2015 is looking good for me as finally I have the chance to move house and live in the countryside again, and get away from this housing estate where I currently live.

Oh the joy, I can't wait.

The only concern I have is my 2 cats, they are both 15 this year and have lived with me here since they were 8 weeks old.
I've done some reading on the internet about moving house with cats, as this isn't something I've experienced before.

But I wondered if any of you friendly cat owners have any extra tips that you can share with me, to help me make the move go as smoothly as possible for the 2 of them.

We're moving to a small farm, so I'm sure the cats will love their new home.

Both cats are outdoor cats, and I read that when you move you have to keep the cats in the new home for a month before letting them go outside.
This sounds extreme to me, and as mine are outside most of the time, this will surely stress them out more than anything being kept indoors 24/7 for a month.

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice that you can offer me.

A month does sound on the excessive side, but probably better safe than sorry.
My cat stayed in for 3 weeks - but it was the middle of winter when I got her and she'd been at the shelter for a few months weaning her kittens so I think she had got used to imprisonment. She certainly would be much more determined to escape now!
It might be an idea to put them into a cattery during the actual move - unless you can set up a 'safe room' for them from the off. I'd keep them in the safe room for a couple of days and slowly open up the rest of the house. Make sure they can see outside (in all directions if possible) so they can visually recognise where they now live.
On the day you let them out do it before their main meal - hopefully they won't wander too far then!

I moved six times with the same two cats & never had a problem. If they're bonded to you rather than the territory, then it should go off ok. I never had to keep them indoors for weeks, or anything like that. Maybe for the first day.

I would suggest that you accompany them around the new house, so they know it's ok. Also, the first time you let them out, go out with them, so they can explore & still feel safe. Make sure they can always get back in the house whenever they want to, so aren't tempted to wander.

Good luck for the move OP! I'm sure your cats will love their new home once they're settled

We moved recently with our 3 cats and I was absolutely dreading it! The first journey we did, we took them and all their kitty paraphernalia and set up one room at the new house for them to stay in for the day. We kept them indoors for 3 weeks due to me being too scared to let them out. I think most websites advise keeping them in for at least 2 weeks but each cat is different. If they will tolerate wearing a harness, you could always take them outside for supervised short walks to get them used to their new house and its surroundings. We did this with one of ours as he's a big softie.

On the day of release, we did it first thing in the morning before they had any breakfast. Our (slightly) overweight cat who never wanders far anyway came home within 20 mins. The softie took about an hour to come back home and the semi-feral went on a right adventure and returned home after 3 hours!

I don't think we give our kitties enough credit when it comes to moving house They love us really and want to come home! Hope it all goes well, keep us updated!

I totally agree with the above.

When I moved, my (then) cat, after a couple of days getting used the new house, went out first with me. She didn't stop out long before running back indoors.

Never showed any sign of wandering besides exploring the area, and the main problem she had was in establishing her territory with other cats, one of which regarded my garden as part of his own territory.

Well i have found that keeping them in for 1 day was always enough, and used the old butter on the paws trick works well, and they spend most of the first few hours just by the outside the back door licking the butter off thier paws, then they just wander back in as they are to tied to do anything else

The thing is that cats ARE territorial, and can have an overwhelming instinct to get back to their territory. This is part of cats' make up, no matter how much they are bonded to their human family. I'd err on the side of caution OP especially with your cats being older, and keep them in for 3-4 weeks, as the advice states. They may be less adventurous than younger cats would be, but they may be more set in their ways and take longer to adjust to a new territory. It might confuse and disorientate them to be let out after such a short period of time, as a day, and lead them to try to go "home".

Wow thanks everyone for all your lovely helpful responses.

Not sure I like the idea of the cattery tbh, as I wouldn't be comfortable with my Molly being left there as she's such a timid little thing and will only allow me to handle her and being in a Cattery will scare her.
Morse the Tom will be fine, as he's a people cat anyway and goes up to anyone.

I know that when I move, Molly will cling to me in the new house until she settles, whereas Morse will hate being kept in the house for 3 - 4 weeks, as he's in and out constantly all day and night.

I also will hate them being closed up in the house as I will have to go back to using litter trays again, and neither of these have used one for the last 10 years, they always go outside.

Luckily on the farm there are no other cats, so the territory will be theirs once they get used to it.

Thanks again for your help, I feel better prepared now and I'm sure they'll be fine as long as they have me around

Some people take their cats to the pussy hotel for a week or two but I think that is stressful.

I had an elderly cat who settled in well into his new home. Some don't tend to go very far but they can have very good memories and homing instincts.

We just watched him rather closely when he went out.

Apart from the butter thing (never tried it), I agree with all this - my cats have moved 4 times in 7 years and I've never kept them in for more than a day/night. If they've used the litter tray and had some food, they're pretty settled. After the first night, I let them out before breakfast and leave the door open. Maybe have a wander with them for a few minutes. Then make them aware food is about to be served. If they know where to run to, you're all good. How is a cat supposed to get to know it's new territory if you don't let them out?

^^^ This. Excellent advice.

Do check with neighbours too, the new garden may be occupied territory and newcomers might even be chased off.

Also check whether your cats are safe and welcome to roam into others' gardens and home. They may have their own cats, dogs or small animals to consider.

Are yours boys or girls (or one of each). Boy and girls have different issues.

One of the biggest problems you will encounter is the cats being uncomfortable / anxious in the new home, due to unfamiliar scents.

Our tendency, when we move into a new home is to deep-clean everything (the moving process gives a great opportunity for this). Try not to go mad with bleach, (at cat height) as this may amplify any scent left by a previous occupier. A biological cleaner is much better for removing scent (diluted washing detergent is excellent).

Make sure you have something that the cats will definitely recognise from their last place. Such as corners of furniture - try to leave these as they were. Doors / doorways should be cleaned with bio liquid. If you want to go into full cat-mode, you can rub their (unwashed) bedding around doorways.

If the weather is bad, that may help, as they won't want to wander too far.

Good luck.