Advice needed about our cat
Discussion
Hi,
Just asking for any advice or suggestions about how to stop our cat wandering back to our old house!
We moved house two months ago, and the new house is a couple of streets over from the previous one. Despite keeping our cat in for a couple of weeks, she still keeps wandering back to the old house and I keep having to go over and bring her back.
If we leave her - in the hope that she will walk back to the new house, she just sits in the garden of the previous house and won't come back to the new one herself.
This is the second time we've moved with her, the last time was a couple of years ago and we moved about 8 miles, never had a problem with her wandering off last time. This time it's getting a bit much having to keep going back and picking her up!
So, any advice on how I can stop her wandering back to the old house?
Thanks
Just asking for any advice or suggestions about how to stop our cat wandering back to our old house!
We moved house two months ago, and the new house is a couple of streets over from the previous one. Despite keeping our cat in for a couple of weeks, she still keeps wandering back to the old house and I keep having to go over and bring her back.
If we leave her - in the hope that she will walk back to the new house, she just sits in the garden of the previous house and won't come back to the new one herself.
This is the second time we've moved with her, the last time was a couple of years ago and we moved about 8 miles, never had a problem with her wandering off last time. This time it's getting a bit much having to keep going back and picking her up!
So, any advice on how I can stop her wandering back to the old house?
Thanks
I would have to say keep in house for longer, generally 2 weeks is fine in most situations but you may have to keep in for upto 6 weeks, in this time use cat litter she has used around your garden to make sure she has scent of herself outside your new home.
Below is advice from the feline advisory bureau, the last paragraph is probably what you're after but I've included the other two incase there are some tips in them that may help you.
Helping your cat to settle in
Keep your cat indoors for at least two weeks to get used to the new environment.
Provide small frequent meals.
Maintain routines adopted in your previous house to provide continuity and familiarity.
Help your cat feel secure in his new home by spreading his scent throughout the house. Take a soft cotton cloth (or use lightweight cotton gloves) and rub your cat gently around the cheeks and head to collect the scent from glands around his face. Scrape this cloth or glove against the corners of doorways, walls and furniture at cat height to help your cat to become familiar with his territory as quickly as possible. Repeat this process daily until you start to see your cat rubbing against objects.
Continue to use the synthetic feline facial pheromone diffuser and rotate the device throughout the house, one room at a time.
Extra care should be taken for the permanently indoor cat as a new environment will be potentially unsettling.
Letting your cat outside
Keep your cat indoors for a couple of weeks to get used to the new property.
Make sure your cat has some form of identification (a collar with a quick release section to avoid getting caught up) with his name, address and contact phone number.
Alternatively, (or additionally) ask your vet to microchip your cat to ensure he can be returned if he gets lost. If he is already microchipped, remember to inform the registering company of your change of address and phone number.
Ensure your cat's vaccinations are up to date.
Consider fitting a cat flap for ease of access outdoors when you are out once your cat is settled. Make sure it is an electronically or magnetically controlled exclusive entry system to avoid the risk of strange cats invading your home.
Chase away any cats if you see them in your garden, your cat will need all the help he can get to establish territory as the ‘new cat on the block'
Introduce your cat to the outdoors gradually by initially opening the door and going into the garden with him.
If he is used to a harness then it would be useful to walk him around the garden on a lead.
Don't carry him outside, allow him to decide if he wants to explore.
Always keep the door open initially so that he can escape indoors if something frightens him.
Outdoor cats with a wider experience of change generally cope well; timid cats may take time to adapt to the new environment and should be accompanied outside until they build up their confidence.
Preventing your cat from returning to his old home
If your new home is nearby your cat may explore when he first goes out and find familiar routes that take him back to his old home. It is wise to warn the new occupiers that your cat may return and ask them to contact you if he is seen. It is important that they do not feed him or encourage him in any way, this will merely confuse him. If you have moved locally it would be beneficial to keep your cat indoors as long as possible. However, this is rarely a practical option since those cats likely to return to previous hunting grounds will not relish being confined for such a long period. Follow the advice above for settling your cat into his new home; this will help, together with the use of both synthetic and natural scents to make the environment seem as familiar as possible. It may take many months of retrieval from your old home before your cat eventually settles down. If this process appears to be distressing him, he persistently returns to his old home or traverses busy roads to get there it may be kinder and safer if the new occupier or a friendly neighbour agrees to adopt him.
