How You Can Start Helping Your Feline Friend Settle into the New House

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When it comes to moving, it’s hectic; everyone can agree on that. But can you imagine the change for your pets? They’re going to struggle to even comprehend this change. Just think about it, having a small child makes them struggle with the concept of change, so surely you can imagine it being far worse for a cat or even a dog. For any pet, you need to prepare them and get the right supplies to make them feel comfortable, and it’s the same for moving into a new house.

It’s a new smell, new territory, new sounds, new views; even though the family and most of the furniture are the same, the whole surroundings are still entirely new. So, while it takes humans a little while to adjust, just keep in mind for animals, it’s going to take even longer. So, here is how you can start helping your car settle into the new house!

Prepare a Safe Space

Before the moving day, set up a designated safe space for your cat in the new house. This could be a quiet room equipped with your cat’s favourite bedding, toys, litter box, and food and water dishes. This familiar environment will help your cat feel secure amidst the initial chaos of moving. Cats like to know what’s going on, but at the same time, if they’re too unfamiliar with something, it usually makes them instantly get nervous. So, creating a safe space is best. 

Consider a Gradual Introduction

Before you jump into buying an outdoor cat enclosure, you’ll first need to make sure that your cat can gradually get used to the feeling that they’ll be in a new environment. Allow your cat to explore the new house gradually. Start with the safe space and then gradually open up new areas of the house as your cat becomes more comfortable. This will prevent overwhelming your cat and give them time to adjust at their own pace. For most owners, when they first get a cat, they’ll enclose them in one room to get used to that and then allow for more exploring; even if you had your cat for years, the concept is basically going to be the same. 

Incorporate Familiar Scents

It’s not just about the sights and sounds but the smells will also be a major factor. If you incorporate familiar scents into the new environment, this should help your cat feel more calm about the new house. So you might want to think about placing items with your cat’s scent around, such as their bedding or a piece of cloth they’ve used, around the house. This will help create a sense of familiarity in the new surroundings. Just as humans want to hold onto something familiar when going into a new home (or new environment in general), it’s honestly the exact same thing for cats. So, just be patient with them and cater to this.

At the end of the day, when it comes to your little fur baby, it’s going to take time for them to be accustomed to this whole new change. You’ll just need to be patient and let them go at their own pace.