Universal Press Syndicate
Q: We've moved to a new duplex a couple of miles from our old apartment. We can't get Beezy, our 4-year-old neutered male cat, to recognize the new place as home. We've had to go back to the old place to get him twice now. We're afraid he's going to get hit crossing the streets on the way. Any suggestions? -- L.W., via e-mail
A: Cats are highly territorial, and they don't much like it when their territory changes. That's why some cat lovers find that their free-roaming pets keep showing up at their old home after a move, especially if the new home, like yours, isn't very far from the old one.
My best suggestion for you is to convert your cat to an indoor pet, because crossing streets to head back to the old home considerably ups his risk factor for getting hit.
If keeping him in permanently is not possible, bring Beezy inside for a couple of weeks at least. Dedicate extra time to playing with him, especially interactive games such as with a toy on a string. This play helps to relieve him of some of his stress or excess anxiety, and it also aids him in forming attachments to his new home and to the idea of you in it.
You may find that he settles in so well, he can be kept inside, even if he resisted that in his old home. (For ideas on how to make a cat's life indoors a good one, check out The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine's Indoor Cat Initiative at http://vet.osu.edu/indoorcat.htm.)
But if you must let him out, do so for short periods with you, and take him back in when you go inside again. You should be able to get a feel for when he's starting to recognize the new digs as his home, and you can increase his freedom accordingly. You're still taking a big risk with his life, but at least he'll know where home is.
Make sure the new people at your old apartment complex aren't encouraging your cat to stay. Ask them not to feed or pet him, and have them use a squirt bottle or a noisemaker to deter him from staying if they see him around.
Do you have a pet question? Send it to petconnection@gmail.com.
