I’ve never moved with pets before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always considered our cats to be pretty laid back and easy-going and thought that the move would be no trouble for them. Delilah, Sampson, and Sophie are all pretty well traveled – I’ve taken them to my mom’s house for the weekend before, as well as my mother-in-law’s house. They’ve always done fine. Come to find out, moving is completely different than a weekend visit somewhere.
The actual process of moving this past weekend was extremely hectic and chaotic. My mom and brother came down for the weekend to help us out with the move, and a few of my band-mates helped out as well. To make sure the cats didn’t get out while so many people were coming in and out of the apartment moving stuff, we had to close them off in a bedroom. Let me tell you – juggling five cats, one of which can’t be in the same room as the others, between different rooms while trying to move is a difficult task, especially when there aren’t that many rooms to choose from. Getting your moving helpers to understand and remember which doors they can and can’t open because of the cats? Even harder. I was a nervous wreck the whole day, so afraid that someone would open a door and accidentally let the cats outside.
Sampson had the hardest time with the move. Having so many random people in the apartment was very stressful for him. He has always been a little skittish when it comes to strangers, so having five of them coming in and out of the apartment and making a lot of noise really spooked him. At one point, we opened the door of the room he was in because we had to move him and the others to a different room. He shot out and ran frantically in circles around the apartment, all poofed up, and wouldn’t let me or my husband come anywhere near him. I think the combination of the loud strangers and then coming out of the bedroom to find his home empty freaked him out. It took about ten minutes, but we finally got him calm enough to coral him into a different room.
After we took the last of the loads over to the new house, it came time for the final load – the cats. We put them in their carriers and took them over in two different cars. Once we got Sassy settled in her part of the house, we brought the other four in. Sophie immediately started exploring every nook and cranny – she was having a blast running around her new home. Caster did some exploring too, but for the most part he seemed indifferent. Delilah and Sampson found hiding places right away and were not seen for hours. Sampson didn’t come out for almost 24 hours actually. Not even for food… ๐
Because the cats weren’t settled and comfortable, it took me a while to get settled and feeling comfortable. New house = new hiding places for the cats = “mommy” not knowing where these new hiding places are and thinking that the cats had gotten out. I was running around every few hours checking to make sure everyone was accounted for, even though a door hadn’t been opened for the cats to even get outside. Yes, I am a little bit paranoid. The new house also has stairs, which could be hazardous for Sophie. She learned to climb stairs a while back when I took her to visit my mom, but it still makes me nervous. She is so haphazard about the way she runs up and down the stairs. We decided to get a baby gate to put up when we are asleep or not home so that we aren’t constantly worrying.
Okay, so I’ve covered all of the negatives of the move. Now on to the positives! I’ll let the kitties help share:
I was worried about having so much space to begin with. We’ve all been so used to being crammed in together, and I was afraid that with more space the kitties wouldn’t be around as much. I thought they might always be off doing their own thing on the opposite side of the house, or that they wouldn’t sleep with us anymore. Thankfully, I was wrong. They are all still right on top of us all the time. And the other night when we put Sassy in the other bedroom so that the other cats could sleep with us, they all four slept with us the whole night. I was one happy fur-mom.
Everyone is settling in wonderfully, and we are all looking forward to what the future holds for us in our new home. I am also excited to finally have the internet again!!! Now I can catch back up with all of my pet-blogging friends and find out what I’ve been missing out on this past week. It feels good to be back! ๐
Caren Gittleman says
Congratulations!! Moving is NEVER easy to begin with and it was hard enough for me with ONE cat, let alone 5! I know too well that nervousness of praying someone doesn’t open a door and accidentally let him (or them) out! So glad all ended up going well for you, the kitties appear to have marvelous new digs, and I am thrilled for you and your new beginning! Wishing you all nothing but the best in your new home!
Emily Hall says
Thanks, Caren! We are excited! Things have calmed down a lot over the past few days, so everyone has thankfully gotten settled. ๐
Kitties Blue says
Glad the kitties are settling in without too many problems and a minimum of hiding. Don’t worry about your house being too big…you’ll fill it up in no time. We suspect with another animal or two. Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Maggie says
Taking care for five cats in the same time sounds like a heroic action to me. A moving can be ten times more stressful to the cute animals than you.
Kitty Cat Chronicles says
That is true! They did pretty well though ๐ They definitely are very happy with their new home!