Wednesday, February 21, 2018

moving with cats - part 1

We are moving. We are actually moving. This is happening. For so long, I had to keep reminding myself of this. And then suddenly, everything began happening so fast, it was all I could do to keep up. And now it's all over - the house is no longer ours.

Packing, packing, packing...

The cats have been stressed with all the chaos and stuff everywhere.

Nahum and Theo enjoy a cuddle to mitigate the stress.


I had to trap Pierre to take him to the vet for his vaccinations - but he would not go into the trap! I finally had to resort to using Oliver as his bait. He always wants to be plastered to his papa, so I placed Oliver in a carrier and put the trap in front of it, that way if Pierre wanted to get close to Oliver, he had to go through the trap. It worked! At the vet, I had them trim his nails (first time ever). I figured he'll be indoor cat now, he should have trimmed claws like the rest of the cats. He checked out to be in good health.

In preparation for driving our six cats from Washington State to Vermont, we had to get a bigger vehicle for the job. We wanted something with enough space and something AWD for any snow we might encounter along the way. We settled for this Toyota Sienna minivan. 

I took out the back seats and built a platform out of scrap wood. Cats will go in crates on top, our stuff and cat stuff will go on the bottom.

On moving day, I moved Pierre and Oliver to a large wire cage in the basement. That way they would be subject to less traffic and chaos.

Making time for loving on my Oliver! He's such a love!

Pierre is not impressed.

We are letting ABF U-Pack do the hauling of our stuff. They drop off a trailer, we load it and only pay for the space we use, then they haul it to Vermont for us.

We did the loading of the trailer in two stages. A small army of friends showed up to help load on the first day and sadly the skies opened up and it poured and poured rain. Our stuff and our friends all got soaked. It was quite an overwhelming and thoroughly exhausting experience. Later that night the rain turned to snow.

The second day, it was dry, sunny, and cold. A couple friends came over and we organized the trailer so everything fit better and then loaded in the remainder. 

It's so strange seeing our house empty.

We have been staying at our friend Lisa's house for the last few days while we were packing up our house. 

Rose is in the wire crate. She hates being handled by humans and is impossible to catch, so we thought we better leave her contained. She's not very thrilled with being in prison. 

Theo attends to me after I passed out from moving exhaustion.

This is where Marvin, Oliver, and Pierre are hanging out. Marvin is in the far cage with the blue cover. Oliver and Pierre gets the larger crate covered in green.

Marvs doesn't care for being in jail

Oliver's been scared, he cried a bunch in the night, so I got up and gave him some reassurance. It's amazes me how calming my presence is for him. Even though he's in an unfamiliar location, he comes out of his cage and melts into my lap. I so adore my Oliver, I'm so grateful he showed up in my yard!

I wasn't sure what to do about Nora. She only comes every few days to eat and she must sleep somewhere a block or so south of the house. She remains very feral and I'm not even sure Oliver and Pierre remain friends with her. I got word that the people who bought our house have agreed to continue feeding Nora! Yah!! This makes me so happy. 

The morning of our big move, we signed a 6-month lease for a small apartment in New Hampshire (just across the river from where we want to be in Vermont). We found a landlord who loves cats and wasn't afraid to rent to us with our six. We drove by the place when we were in that area last, but we've never seen it in-person. The pictures and video make it look small, but even so, it is a HUGE relief to have found a place we can land for a time while we shop for our perfect home.

We will be leaving soon. The plan is to load up the van with everyone and hit the road Thursday morning! 


  1. I am thrilled and glad that you have found where to go in VT...the perfect landlord for the situation even if the place is small. I am grateful Oliver and Pierre are willing to go with the family as they ARE family. I regret that Nora never did become a member of the family as well and I pray she will be well. I feel certain that your trip-- while work heavy for you two, will be successful and end brightly. I am convicted it will. SO glad you took this time to tell us.

  2. Dang, that's one heck of a long drive, y'all be super careful and we look forward to following your progress.

  3. What a huge endeavour! Best of luck to you all, I'll be sending universal Light and prayers that all goes well. Be safe!

  4. What an undertaking moving can be. And it is even more of a stress when beloved kitties are involved.
    Have a safe trip! When you come through PA, we'll be waving a welcome!

  5. Safe trip to you. I hope you have ear plugs for the kitten choir. Or at least that they harmonize well.

  6. We're about to do this in a month. Wishing you all the best!! <3

  7. I'm so happy that the move is finally happening for you. All the kitties will have a hard time but they will adjust. So glad Oliver and Pierre are onboard. Six kitties makes you a very lucky man! Safe travels!

  8. Wow what a big big big move. God be with you on your journey.

  9. Oh! Sending you purrs and hugs for a peaceful road trip! And even tho' the kitties aren't exactly happy with being cooped up, it's best for them to stay safe, and they will forget the cooped up part in a heartbeat. Bon Voyage!

  10. travels two all; we wish ewe all de best in de few chure.....we noe itz scaree but itz gotta bee egss citing two.....we noe it will bee hard when ya have ta make "pitstops" safe stay safe N best best fishes ~~~~~~~~~~~♥♥♥♥♥

  11. safe travels. glad you caught Pierre and the new owners know about Nora.

  12. I am only a state away in Mass. I am so happy that you found an apartment where you could keep 6 cats and the new owners of your home will feed Nora. Have a safe trip.

  13. so happy your dream to move to Vermont is finally a reality. You've done a great job getting the cats ready and keeping them safe and calm. What an amazing build you've done in the Sienna--PERFECT for the cats and for everyone's luggage/travel needs. I'm sure you're happy to know the new owners will be watching for and feeding Nora.
    I'll be sending calm and positive thoughts your way as you travel to Vermont and will keep everyone in my prayers til we hear from you again. Safe travels!

  14. Wishing all of you a safe journey to your new home. I'm glad you found a landlord who'd accomodate the kitties. Bon voyage!

  15. I wish you all the best during your travels and once you are at your new home. Bless you and be safe.

  16. Even though you are moving closer to me, looking at this makes me sad that you are 'leaving' it is such a weird feeling.


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