Cat Behaviour Problems: Settling into a new home

Moving house, Settling into a new home:

Question: My Long haired Persian, Pebbles, is 6 years-old and came to live with us one week ago. She seems quite settled but I am not sure when I should let her outside. She does want to go outside, but I am concerned she might disappear. Also, she licks my fingers and nibbles on my nails - is this normal?

Answer: It is best to keep her in for at least 2 weeks before letting her outside to make sure she is used to the house and regards it as a safe home she can return to. If she is new to you, it may be best to keep her in for one month. This may seem like a long time, but it takes quite a long time for cats to bond properly with new owners, even if they are Persians.

Before that, you could take her out on a harness and lead if she will accept one easily. Before letting her wander off on her own, go out with her and supervise some visits to the garden, making sure she is hungry and calling her back in for food. When she finally goes out alone, withhold food for 12 hours and call her back in after half an hour and feed her.

The finger licking and nail nibbling is not abnormal, but make sure she is physically healthy and is eating a well-balanced diet. It could be an attention-seeking behaviour. If you don’t like it, try not give her attention when she does it, ignoring her completely instead.

When she stops, wait a few seconds and then make a fuss of her.

Question: Another cat is currently living in the house we are buying, but he will be moving with his owners. As we will be keeping the same carpets, will my 12 year old cat who becomes traumatised by change, be able to sense this? If so, how will this be evident and what can I do to put him at ease? We have bought him beds and cushions over the years but he will not use them, preferring to sleep on our sofa or on the floor under the radiator.

Answer: Your 12 year old cat will be traumatised by the move and the carpets which smell of another cat will be an added problem to him. If you can have them commercially cleaned to remove some of the smell, this will help. Put him in a cattery while you move and get settled before you bring him home so that there are no further movements of furniture.

Keep him in just one room at first with his bed and litter tray. He may ‘spray’ or soil this room, so be prepared. Clean any ‘accidents’ with biological washing powder solution and visit him often.

After a few days, allow him supervised visits to the rest of the house so that he gets used to it gradually. Allow him to sniff and look around to reassure himself that the other cat he can smell is no longer present.

You may find that he wants to spray to make the place smell like home.

Try not to overreact to this and clean up the area as before. Wiping a soft cloth on his head and cheeks and at the base of his tail and wiping this on the furniture at his head height will help to make the place smell of him and reassure him.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding moving house & why territory is so important

Question: My cat, Kira, is nearly 12 weeks old and we have had her at home for about two weeks. She has settled in extremely well apart from her constant meowing. She follows me everywhere and if she is not on my lap or shoulder, she meows non-stop.

Even outside while playing she still meows. I have tried ignoring her and firmly saying 'no' every time she makes a noise, but it doesn't seem to be working. She had a check-up at the vet last week and everything was fine. She is a very loving cat, but the constant noise is driving me mad - can you help?

Answer: She would probably have bonded to you very intensely at this young age as you replaced the mother that she had been taken away from.

I think you will now need to help her to learn to be more independent and to begin to learn to cope without you. To do this, begin by giving her short periods (e.g. 10 minutes) of undivided attention, fuss, and play and then giving her slightly longer periods (e.g. 30 minutes) when she gets nothing from you at all. During these times, be in the same room as her but do not respond to anything she does to try to get your attention.

Don’t look at her, touch her or speak to her. Don’t even say ‘No’ as, sometimes, negative attention is better than none at all. Don’t let her jump on you, and, if she does so, stand up or brush her off gently without speaking to her. In this way, your attention will come in ‘dollops’ rather as a steady stream and she should quite rapidly learn how to deal with times when you have shut off from her and do not feel like interacting.

Be prepared for her attention-seeking behaviour gets worse for a while, but keep going and you should find it gets suddenly and dramatically better.

Question: We are moving house soon from a fairly quiet cul-de-sac to a busy main road. Is there anything I can do to encourage my two cats to avoid the busy road?

