Yesterday we packed the animals in one car and all their stuff + the house plants in another. Lucy and the bird in his carrier crate in the back, Fenris was protected from draft, both by his carrier and on 3 sides by the back seat and side of the car and the crate with car stuff. The cats in their crates were lined up on the back seat, with a couple of boxes with kitchen stuff on top. Tucked next to the cocao and the instant coffee was Blubbulf the fish, in a jam jar, his half full bowl on the floor. Topsy curled up on the passenger side floor with my back pack and stuff on the seat.
At the new house we plugged in the cat feremone diffuser and waited an hour before opening the crates. Funky, who hates being crated and had been protesting loudly the whole time, and made frequent attempts to claw his way out, immediatly left his crate, and found a corner under a table where he could sit and regard his new surroundings. Piril came out, took a short walk of exploration and then went into Funky's crate to have a nap. Puseline just stayed inside her crate sleeping or looking out while we walked the dogs and husband assembled my new desk and hung up curtain rods. Piril and Puseline eventually started exploring after husband left, but Funky stayed put in his corner. Not until evening did he come out, loudly complaining and obviously looking for something. I lifted him onto the sink where I had put their food dishes and sure enouph, he was hungry.
At bedtime I made up my bed on two matresses with a dog bed at each end. I was immediatly joined by two happy cats: Piril and Funky, who settled down on my pillow and feet respectively. This lasted until midnight when I was woken by something landing in my bed: it was Topsy. Something had frightened her (possibly Puseline). That was it! I put the cats out of the bedroom, calmed the dogs back in their beds and tried to go back to sleep. For awhile I lay in bed listening to Piril scratching at the bedroom door, while Funky kept up a steam of loud complaints, until I'd had enough (didn't take very long). When I put all the cats out in the hall and closed the door, I finally had some peace.
Before the movers come I will put them back in their crates, and stack them, facing the wall in the bathroom.
Sounds like that went pretty smoothly. I've never heard of a pheromone diffuser, but it sounds intriguing... do you notice it helping?
ReplyDeleteIt was recommended by our vet because our sterilized Tom Cat was pee marking all over. She said they do it because of stress. Apparently vertical clawing is also a stress behaviour. The diffuser is recommended for moves as well, and I definitly see it helping. There was that first night, and then they calmed right down. It was amazing. No peeing, barely any clawing, and total satisfaction with being cooped up inside for 2 weeks in spite of being used to going in and out at will.
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