Below is advice from the feline advisory bureau, the last paragraph is probably what you're after but I've included the other two incase there are some tips in them that may help you.
Helping your cat to settle in
Keep your cat indoors for at least two weeks to get used to the new environment.
Provide small frequent meals.
Maintain routines adopted in your previous house to provide continuity and familiarity.
Help your cat feel secure in his new home by spreading his scent throughout the house. Take a soft cotton cloth (or use lightweight cotton gloves) and rub your cat gently around the cheeks and head to collect the scent from glands around his face. Scrape this cloth or glove against the corners of doorways, walls and furniture at cat height to help your cat to become familiar with his territory as quickly as possible. Repeat this process daily until you start to see your cat rubbing against objects.
Continue to use the synthetic feline facial pheromone diffuser and rotate the device throughout the house, one room at a time.
Extra care should be taken for the permanently indoor cat as a new environment will be potentially unsettling.
Letting your cat outside
Keep your cat indoors for a couple of weeks to get used to the new property.
Make sure your cat has some form of identification (a collar with a quick release section to avoid getting caught up) with his name, address and contact phone number.
Alternatively, (or additionally) ask your vet to microchip your cat to ensure he can be returned if he gets lost. If he is already microchipped, remember to inform the registering company of your change of address and phone number.
Ensure your cat's vaccinations are up to date.
Consider fitting a cat flap for ease of access outdoors when you are out once your cat is settled. Make sure it is an electronically or magnetically controlled exclusive entry system to avoid the risk of strange cats invading your home.
Chase away any cats if you see them in your garden, your cat will need all the help he can get to establish territory as the ‘new cat on the block'
Introduce your cat to the outdoors gradually by initially opening the door and going into the garden with him.
If he is used to a harness then it would be useful to walk him around the garden on a lead.
Don't carry him outside, allow him to decide if he wants to explore.
Always keep the door open initially so that he can escape indoors if something frightens him.
Outdoor cats with a wider experience of change generally cope well; timid cats may take time to adapt to the new environment and should be accompanied outside until they build up their confidence.
Preventing your cat from returning to his old home
If your new home is nearby your cat may explore when he first goes out and find familiar routes that take him back to his old home. It is wise to warn the new occupiers that your cat may return and ask them to contact you if he is seen. It is important that they do not feed him or encourage him in any way, this will merely confuse him. If you have moved locally it would be beneficial to keep your cat indoors as long as possible. However, this is rarely a practical option since those cats likely to return to previous hunting grounds will not relish being confined for such a long period. Follow the advice above for settling your cat into his new home; this will help, together with the use of both synthetic and natural scents to make the environment seem as familiar as possible. It may take many months of retrieval from your old home before your cat eventually settles down. If this process appears to be distressing him, he persistently returns to his old home or traverses busy roads to get there it may be kinder and safer if the new occupier or a friendly neighbour agrees to adopt him.
Edited by bexVN on Saturday 23 April 19:01
JustDerv said:
Thanks, looks like we may be in for months of retrieving her from the previous house then 
Just keep her in for a month. Then take her into the garden on a lead for a week or two... Then try letting her out when hungry so you can recall her with chicken/liver for a week or so....
Well she went out last night for a couple of hours and came back in. Think I'll just have to keep letting her out for a couple of hours, then building it up again. At the old house she was either out all night or all day.
One thing at the new house is that it's nearer a main road, and she didn't like the traffic noise. But all last weekend I was outside and left the door open, and she started to come out and only run back in if a lorry went by.
Hopefully if she gets used to the traffic noise, she might not feel such a need to go back to the old house and hide there.
One thing at the new house is that it's nearer a main road, and she didn't like the traffic noise. But all last weekend I was outside and left the door open, and she started to come out and only run back in if a lorry went by.
Hopefully if she gets used to the traffic noise, she might not feel such a need to go back to the old house and hide there.
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