Answer: Very busy roads which have constant traffic are usually safer than less busy roads with occasional fast car as cats tend to stay away from them more readily. When you move house, keep your cats inside for at least 4 weeks so they settle down and view your house as home. Ensure that they are only let out into the back garden at first, well away from the road.

Let them out when they are hungry and call them back in soon after for food. Repeat, leaving them out for increasing periods until they get used to the area. If the main road is very busy, your cats will probably avoid it as it will be too noisy and scary for them.

Try to ensure that your cats are let out only during the busiest periods at first rather than when the road is quieter so that they are put off going anywhere near.

If you are going to live on a quieter road that presents more of a risk, you will need to take extra care and, perhaps, shoo them back into the garden by shaking a large plastic bag at them if they go in the wrong direction – but be careful they don’t take fright and run in the wrong direction!

Question: I've looked at all sorts of advice about moving house with cats and most of it seems to suggest keeping them indoors for about three weeks once moved.

My two cats are 4 years old and have always lived in our current house. They're booked into the cattery for the move but both, particularly Buzz (male) love going outside. Do we have to keep them in for three weeks? I'm sure they will hate it and create havoc!

Answer: The reason that the advice recommends waiting so long is that cats get lost easily when transported to a new territory with no recognisable landmarks. It is necessary for them to establish their home as their core territory so that they have a safe place to run back to when making their first explorations before they are let out.

This can take less than 3 weeks, but it takes at least one week to settle down and one week to begin to get used to all the new smells and noises.

A further week helps you be sure they have settled in properly.

It is better to be safe than sorry as it is not easy to find a frightened, confused cat lost in a new place. Keep them occupied with toys and new objects to explore while they are inside and they probably accept their confinement more easily than you think.

Escort them in the garden the first few times before bringing them back in for feeding so they get to know part of their outside world before going off alone. When they do venture further afield, ensure they are hungry so you can call them back in soon afterwards before they have strayed too far. A good leaflet on moving home with cats is available from The Blue Cross. Please send a s.a.e. and a donation to: The Blue Cross, Shilton Road, Burford, Oxon OX18 4PF

Question: How do I get my cats to move from a litter tray to using the garden?

They are 2 years-old but have only been with us for six weeks as we got them from a local sanctuary. I don't want them to have to use a litter tray when they have regular access to the garden.

Answer: It takes a while for cats that are new to an area to adjust to the new territory and learn to deal with the other cats that share that space. At first, they may be reluctant to go outside, especially if there are confident and aggressive cats there, so you may need to continue to provide litter trays until they are going out happily.

Once this happens, begin to get them used to the idea of using the garden as a toilet by mixing clean dry soil with the litter in their litter trays. Dig over a suitable area in your garden so that it easy for them to go there, preferably behind bushes in a secluded area.

Most cats will then be happy to go outside but some cats are very shy and will benefit from having a litter tray indoors until they feel more secure.

Question: Can you offer some advice for training a somewhat backward cat to use the cat flap. We have a magnetic type cat flap which will only open for cats wearing a 'key'. We trained our other cats to use it without problem, however we have had Dibble for a month now and he can't get the hang of it, even though he's watched the other cat using it.

The problem is that he tries to open the flap with his paws rather than pushing with his nose - this means that his paws are in the way of the magnet triggering the release.

Our attempts at training him have been to try to tempt him through a partially open flap with bits of ham. However, although he does come through, he uses his paws in order to push the flap open! I've realised that he obviously doesn't want to push anything with his nose or head.

One thing which may be connected is that when you go to stroke him on his head he ducks, unless you let him sniff your hand first and then gradually stroke along his chin up to his head. He is around 11 months old and is a rescue cat so we don't know much about his past.

Answer: It sounds as though he is more sensitive than most about his head area – he probably has a good reason for that such as getting it stuck somewhere when he was small, or having some blows to the head from hands or other objects. Since he has got into the habit of using his paws in his attempts to open the flap, it will be quite difficult to break this.

