How well do pets handle moves? Would I take Kitty with me?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (206433)
Walnut Creek, California
November 21, 2022 10:25am CST
When I had my horse, I wondered what would happen if I moved to a different state. Would I take her with me? She and I had a wonderful relationship, but she was also good friends with her pasture mates, was comfortable with the weather here, and so on.
I sometimes think of moving away from the Bay Area. What if Daniel Levitin actually invited me to UCLA to do research with him on music and Autism? (Not gonna happen, but remember that I suffer from delusions of adequacy.) Would I take Kitty with me? Or leave her with Uncle Austin, my cool downstairs neighbor?
Kitty is attached to me, as I am to her, but she also knows the lay of the land here. She has her favorite potty out there somewhere, she knows where tasty mice and fence lizards hang out, and she knows when kitty-loving hawks and coyotes are around and when they're not.
Have you ever moved and taken your pets with you? How long did it take for them to adjust? I'll attach a picture of my horse. She was a California girl all her life and lived to be 35-years-old.
14 people like this
12 responses
@FourWalls (62436)
• United States
21 Nov 22
Freckles had a hard time when we moved until my dad got the fence up and she could romp around outside freely.
3 people like this
@FourWalls (62436)
• United States
21 Nov 22
@TheHorse — we had an unfinished basement and made her an area where she could use the bathroom inside (since the house we were renting didn’t have a fenced-in yard).
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (206433)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Nov 22
@FourWalls She was OK with that?
2 people like this
@TheHorse (206433)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Nov 22
I tried to attach a picture (you've seen it before) but I got a time-out error. I don't know if it's a site-wide issue, a glitch on my end, or just "one of those things" (do you have a comparable expression in German?). I'll link @GoAskAlice here and try my photo again.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (206433)
• Walnut Creek, California
21 Nov 22
@GoAskAlice Gracias. Will chill. Everyone knows what my horse looks like anyway.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (58197)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Nov 22
I think it depends on the pet. My husband and I moved several times in the 19 years we've known each other. While we are approaching our sixth year in this house, we've taken our cats with us to every single one. Mama cat was an indoor outdoor cat that was kind of owned by people who lived in our building, most of whom left before we did. When we bought our house, we debated bringing her along, and that's what we did. She became an instant indoor-only cat and adapted quite well to the lifestyle, and lived an additional five years with us before we were forced to make the heartbreaking decision to put her down in September after a short battle with cancer.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (58197)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
21 Nov 22
@TheHorse I think she might. You wouldn't know unless you tried. She's clearly bonded to you.
@xander6464 (40891)
• Wapello, Iowa
21 Nov 22
Cats do not like moving but they do adjust in a few days. At least mine always have.
2 people like this
@xander6464 (40891)
• Wapello, Iowa
23 Nov 22
@TheHorse Bring a couple cans of tuna to the meeting. Sometimes, it makes cats more agreeable.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (206433)
• Walnut Creek, California
24 Nov 22
@xander6464 Safeway was out of her usual wet fish delight this afternoon. I am nervous.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (79961)
• United States
21 Nov 22
I've moved a few times and my pets didn't have any trouble adjusting to the new place. I would bet Kitty would adjust if you decided to move
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (157150)
• United States
22 Nov 22
What a beautiful horse. We've never moved with our pets. They passed right before we moved. Kitty would adjust. She would want to be with you.
1 person likes this
@popciclecold (35416)
• United States
21 Nov 22
We moved from California to Mississippi with 3 dogs. They lived a long time.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (170462)
• United States
21 Nov 22
Yes, I have moved and taken pets. It takes them awhile to adjust but they come around. Kitty being an indoor outdoor cat and knowing the lay of the land there...it might be better to leave her with the neighbor, but it is a moot point since you aren't actually moving. Cross that bridge when you come to it.
@LadyDuck (459122)
• Switzerland
22 Nov 22
I know this horse because this has been your avatar for many months, even years.
My neighbors moved and brought 3 of their 4 cats with them (the 4th is Gevi, the one I adopted). Cats are territorial and they like to stay in the same place, the "house cats" adjust better than those that have the habit to go out free.
@wolfgirl569 (95695)
• Marion, Ohio
22 Nov 22
Most animals move ok. They just want to be with their humans. But cats can be hard and try to go back to their old home. But I have moved even with outside cats. I just kept them inside for about 3 months before starting to let them back outside.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73725)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
22 Nov 22
Of course, you have to take Kitty with you. She loves you and trusts you. Remember when I came back from Latvia there was no option at all to even consider leaving my cat Sid behind and I carried him through three airports and sill had at least two years of love with him before he passed. She was a very beautiful horse,
1 person likes this
