How to Adapt Your Cat to Its New Home After Moving

Environmental Stress in Cats After Moving

After moving to a new home, cats may experience environmental stress. It is recommended to interact with your cat more, without forcing it. Use food and toys to alleviate the cat's caution towards its new environment. You can place your cat's previous items in places it often visits, allowing the cat to come into contact with familiar pheromones, which can reduce anxiety and stress. Finally, there are anti-stress products on the market that can be used to comprehensive deal with the environment, providing your cat with a sense of security.

Causes of Stress Reaction in Cats

Possible situations that may cause stress reactions in cats include:

1. Changes in living environment: Cats usually take two days to adapt to a new environment. During this time, cats are highly nervous, possibly resulting in loss of appetite, vomiting, and decreased activity. However, this should improve after two days.
2. New cats with incomplete vaccination history: Severe stress can weaken the cat's resistance and increase the risk of infection with feline panleukopenia virus.

Symptoms of Cat Stress Reaction

Alert phase: The body undergoes a series of neurophysiological changes, emergency mobilization of internal resources, and is in a state of readiness. This phase can be divided into shock phase and anti-shock phase. In the shock phase, symptoms such as decreased blood pressure, increased vascular permeability, decreased blood concentration, and decreased body temperature may occur. The manifestations of the anti-shock phase are opposite to those of the shock phase. Resistance phase: Continuation of neurophysiological changes, making full use of internal resources to deal with various emergencies. Exhaustion phase: Exhaustion of hormones and essential trace elements, destruction of some cells and tissues, and development of post-traumatic stress disorder. This phase occurs only when the stress factor is severe or persistent. If it continues to develop, it will lead to death.

What to Do If Your Cat Experiences Stress Reaction

First, eliminate the cause of stress. For example, a cat may feel anxious and scared after getting vaccinated at the vet, or when it first arrives at a new home or when strangers visit the house. In this case, the cat's most familiar person can comfort it more, preferably by holding it or putting it in its own cage. Cover the cage with a towel to block the cat's view of the outside environment, allowing it to stay in a familiar surroundings. Once the cat's mood has stabilized, offer it some small treats.