Moving house is one of life’s most stressful events, but it’s not just humans who feel the strain. Our feline friends can find the upheaval extremely unsettling, too!

If you’re planning on moving house with cats, it’s essential to take steps to ensure their well-being and minimize their anxiety.

As someone who has recently moved house with anxious cats, I’m sharing the strategies I used to keep them calm and help them adjust to their new home.

And trust me, the more you do to reduce your cat’s stress during the move, the calmer YOU will feel!

How Do Cats Cope With Moving House?

Cats are territorial animals, so moving home can be highly stressful for them.

Cats become very attached to their physical environment, so moving to a new house is a huge shock to their system.

That being said, I believe cats are more attached to their family than their physical environment.

So, while moving home is a huge adjustment, they understand that they are still with their family, and that does help them settle.

How To Reduce Your Cat’s Stress When Moving House

Moving house can be highly overwhelming and stressful for a cat. So one of the worst things you can do is let them roam the new home immediately.

Instead, you should introduce them to one room at a time, starting with ‘base camp.’

I’ll explain this process in detail below, along with other precautions you can take to ease your kitty’s moving stress.

Before The Move

Reducing your cat’s stress when moving house starts well before moving day. Here’s how to best prepare for a stress-free house move with your kitty.

1. Talk To Your Cat

Our pets understand more than we think. Although we may not speak the same language, they can comprehend our energy, body language, and tone of voice.

When you start preparing for the house move, such as by moving furniture and packing things up, your cat WILL sense that a significant change is ahead.

I recommend explaining what is about to happen to them with a calm tone. Sure, they won’t understand your words, but your soothing tone of voice and calm energy will help to reassure them.

Moreover, try to give them lots of attention during the packing process. You will likely be busier than usual during this time, so you might unknowingly neglect your kitty.

While you’ll think nothing of this, your cat will connect the lack of attention to the movement in the house, causing them to feel insecure and anxious.

2. Set Up A Base Camp

Before moving house with cats, take some of your kitty’s things to the new house and set up a ‘basecamp.’

A basecamp is a small room, such as a bedroom or spare room, where your cat will stay for the first few days after the move.

Set up this room with as many of your cat’s scent soakers as possible. Scent soakers are items that contain your cat’s scent, such as:

• Cat beds
• Scratchers
• Cat trees
• Litter box
• Blankets or rugs they usually sleep on

By placing their scent soakers down before the move, your cat will feel a sense of familiarity as soon as they arrive. This will significantly help them adjust to their new environment and stay calm.

3. Move Your Cats BEFORE Moving Your Belongings

Many cats get stressed just by the sight of a suitcase. So imagine what it is like for them to witness a group of strangers entering their territory and taking away everything that smells of them.

Highly stressful indeed!

This is why you MUST get your cats out of the way when the movers come in.

If possible, I recommend taking them to the new house first and setting them up in base camp (as explained above). This way, they will not see any furniture being moved.

If this is not possible, slowly empty the contents of one room in your old house before moving day. You will use this room as a temporary base camp during moving day.

When the moving day comes, put your cat in the empty room with all their things and keep the door closed. That will allow you to pack up and move everything in the rest of the house without your kitty seeing what is going on.

During The Move

One part of moving with cats that is incredibly stressful is the journey to the new house.

Some cats hate being in a car, even for a short period. Moreover, if you have to take public transport or fly with your kitty, this will increase their stress further.

Here are a few things I recommend doing when moving house with cats:

1. Stay Calm

As I previously mentioned, cats can sense our energy. But not only do they sense it, they absorb it.

So, one of the best things you can do when moving house with cats is to stay as calm as possible.

Now I know this is easier said than done, as moving is stressful for us too. But the calmer you are, the more relaxed your kitty will be.

So whether you’re driving, taking public transport, or catching a flight with your kitty, focus on your breathing.

Take lots of slow, deep breaths whenever you start to feel stressed or anxious. I particularly recommend the box breathing technique as it is a fast way to settle the nervous system.

2. Use The Slow Blink

I’ve talked about the slow blink in other articles because it is a simple yet highly effective way to communicate a sense of calm and safety to a cat.

When you’re on your way to the new house, your kitty will panic, with no idea what’s going on.

By slowly blinking at your cat, you let them know they are safe and can trust you.

I did this continuously with all my cats during the 1-hour taxi ride to my new house. The taxi driver must have thought I was very strange, but I could see my cats visibly relaxing every time I did it.

3. Give Lots Of Petting

Another way to calm your kitty during the move is by giving them lots of physical affection.

However, note that while many cats find being petted by their owner very soothing when stressed, it might further annoy some cats.