I suggest you tape open the flap for a week, to get him used to coming in head first. Then you may like to put a ‘fringe’ of strips of paper or material that hang down over the hole. These would be displaced by his paws but would quickly fall down again which would mean that he would have to use his head to move them out of the way to get in. Use just a few of these at first and then increase their density until he is coming through these head first easily.

Later, let the cat flap down a little so that it touches his back as he comes in, and finally, leaving the ‘fringe in place to obscure the sight of the flap, put the flap all the way down. You may like to disengage the magnetic bit for a while so that it is very easy for him to get in. I hope this works. Please write in again and let me know.

Question: We are moving home very soon to a terraced house with the front door 3 feet away from a busy road. My two cats both live indoors. Polo has no desire to go out, but Tommy sometimes sits outside the front door. This isn't a huge problem where we are now as we have a large front garden.

However, I'm extremely anxious that he might wander into the road at our new house. How can I stop him from doing this? He is a happy and contented cat but the outside scares him and he usually comes back inside quickly.

I've been looking at American products that have an electronic or radiowave perimeter so cats get out of the habit of wanting to go past a certain point. Do they work and are they safe? Any help and guidance would be gratefully received.

Answer: Please don’t buy one of these.

These work by giving a shock to the cat via a collar around his neck. Cats are very easily scared and no matter how careful you are with the introduction, the first shock he gets may be enough to send him into a blind panic straight across the road. If not, it could set up a terrifying association with your new house that may take a long time for him to forget. It could also trigger a host of other problems such as spraying indoors.

Give him time to settle into your new house and encourage him to sit by the back door if there is one instead by feeding him treats there and giving him lots of fuss and attention.

If he is frightened by traffic, taking him through the front door in a cat basket and putting it down on the pavement for a few minutes may be enough to convince him that outside the front door is not a good place to be. The basket will keep him safe and prevent him from running off in panic should he become really scared.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding moving house & why territory is so important

Question: My cat Tinkerbell is 13 years old and, much as I love her, she is exceptionally whiney. She is always seeking attention and follows me around the house meowing. It doesn't matter whether you play with her for five minutes or five hours, she simply demands more.

This is not a new problem, she was like this when I adopted her but I thought it was due to lack of attention. She will happily lounge in front of the fire or behind the sofa and appear quite comfortable and content, but all the while in the background she will be meowing.

Often it is not loud but it is pretty much constant and I find it irritating and distracting. Please help!

Answer: It is difficult to give advice as I don’t know how long you have had her or what happened to her before.

If she has not been with you for long, and suffered a particularly traumatic experience recently, e.g. the death of the person she had spent the previous 13 years with followed by a stay at a rescue home, it would not be surprising that she would need constant reassurance that you are still there.

If this is the case, she may just need more time to settle in and feel reassured that you are not going to leave her too. I would advise you to give her attention only when you decide to and not to respond to the noises she makes at all. This may not have much effect on the problem in the short term if it is driven by a constant anxiety that you may have left, but, at least you won’t be adding to the problem by reinforcing the behaviour.

If she has always been an attention-seeking cat, and the previous owner has encouraged this behaviour, it should begin to stop once she realises that you are not paying attention to her and she is not getting rewarded for doing it.

Give yourself some ‘time out’ if you are getting irritated by shutting her in another room for a short time. Not only will this help you to feel better, but it will help her to learn to cope with being by herself too.

Question: I have recently moved and while my other cats have settled in, one is very nervous to the point where she is messing in the house constantly. She has also taken to licking and salivating over metal surfaces, such as my fridge, the back door and the tiled kitchen wall. She is otherwise well and is eating OK. Can you explain why she is doing this and how I can stop it.

