transitioning to a new home

Question
Hi,
We have two adult male cats, 6 and 8 that my son is allergic to.  I ahve found
a new home for them but i am extremely anxious and worried as we have had
them all their lives.  They are a little nuerotic..territorial and have marked our
bed in the past.  I do not want them doing this is their new home.  Also I want
to know if there's anything i can do to make the transition as smooth as
possible.

Answer
Laura,

This is a tough situation. I am not sure how much detail you have given the cats' prospective new owners, but I can offer a few suggestions to help make things a little easier. My first recommendation given that you mention that your cats have sent messages on your bed would be to recommend to the owners that they use a non-scented, clumping kitty litter without any air fresheners or scented litter additives. Some cats are very sensitive to perfumes and scents, and unfortunately there are a number of cats who will respond to that irritation by leaving urine or feces outside of the litter box to communicate their discomfort with scented products. I would strongly advise the cats' new owners to make sure that they have one litter box per cat plus one on every level of their home, this eliminates inappropriate elimination issues related to forgetting where the litter box is, not being able to get to the box in time and issues that are fear based for any number of reasons. The litter boxes need to be cleaned at least once a day as most cats are fairly fastidious and do not appreciate having to use a dirty bathroom (kind of like humans in a dirty gas station bathroom while travelling). I do think that it is wise to mention that there has been a few occasions when the cats have marked outside of their litter box, it is a good idea to let the new owners know that beforehand simply so that they can take precautions like protecting their beds and bedding, using scotch guard on their carpets and furniture. I would guess that if the new owners are not made aware of this issue and the cats do mark outside the litter box for whatever reason you will be in a position of having to search for a new home for the cats urgently. I would suggest (whether there are any other animals in the home or not) that the new owners confine the cats to one room that is easy to clean (a bathroom works nicely) for about 2 weeks so that they can get used to the smells, sounds, and new people in their new environment. The reason that I recommend using the bathroom to confine the cats is that the washroom is not completely isolated so the process of getting to know all of the humans in their new home is slow and steady, if the cats happen to make a mess in the washroom it is generally a snap to clean up (make sure that they take up bath mats when they are not in use). I also think that before the cats are moved to their new home the new owners should make an effort to come and spend a couple of hours each day for 3-4 days before the scheduled move increasing the amount of time and contact that the cats have with their new humans so that it isn't a total shock to the system for them to move. Any mistakes made outside of the litter box should be cleaned with an enzymatic cleaner. It is never okay for anyone to hit a cat for going to the toilet outside of the litter box, nor is it okay for any human to rub a cat's face in urine or feces, it is disgusting and inhumane. I know that most folks nowadays don't use these forms of so called discipline, but there are still many people who believe that those methods are the only way to get a point across to a cat. Since any change in the environment of a cat has the potential to cause anxiety I would recommend that you use a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy for three to five days prior to the cats going to their new home. You can generally find Rescue Remedy in health food/natural health stores. Rescue Remedy is a blend of flower essences that helps to calm and reassure so it is great for the new owners to use until the cats seem completely comfortable in their new environment. It would be a good idea to convert the cats' daily food rations to meals until they go to their new home. It is a smart idea to allow the new owners to feed the cats at least one meal per day for the few days that they come over to acclimate the cats to their sight, smell and sounds. Hopefully this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.