Username (email) Password
vetask
vetask vetask
topleft | home | about vetask | your pet healthcare questions answered | register | topleft
Moving house
Species: cat | Category: behaviour | Submitted: 05-Feb-07 08:05PM | viewed 1608 times
Q Christine asks about Ernie (cat - mixed, M) (age 6 years, 11 months):
I moved house 6 weeks ago-- Ernie was OK for first 2 weeks, then decided to return to former house, as yet unoccupied.... brought back 7 times, but was pounced on the last time by next door cat and fled in terror--is now living outside the old house, in a nearby field. Today I managed to lure him into the old house, thank goodness as its very cold. I'm scared of bringing him to the new house, as I'm sure I shall never catch him if he runs away again. There will be new people moving into the old house soon, who also have a male neutered tom, so I shall have to make a decision as to what to do. Is it possible to get some sort of sedation for him, and how effective is such a thing likely to be? End of wits is approaching fast this has been going on for four weeks.
Q Samantha says: I can understand your concern. If I were in this situation I would bring Ernie back to your new house. Be prepared to keep him in for at least a month. Make sure that you get as much unpacking done as soon as possible so that all the disruption in the household is over and Ernie can settle. Provide a quiet place for Ernie to go with a safe basket or box for him to hide in. Make sure Ernie can get up high to survey his new home before he moves around it. Use litter trays in quiet areas away from his feeding area and clean them as soon possible after they are used. A product called Feliway (a feline pheromone) may help Ernie to settle in his new home; you can get it as a diffuser or spray. Keep all visitors and change to a minimum while Ernie settles in his new house. If things are really bad you could talk to your vet about a sedative but this will not get him used to his new home any faster and could in fact delay his adjustment. I hope it all goes well for you and Ernie.

Your Questions Answered

Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07

Kelly asks: I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view

swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07

Zshai asks: I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view

Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07

Sara asks: Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view

lack of sleep 07-Nov-07

Bill asks: We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view

wet tail 06-Nov-07

Evelyn asks: Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view

Alfie 06-Nov-07

Elaine asks: Hi Sam Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view

Guarding problem 05-Nov-07

Elaine asks: Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view

White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07

Leslie asks: My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view

Dog's Health 01-Nov-07

William asks: My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view

behaviour 31-Oct-07

Debby asks: Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view

Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07

Lee asks: Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view

upset stomach 30-Oct-07

kat asks: About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view

Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07

Mandy asks: Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view

neutering 27-Oct-07

ashen1956 asks: 3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view

Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07

Purdie asks: Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view

Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07

Joanne asks: I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view

My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07

Sarah asks: My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view

labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07

Paul asks: Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view

Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07

Renate asks: My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view

feeding 22-Oct-07

Terry asks: Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view

broken tooth on dog 21-Oct-07

Shannon asks: My almost 5 month old rottie x bullmastiff broke a tooth behind his canine, but in front of his ... view

chronic kidney failure 19-Oct-07

Marquessa asks: Please can you tell me if it's okay for me to give my cat Dioralyte, the lost water and ... view

cat pees on the floor but only sometimes 18-Oct-07

Amy asks: I bought my mom a cat, he is about 2 months old; he pees in the litter box but ... view

wees when excited 17-Oct-07

Sheila asks: Lulu is only 6-months old and wees quite a lot when she's excited, which being a happy puppy means ... view

My westie 17-Oct-07

Josephine asks: Please can you help me? My two year old westie is eating her own poo, also she has got ... view

My female dog has droplets of blood in her urine 17-Oct-07

Casondrea asks: My 4 yr. old unspayed female has been having droplets of blood in her urine. (Sometimes she passes clear ... view

Cat not eating 09-Oct-07

Donna asks: My cat Rasha just gave birth four days ago. However, she has not been eating, and does not even ... view

Urinating everywhere 08-Oct-07

Cheryl asks: I have a kitten that is 7 weeks old. He was part of my adult cat's litter of 8. ... view

flea control 03-Oct-07

Evelyn asks: Sellers on Ebay are offering to sell Frontline Plus for large dogs along with instructions for dividing the dosage ... view

broken paw 03-Oct-07

Rachel asks: Spike jumped off the bed and when he landed his paw went under him. He started howling, we were ... view


© vetask.com Springing Dragon Limited 2008 | Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy | All Rights Reserved | All Trademarks observed | No responsibility taken for links to external sites or any content beyond our control | Views expressed by contributors or forum users not endorsed by vetask.com. Disclaimer: The content of this website is based upon the opinions of the authors and contributors, unless otherwise stated. Individual articles, extracts, and any links to external sites are based upon the opinions of the respective author(s). The purpose of this site is the sharing of knowledge and information and you are encouraged to make informed healthcare decisions for animals in your care based upon your research and in consultation with your vet.