Our forthcoming house move is probably going to be upsetting for the cats. Unavoidable, but there it is. We are abandoning some old furniture as not worth hauling and will be getting, at the least, a new sofa. And we'd just as soon les chats would refrain from sharpening their claws on it.
My wife bought a scratching mat for them at Trader Joe's, of all places. I thought cats liked upright posts to keep their claws in condition, but this item is a horizontal box that lies on the floor; the interior is made of cardboard in a miniature honeycomb pattern.
Also supplied was a bag of catnip -- organic, if you please, and I hope gluten-free -- which the instructions said to place on the box to get the animals in the mood. We sprinkled some of the catnip as directed, then left to take some boxes of stuff to our soon-to-be residence.
Returning a few hours later, we found that Matisse had gone for the catnip in a big way. Not only did he apparently clean out the box, but found the bag with the remainder, knocked it off a shelf, and enjoyed another helping served on the floor.
Cosette exhibited more decorum. She does not seem to care to scratch the box, but it is now a favored location for her to sit and watch the world go by.
2 comments:
One cat I had moved three times. Each time she would spend the first 24 hours or so exploring every inch of the new home. Place the food, water and cat box in a central location (where they won't get kicked of course) and just let them get used to the new place. After a day or two they'll probably settle in just fine.
Meanwhile of course, you'll still be rummaging through boxes just to get the basics of life together and going ''OK, where do I put this, and that, ect ect''.
They'll likely get settled in sooner than you will.
YIH,
We're probably going to board the cats for a couple of days so they won't be upset by the movers, and we'll be staying in the new house while they get used to it.
Matisse will probably take the change of scene in stride, but Cosette likes routine and is likely to need more time to adjust. Both will have more room to explore.
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