Answer: Territory is very important to cats and not all cats cope well with moving to a new one. I don’t know why she is licking and salivating excessively but it could be another sign of stress (check that she has easy access to water in case she is thirsty and take her to the vet to check nothing is physically wrong).

I would recommend confining her for at least a week to just one room in the house. Give her a litter tray and food and water and spend as much time as possible with her. Keep any pets and children out and give her time to settle down.

When she seems calmer, accompany her on excursions to the other rooms in the house. Go with her to give her confidence and let her run back into her room if she needs to. By doing this you will give her a secure base from which she can begin to get to grips with her new location.

You may need to continue to provide her with a litter tray indoors for some time until she feels confident about going out. Similarly, you may need to feed and water her separately from the others for a while. Hopefully, she will begin to settle down with this special treatment, but if not, please contact a member of the The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors who will be able to help you.

Question: We are about to relocate some 300 miles away.

We have foreseen two difficulties we may have with our cat and would appreciate your advice. Firstly, our cat salivates and is often sick when travelling in the car - is there anything we can do to prevent this?

Secondly, our cat always seems sensitive to changes in our routine, probably attributable to the fact that she came to us as a stray when she was 7 months-old. Do you have any advice on making the transition as easy as possible for our cat?

Answer: You can get drugs from your vet to help with car sickness, but I have not found these to be very effective as the after-effects seem to be more unpleasant for the animal than the car sickness itself. Car sickness is usually caused by fear and anxiety, so do whatever you can to minimise this, e.g. turn corners carefully, pack the travel basket in so it cannot slide around, partially cover with a blanket to deaden noise and shut out unwanted sights.

Moving house will probably be quite traumatic for her, so it may be best to keep her in one room of your old house for a few days while you pack to save her running away during all the commotion. When you arrive at the new house, confine her to one room for the first few days with litter tray, bed, food and water, visit her often and let her get used to that first while you sort out the house.

Later, when you are settled, allow her access to another room for a few days and continue, one room at a time, until she knows the whole house. Always give her access to the first room at all times if she wants to go back.

Keep her inside for at least three weeks and have her microchipped before you go just in case she gets lost at any point in the transfer (don’t forget to put your new address on the register rather than your old one).

Question: My cat, who normally moves home well, is completely unsettled this time. She yowls all night long so we can't get any sleep. I cuddle her, feed her and put things around her that she knows but to no avail.

She also refuses to use the litter tray and is urinating and making messes all over the place. I will buy her toys to keep her active during the day based on your advice, but would appreciate you help with her current behaviour.

Answer: Moving home for a cat can be quite traumatic as they are creatures that, in the wild, would depend on their territory for safety and food. Consequently, cats can find it difficult to settle in a strange territory, particularly if there is anything in that territory that they find disturbing.

This can include a number of things, but particularly other cats that won’t accept her or too many cats in the neighbourhood which make her afraid to go out. If she has moved into a house where other cats lived, or other cats come in through the cat flap or open window, she could feel that she does not have a safe home range and may spay or mess to leave her scent around her.

It may be best to keep her in one room for a while to let her settle again.

Rub her face with a soft cloth and rub it on objects in your house which are at her head height to leave her scent and help her feel more secure. Let her out often, but accompany her on journeys to the rest of the house and garden to give her security. Extend her space gradually, one room at a time, taking it only as fast as she can manage. If you continue to have problems, you may need specialist help(contact theThe Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Question: Last September, I got our cat from a rescue centre. She is a beautiful cat but not very friendly. She only comes into the house when she is hungry and will nip me if I try to stroke her for too long. Can you offer me any advice to remedy this situation?

Answer: Some cats just don’t need people in the way we would like them to need us. They are quite self-contained and often see us as just a good source of food. This can be upsetting to owners who need a bit more from their pet, but it may help to know that some cats are just like this and there is little you can do.

Having said that, to be sure that your cat is independent and not just shy, feed her little and often to encourage as much contact as possible. Don’t stroke her for too long, but play with her with toys instead.

