Conference misery::feline_v1

    Congratulations on your new home.
    
    I would opt for number 1 also EXCEPT, I would put a huge sign
    on the door for the movers not to open that door.  Make it big
    enough so no one could miss it.
    
    Let's face it the difference between a house and a home is the
    cats, they make a house a home. (Dogs too)
    
    Barbara & her 3M's

I'm no cat expert, but I think I would go for option 1 as well.  When my
family moved from NY or RI, we had to do this with our cat as well.  We put her
in a bathroom, complete with litterbox, food, water, her toys, and tons of
articles of clothing that smelled like us.  Spot eventually dragged one of my
shirts into an open cabinet and laid on it.  She spend the next 3 weeks
cautiously investigating her new surroundings and hiding alittle more than 
usual.  She definately prefered to be with us during her first few nights
in the house.

	When we moved about three years ago, I was paranoid about trusting
	movers not to open a door to the 'cat holding room' -- one carless
	person could spell disaster.  We just waited until the movers 
	arrived at the old house, loaded the cats into carriers/cages
	and put them in the car.  It was in May so we managed to park in
	the shade and put all the windows down, and was only for about 1-2
	hours.  In very hot or very cold weather this might not work!

	We (eventually) drove to the new house and left the cats in the
	car once again until the movers had left.  Then we brought the
	carriers inside and let the cats out to explore their new home.
	Keeping them in the car avoided most of the hustle and bustle
	involved with a moving crew, the cats never really get to see
	all those 'strangers'; and it kept them safely out of everybodys'
	way.

	Of course after all that when we went to bed that night we started
	putting them down into the cellar (temporary sleeping location
	until we had a cattery set up).  I had trouble getting the last
	cat to go down so I carried her down and checked on everybody --
	only to find that the movers had left the back door from the 
	cellar to the great outdoors wide open and three cats were on their
	way out!!  In our case, loud screams from Mom froze everybody in
	their tracks which then allowed me to close the door before they
	made their escape.  

	So be sure to check ALL doors and windows in your new place before
	letting the cats loose -- as well as look for openings that they
	could squeeze through (three months after we moved in one of them
	decided to try to climb up the fireplace chimney, now all dampers
	are closed unless we have a fire going).

	Good luck with your move, changing location can be stressful for	
	cats but they'll still have you and will adapt.


	Jan

    Never, ever trust moving people, repair folk and the like to not let
    your cats out.  Just last week an electrician agreed that he'd let me
    know when he needed to go in and out of the house, so I could do an
    airlock number for the cats, and I walked back into the room a few
    minutes later to find him outside.  The primary concern in a moving
    situation is physical security for the cats, second is minimizing the
    commotion they undergo.  Also, if they're outdoor cats, don't let them
    out for a couple of weeks at the new location, or they're liable to get
    lost.
    

    When I moved I was sure Mittens was right there with me!  I put
    him in his crate (which he loves!) and filled it with toys.  he
    drove in the car with me, and once everything was inside I brought
    him in.  I kept the crate in each room with me so he could watch
    all the action and after a bit shut us into a closed room.  I
    opened the crate, got a few hugs and then he began his investigation
    of his new surroundings.  We'd move from one room to the next and I
    stayed close by to see what he'd get into (they always manage to
    find those not-yet-kitty-proofed spots!)  It's a slow process but
    keeps everything from being overwhelming.  We did the same on the
    outside of the house too, inch by inch, so that he became familiar
    with his new home.  I think he appreciated being kept safe and
    out of the way while all the action was going on (and I know I felt
    better not relying on strangers to protect my baby!)  Good luck and
    have fun!
    
    C.
    

    For the leave them in the car folks:  careful that the car is a safe
    place, i.e., not accessible to vandals and not in the hot sun.
    

    
    
    	We we moved years ago with our 12 yr old male tiger - we left him
    in his carrying cage in the bathroom while all the moving was going on.
    I felt he couldn't escape if he was in his cage and being in the
    bathroom with the door closed, he didn't see all the commotion that was
    going on.  Then that night I left the cage door open and let him come
    out when he felt it was OK.  He hide abit and slinked around the edges
    of the room for a few days and then he was fine.  He was not a
    particulary nervous cat, but it was still rough for him.
    
    	After his death I adopted a 1 1/2 yr. old female Siamese and she is
    scared of everything.  I would hate to have to move her to a new house,
    because it was so tramatic for her when she came to us.  She literally
    hide for 3 days - no food or water.  We finally found her stuck under
    and way behind the bathroom cabinet that my husband was building.  She
    was so far back you couldn't see her unles you had a flash light and 
    were on your hands and knees.  
    
    	It really is tough for some cats to be moved, but they almost all
    adjust - just give them time and lots of love.
    
    	Good Luck and Congrats on your new home!
    
    	-dee

    Through many trials and tribulations, I found the following works best.  
    In your present place, put the cats in the bathroom with their food and 
    litter box.  After the movers have finished, take the cats directly from 
    the bathroom to the car.  When you arrive at your new place, take the
    cats directly from the car to the bathroom (with their litter box and
    food).  After all your furniture is in place, let the cats out.  Even 
    though the surroundings are different, the familiar smells of the 
    furniture helps settle them down.   
    
    

thanks for all the advice.. I'm going to keep the cats with us.. Cherie will most
likely have a hissy fit and feign weakness and the vapors...   She'll give me 
that old "you really don't love me, do you?" look and then act like she's 
mortally wounded..  but she'll survive...   Betty will most likely LOVE all the
new objects that she can knock off of other objects so she'll be happy... 

I'm a little worried about the movers though, but I'm sure if we keep the 
hell hounds locked in a bath room they will be okay...  

Besides the breeder has enough howling cats.. she doesn't need another..  Cherie
is in a raging rolling heat and boy! can she scream!.. the movers are going to
think we are horribly torturing babies in our bathroom...

-Rob 

    Shouldn't that be hellcats?

    you're right..  however, when Cherie is in heat.. you can't tell if
    she is a cat, or a dog, or a baby or a gremlin or what...   between
    the barking and the moaning...  hound might be a better description..
    %)

well they lived...  and what's worse is that Cherie came thru it better than 
the kitten! (betty) who came out of it better than my wife or I...   Building 
other peoples houses is easy...  building your own is a different matter..

anyway, we put the beasts in the bathroom when the movers came.. every once and
awhile we'd here a shriek or a scream.. and then a paw would fly out from under 
the door...   

We had to leave before the movers were finished so we put the carriers on the 
floor with doors open. Opened the bathroom door, waited a few seconds, closed the
carrier doors and were off..  Our cats love to be in carriers.. I don't know
why, but it makes going to the vets easy.

We arrived at the new place and I had forgotten that I didn't rehang any of the 
doors so I had to do that..  We left them in a room by themselves for awhile.  

We went back later and left them out..  Cherie was skiddish at first but was
soon running all over the place announcing to the world that she was lookin' for
a man..  maybe she thought she might find one in her new and strange 
surroundings...   

Betty however...  was shaking and crying...  she didn't like it at all..  The 
stairs were the worst part..  it was kinda strange to see a very nimble cat 
coming down the stairs one at a time.. apparently afraid of falling.. 

By nightfall they were both happy.. well Cherie hadn't found a man so she wasn't
completely happy...