my boyfriend and I have had our cat a year and no one has ever come over our house, the cat doesnt know anyone but us two. He is afraid of outside(which is good) but hides from other people except us two. This is my problem. I am moving in with my parents for 6 months and taking the cat to their house. They have a cat and I am worried because I took my cat there once beofre when I went on vacation and he hid for 5 days, did not eat or go to the bathroom, and I'm afraid when i take him there for 6 months he will be so stubborn that he will do the same thing. I need to get him comfortable with my family, how do I????

JohnSnownw

The cat probably won't ever be comfortable. However, there are steps you can take to ease the trauma. Firstly, for at least a week, you should keep him in one room or area of the house. Let it get used to it's surroundings. During this time, you should make sure the other cat cannot be seen or heard by your cat. So, do not put the cat in a situation where it will see the other one. Cats are much better at getting used to new people than new surroundings. After a week, or perhaps longer, the cat should be acclimated to the new environment. At this point you could try to let it out into the other parts of the house, but you must make sure the other cat is contained in another part of the house. Anyway, this will help ease things a bit, but the cat will be skiddish for a long time. Good Luck.

Chery

If both cats did not fight the last time, you pretty much have a good chance.

When Larry (my avatar picture) first came to our house, he had been treated wrong by his former family and was scared of everything. He is 15 years old now.

I was sleeping in the livingroom on the floor due to back problems at that time. The first five days he hid behind the fridge and nobody saw him. His food and water however, was touched and he did go potty. I pretended to be asleep when he snuck through the house and left him alone. On the sixth day (well during the night) after eating and doing his 'toilet' he slowly came in and sniffed me from foot to head. I left him alone, and he layed down next to me, I still left him be (his nose was wet and cold and tickled).

After that night, we were bonded and nobody can come between us now.

I moved in with my BF for a while and he has a cat also. Larry puffed up and hissed, but left Tommy alone as long as Tommy did not want to sit in my lap. Now, after a few more years gone by, we four still share the same home and we are all alive and doing well. Larry and Tommy are not the best of friends, but they leave each other their own special place.

So, if you have a scratching post your cat loves, let him take it on the move.. or favorite blanket.. something that is only his...

Good luck.