If she comes into the house, reward her with something tasty and try not to touch her too much. In this way, you may find that, although you don’t get the cuddly cat that you want, she does stay with you more often.

You may like to read What is my Cat Thinking? for more information on understanding cats and people.

Question: Simba is a well-tempered cat, he's a cross between an Aby & a Tabby (neutered).

Recently we moved to a larger house where he has become more and more obsessed with chewing paper, shoes and anything he can get his teeth into. He even started helping us strip the wallpaper!

Why does he do this and how can I stop him without telling him off?

Answer: Some cats have a tendency to chew or eat things that aren’t food. This tendency can often by triggered by stress, and the move to a new house could have brought out this trait.

No one really knows why they do this, although there are lots of theories. And it is difficult to stop them once they have started. Try mixing some gristly meat that needs to be chewed into their dinner, rather than just providing soft tinned meat that is easily swallowed, to see if this helps.

Has he stopped going outside as much since you moved? If so, he could be trying to use up his energy inside the house because he is too worried to go outside. If this is the case, help him to start establishing his territory by going outside with him to give him some moral support.

It will also help to play with him more in the house to use up his energy. Be inventive about the games so that he is always coming across new things to play with.

Provide a good scratching post so that he has something to sharpen his claws on without needing to go outside or scratch at the wallpaper (place this near to the torn wallpaper so that he get the idea).

Alternatively, the change in his behaviour may be due to the stress of moving, and, if this is the case, you will need to provide him with plenty of reassurance and consistency for a while to help him get through this difficult time.

Question: My cat, Crunchy has been diagnosed with liver disease, although he is lively and eating quite well.

I moved house 5 months ago and, ever since, Crunchy keeps running to the opposite side of the house from me and howling for about 30 minutes.

Recently, this has been happening up to five times, day and night. He doesn't seem to be in any pain - can you suggest a reason for his behaviour?

Answer: No, it’s not easy to see why this would be happening. Moving house is always traumatic for cats and if he was unwell too, it may be that he developed a bad fear reaction or even a phobia to being handled during this time.

Is it just you he avoids? If so, it may be that he has linked painful handling with you, perhaps at the time of the move.

Did you have to give him medication or could you have hurt him when picking him up without realising? If he was very stressed and he was feeling the effects of his disease more acutely, you would not have had to do very much to convince him you were worth staying away from in this new place. If this is the reason, you will need to win back his trust and confidence.

Don’t approach him, but ask him to come to you by placing his food bowl at a distance that he is comfortable with.

Feed him little and often and gradually move it closer over a period of weeks.

Gradually begin to stroke him, but never force this and allow him to move away if he wants to.

Give him lots of high up escape routes to help him feel secure and don’t press your attention onto him, although it will help to talk to him. Don’t pick him up until he is happy to be in your company again.

If, after a week, you are not making progress, I suggest you contact a member of the The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

Question: Whenever I leave the house for work my kitten runs out after me and sits under my car. I have noticed her sitting under other cars and generally sitting in the road. Is there any way that I can stop her doing this?

Answer: Sitting in the road is a dangerous habit and you need to try to find a solution to this problem quickly. It’s difficult to give you advice without knowing the layout of your house. Presumably, they leave the house at the same time as you do and I wonder if this is because you shut them out of the house when you are not there.

If this is the case, I would recommend that you have a cat flap installed in your back door so that the kittens don’t actually leave with you (if they continue to do this, you risk running one of them over one day by accident).

They could then leave the house when they wanted to and, more importantly, go back inside when they wanted to rest. Provide them with warm, safe beds inside and perhaps they will prefer being inside to sitting out in the road.

There may be other reasons why they sit in the road, for example, there may be a cat that patrols their back garden that keeps them out the front, or they may meet people out the front which keeps them waiting there. Finding a practical solution that suits the kittens will help to keep them at home and prevent the likelihood of an unfortunate accident.

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