Unhappy cat after moving home

[Daisy+beau]

HI all. Hoping for some advice! I've recently moved house with my two cats. Daisy is absolutely fine with the move just taken it in her stride. However beau my boy has totally changed .

I let them out quite early on...After a few days but stayed with them and gradually increased their time. After a couple of weeks beau started to become distant and was finally handed into the vets by a neighbour who thought he was stray. They let beau into the house and fed him. I've obvio asked the family not to feed, or let him into house and almost shoo him away as I think he grew attached. From then it's just got worse to point that when he's in my garden he hides under bushes and I have to drag him out to bring him indoors to fed/keep in at night. Once he's in he immediately wants to go out again.

I have brought a feliway plug in and toys etc but nothing is working. I'm even thinking of getting a cat behaviour specialist to help but thought I'd try this first.

Any suggestions? Thank u.

[Crewella]

My personal feeling is that you let him out too early, before he'd really begun to feel safe in the house and accept it as 'home'. Some cats are OK with being let out earlier, but many aren't and at the rescue we always recommend 3-4 weeks at least. I would start at the beginning again with him in 1 room and not let him out for 3 weeks - this will give him the time he needs to start to feel safe and 'at home' in your new house. A Feliway plug-in might help too. Good luck.

[elastu]

I would agree completely with the last post. Please let us know how you get on.

[meriad]

Totally agree as well, back to basics is what's needed

I would start at the beginning again with him in 1 room and not let him out for 3 weeks - this will give him the time he needs to start to feel safe and 'at home' in your new house. Good luck.

And apologies if I'm stating the obvious, but just to double check / confirm - this isn't meaning to keep him in the one room for 3 weeks (or is it )

[Daisy+beau]

Thank u everyone. It'll be difficult to do this but will try it.

[sunnyme_123]

I'm sorry to hear your troubles.
I have two cats who started life as semi-feral, so live on their nerves a bit! When we moved house I took advice from my wonderful vet and started to give them Zylkene and it worked wonders. http://www.zylkenepet.co.uk/ Our new vet doesn't give it much credit, but it definitely worked for us.
I also used to use Feliway, but was also advised that the stuff they use in it, the pheromones, can confuse a cat to actually give a negative effect, so I would be aware of that.
I'm sure in time all will be well.

Rachel

[Crewella]

Ooooops - sorry, no I didn't mean you should keep him in one room for the 3 weeks, just indoors!

It will be hard to do, I'm sure, but well worth it. I think your boy just needs the time indoors to mentally 'put down some roots', territory is so important to cats. Good luck.