You know your cat’s unique personality, so you know whether petting them or giving them me-time is best when they are stressed or scared.

4. Distract With Treats

Finally, if your kitty is food-motivated, feeding them their favorite treats might be a good way to distract them and keep them calm.

Of course, when traveling, be sure not to feed them too much or too quickly. But a little treat here and there, especially if it’s a long journey, could significantly help.

After The Move

So what should you do once you arrive at the new house? Here is the 3-step process I recommend for the final part of moving house with cats:

1. Keep Them In Base Camp

First, give them time alone to decompress in base camp (a small room that contains all their things).
After a few hours, go and spend some time with them.

Give them their usual food and treats, and use their old food and water bowls to promote a sense of familiarity.

Some cats enjoy relaxing music, so you can also try this out on your kitty. You can find a lot of cat-calming music on YouTube. I also recommend it when you’re moving all your stuff into the house, as it will cover the unsettling noise.

Keep your cats in their basecamp for the first 1-3 days. This is crucial because they need time to decompress. However, as every cat is different, how long they should stay in their base camp depends on their progress.

Typically, younger cats adjust faster, and by the end of the first day, they might be showing signs of curiosity and wanting to go outside their room. Older cats, however, are more likely to need a longer decompression period.

2. Slowly Let Them Explore

Once your cat is displaying the following behaviors, they are ready to explore the rest of the house:

• Eating and drinking normally
• Using the little box
• Interacting and playing rather than hiding

However, don’t force your cat out of base camp. Instead, leave the door open so they can come out when ready.

When your cat does start to explore the house, stay close to them and let them know you are there.

Let them explore one new room at a time and for short periods. Taking it slow will prevent them from getting overwhelmed.

When your kitty is exploring the house, if you notice they start to get stressed, bring them back to their base camp to decompress, then try again later or the next day.

I also recommend keeping them in their base camp or your bedroom at night and when you go out rather than letting them roam the house alone.

3. Get Them Straight Into A Routine

Lastly, as soon as you’ve completed the move, try to get them straight into a routine.

Cats thrive on routines and predictability, so the quicker you create this, the faster they will settle. This means feeding them and playing with them at the same time every day.

Cat Calming Aids To Use When Moving House With Cats

There are many calming aids for cats that can help to reduce your kitty’s stress throughout the moving process.

These five cat calming products are the ones I’ve used when moving house and traveling with my cats.

For best results, use them throughout the entire process. Start them when you begin packing in the old house and continue them until your cat is fully settled in the new house.

How Long Does It Take A Cat To Adjust After Moving?

Some cats adjust to their new home very quickly (in a couple of days), while others take a few weeks or even months. It depends on your cat’s age and personality.

However, following the processes explained above will hopefully reduce your kitty’s adjustment period.
For example, I followed these methods with my three cats, and all of them (including the older one) fully settled in their new home within two weeks.

How Long To Keep Cats Indoors After Moving

If you usually let your cat go outside, you MUST keep them inside at your new home for at least one week.

If you let your cat out too soon, you risk them running away, getting lost, or attempting to return to their old house.

As long as your cat has settled well after one week, you can start letting them outside for short periods, always supervised. If your kitty has a tendency to run away from you when outdoors, you might want to take them out on a harness.

Supervised, short periods outside are crucial, as cats need time to get familiar with the new environment and put down their scent.

After one week of supervising and limiting their time outdoors, you can start to let them out alone and for more extended periods. However, I recommend bringing them indoors at night and whenever you go out for at least the first month.

Additional Advice For Moving With Multiple Cats

If you have multiple cats that don’t get along or are not bonded, consider bringing them to the new house separately and keeping them in different base camps.

I recommend doing this if you have cats that get stressed or annoyed in each other’s company or if they tend to fight.

On the subject of cats who don’t get along, I found that moving house brought my cats closer together. I’m not sure whether it was due to the shared experience or just finally realizing that they can’t escape each other!

Final Tip For Moving House With Cats: Address Your Stress!

Lastly, while this article is about reducing your cat’s anxiety, let’s not ignore the fact that moving house is incredibly stressful for us humans, too!

Moreover, moving house with cats increases our stress further. You will likely be so worried about your cats adjusting that you don’t realize your own emotions.

That’s why I suggest taking some time for self-care during this process. Ensure you’re regularly doing whatever activities you find grounding and de-stressing (for me, it’s nature walks and sound baths).

It will help you de-stress and adjust to this significant life change, and your pets will sense your zen energy and relax more, too!

I’d love to hear about your experience moving house with cats. Comment below and let me know how you managed your cat’s stress during this time!