were okay
. They went into a cattery (one that they had been to a few times before) for a week so they missed all the packing and unpacking, and when we had got the place straight we drove back and got them, so when they arrived at the new house all their familiar stuff was already in place.”
^^A good way to arrange things.
Sedating animals can be risky, airlines no longer want animals sedated to travel as there have been some deaths associated with that practice.
In any case if they are too stressed, or already stressed before you administer the sedative the adrenaline will prevent it from working properly and teh wrond dose for that individual can either make it hyperasthetic ( very nervy, reactive and jumpy) or can disinhibit aggresion in some cases, so the cat could attack if worried, rather than hide.
Better to invest in some earplugs or an Ipod.
If you don't want the cat in a cattery, shutting in one room ( bed, food, water, litter tray, toys) to avoid the upheaval and then transporting to the new house and shutting up in a single calm room with the familiarly scented bed, food, water, litter tray, toys from the previous house while you get everything straight and settled in probably best.
Thanks everyone for your comments, perhaps sedating Willow is a bit extreme, he's a big cat with a tiny whimper, it's so heartbreaking......
Originally Posted by Puddleduck:
“Thanks everyone for your comments, perhaps sedating Willow is a bit extreme, he's a big cat with a tiny whimper, it's so heartbreaking......”
“Thanks everyone for your comments, perhaps sedating Willow is a bit extreme, he's a big cat with a tiny whimper, it's so heartbreaking......”
Every time I put my cats into baskets to go to the cattery, the Maine Coon whines almost the whole time! He's not particularly stressed, I know this because as soon as we get to the cattery, which he loves, he's straight in there playing. He's just hacked off at being in a basket, and making his views known, and he's brilliant at the pathetic miaooooow as well!
I have moved with mine but only across the road so that doesnt count. I know you can get things to calm animals down for firework nights. I do have to sedated one of my cats when he becomes ill so he doesnt get stressed at all. I only do it under vet supervison so i would speak to your vet to see if they can help you.
Originally Posted by susie-4964:
“Every time I put my cats into baskets to go to the cattery, the Maine Coon whines almost the whole time! He's not particularly stressed, I know this because as soon as we get to the cattery, which he loves, he's straight in there playing. He's just hacked off at being in a basket, and making his views known, and he's brilliant at the pathetic miaooooow as well!”
“Every time I put my cats into baskets to go to the cattery, the Maine Coon whines almost the whole time! He's not particularly stressed, I know this because as soon as we get to the cattery, which he loves, he's straight in there playing. He's just hacked off at being in a basket, and making his views known, and he's brilliant at the pathetic miaooooow as well!”
Willow is a Norwegian Forest Cat, you probably know they are very similar to Maine Coons, great big babies the lot of them!
Originally Posted by Puddleduck:
“Willow is a Norwegian Forest Cat, you probably know they are very similar to Maine Coons, great big babies the lot of them!”
“Willow is a Norwegian Forest Cat, you probably know they are very similar to Maine Coons, great big babies the lot of them!”
Well exactly, they sound like they're being murdered and they just KNOW that it winds their humans up! Don't be taken in, though, if Willow looks OK when he's let out of his basket and isn't cowering or looking upset, he's just making his views known, and you'll need to get an iPod or earplugs!
I sedated my cats when I moved to Shetland years ago. (6 hour drive, 14 hour ferry journey, then 2 hour drive plus 2 inter-island ferries!) The poor things just looked completely stoned and it seemed to take a hell of a long time to wear off. Plus one of them was sick all over the kennel on the ferry, although that could have been sea-sickness.
To be honest I think it made it more stressful for them because they weren't fully in control of themselves, so I really wouldn't reccommend it. When I moved back to Aberdeen I didn't sedate the remaining cat and she was absolutely fine with the journey and seemed to handle it much better.
To be honest I think it made it more stressful for them because they weren't fully in control of themselves, so I really wouldn't reccommend it. When I moved back to Aberdeen I didn't sedate the remaining cat and she was absolutely fine with the journey and seemed to handle it much better.
