Introducing my cat to a new environment

[Zorara]

So I moved out this year and initally i was unable to bring my cat with me.

He is about 9-10 years old and I've had him from a kitten and he has always chosen me as his human slave.

Unfortunately he hasn't been doing so well without and after speaking to my Landlord, they have agreed to allow me to have him.


How do i go about introducing him to a new environment? He was an outdoorsy cat, hasnt had a litter tray since he was kitten but now he is showing his age so I'm going to try to transition him to being a indoors cat.

[My name is Yoshikage Kira]

If he hasn't used a box in a while set up a small space with the box, food and with some disposable stuff in case of him missing the box. Prepare with deodorizing sprays. As he feels comfortable let him explore

[kittyray]

I've lived in (counts on fingers) ten different places with my six-year-old cat, including campus housing and long-term visits to my parents' places, and the key-est part for me has always been familiar things like furniture. She's usually pretty spooked in the beginning and hides a lot, but she's a curious one and always starts cautiously exploring and gets more comfortable the more time she spends in a place. I've never had to transition from outdoor to indoor, so unfortunately no thoughts on that. Good luck!

[Synth Salazzle]

Going through the same problem except she's indoors, she's 4, lived on this street her whole life.

She's a pretty anxious cat anyway. No idea how she's gonna react to it.

[Zorara]

I've bought a large Cat tree and another cat scratching post set up with a bed

He'll basically be going from being confined to a dining room & outdoors to a flat all to himself

[Flordibel]

My cat is a nervous beastie when we travel and when we move, so here's what I do to keep him as calm as I can during the process:

1. When transferring him in the carrier, cover it on three sides with a cloth or a blanket so that he feels like he's sheltered in a little cave. He likes to be able to see where he is and see me, so I leave one side open. I also always put a familiar toy in there with him, even if he doesn't play with it.

2. When we get inside, I will put his litter/food/water in a small room with him in the carrier and open the carrier. He will either jump out immediately or stay in, depending on how scared he is. The key thing here is to have his food and water and litter in sight and in smellable distance. (He usually doesn't eat much at this stage.) If I don't have a small room, I keep him in my room but give him ample space to hide... he's really fond of the inside of chairs.

3. Over the next week I leave the door to the little room open and gradually let him explore on his own time. As long as he can see me existing peacefully in a space, he's usually pretty good about venturing out and being brave.

4. Treats and sweet-talking! He is being brave if he comes out of his carrier so he deserves TREATS! (Again, he may not eat them. But the reward is there anyway.)

He's still a scaredy cat and more often than not he hides under the covers of my bed when he's in an unfamiliar place (or inside chairs). But the key is patience and slooowly letting him get adjusted - let him have a "home base" of sorts that he can run back to if he gets scared at, say, the air conditioning turning on. Eventually, he won't need it!

Litter box training... I've never actually litter-trained a cat! Online resources are probably very useful for that!

Wishing you and your furball the best

[♥ PrettySarcastic ♥]

Re: Litter Box issues

You may actually find your kitty takes to a litter box pretty readily.

Cats naturally want to bury their poo. They are fastidious about it. If a litter box is the only place available where kitty can retreat, dig, potty, and cover it up, that's going to be their first instinct as long as it's clean and kept a good distance away from their food and water.

You may have to try a couple different types of litter if he's never used it before -- I use one that's actually made of grass, and if your kitty has previously always gone outside, that seems to me like it might be a good fit?

It's called SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter -- I just order it from Amazon, but I'm in the US, so that's my situation -- your mileage may vary, if you live in another country. I like this one because it clumps really well, and there's virtually no litter box odor. Remove the clumps every day, easy peasy. The only complaint I have is it tracks (sticks to kitty's paws and follows them out of the box quite a few paces) but basically all litters do. I consider this one worth it because it's so light.

If you end up struggling with getting him to use a litter box, get this litter -- Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract. This stuff can't be beat. It's formulated with some kind of attractant chemicals that entice cats to use it. I've never failed to lure a kitty back to the litter box after straying with this litter. It's more expensive, but less expensive than replacing your carpet.

Oh and don't buy an enclosed litter box... Cats really don't like them. They like to be able to see what could be coming up in front of or behind them as they go potty. Plus it holds in any smells.

Thanks for coming to my litter box TED talk.

[Flordibel]

Great point about the enclosed litterbox @(you need an account to see links) - my cat has had urinary tract problems in the past, so I try to make his - er, going - as easy as possible.

The ones without the roof allow him more space to spread out and do his business. If you find your kitty doesn't like to squat low and go, and your litterbox sides aren't high enough, (you need an account to see links) - it is a lifesaver and can be easily washed out with a garden hose or at a manual car wash (shhhh).

I also use a litter mat which helps a LITTLE with the tracking problem, though it was kind of expensive: the (you need an account to see links). It's large enough that it'll cover two or three steps out of the litter pan, and the holes in it are large enough to capture particles and those tiny little clumps that always fall through the litter scoop.

[Cinderella]

Was just reading your post and I LOVE it that you're his 'human slave'. hahaha. Is your cat with you now? I'm sure he's soooo happy just to be with you again. But being a mature cat, it might be hard for him to transition from being outside to indoor only. Is there any area outside where you live that he could have a little fenced off area where he can still go outside but be secure? Enjoy your kitty time again

[Zorara]

He's settled really well!

He took to his litterbox straight away. Next step is to introduce him to outside as the road isn't busy at night and he is an absolute night terror at the moment