I have been told that when moving to a new house with your cats you should cover their paws with butter to stop them roaming and getting lost. Does anyone know why?
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I can't think of why that would work. It's listed as a myth here:
www.cat-world.com.au/
Must keep them inside of your new residence for minimum of 30 days to insure that they acclimate to the home and don't want to find the other place! Except my husband and i had a big fight about letting cat out from garage. He was formerly a feral, and i wanted him in the new home for 30 days.
maybe it keeps them busy licking instead of fretting over the move.
Cats are very much about smells. They mark their territory by smell. In addition to spraying, you've probably noticed a cat rubbing certain oily parts of their bodies against a post, tree, rock, person, etc. When they rub against objects or people, their scent get left on the object or person. In addition, a bit of that object's or person's scent gets rubbed onto the cat. When they wash, they become even more familiar with the scents of their territory, as they inhale those scents with every lick.
I heard from my sister that you're supposed to put butter on a cat's nose after moving. The cat will clean his nose by rubbing with his paws and licking the butter off his paws. In doing this, the scents of his "new" territory will become more quickly imprinted on its brain. The idea makes "scents" in theory. I don't know if it really works.
I ran some web searches, and found many sites that seek to explain the mysterious behavior of our feline friends. Try www.xmission.com/
www.cat-olholics.com/
CF (guest)
The thought was that they would spend so long licking the butter from their paws, they would forget about trying to get back to the old place and instead settle at the new one. It's not a good idea though.
Ha!...do that to my cats and they WILL run and hide!!! I think that's definitely a myth!
JoAnn
Yes! it does work! I have done this several times and it worked every time for all my cats!!
Oh, I would never do that to my kitties, but mine don't go outdoors.
When I moved I immediately had the bed set up, put the linens on it, put the kitties in the room and closed the door. They felt "at home" with the scents and familiar bed.
Jennifer
Northern Virginia
I don't think it will prevent them from roaming and getting lost but if they should ever come across a lobster, they will be ready for a great feast!!
I have your answer. It's not a myth or an old wive's tale. These people who say it is in previous feedback have obviously never tried it and have no idea what they're talking about. I moved several years ago and was distraught when my cat disappeared for 3 weeks. When I moved after, I out butter on her paws and she didn't disappear at all!!!
This most certainly makes your cat know he, or she is "home". I've done this over the years, and it has never failed. Anyway, it'll be a treat your little friend will appreciate.
I have always rubbed butter on the paws on any new cat i have had,none of them have ever strayed,even rescue older cats.I heard it gives them the smell of their new home,i never wanted to loose anyof my cats,well it worked.
Why do you put butter on a cats paws?
One popular tip for cat owners moving house is to put some butter on your cats paws before letting him go outside his new house for the first time. This tip is meant to prevent your cat from running away or getting lost.
The reasoning behind this suggestion has several possibilities, which include:
As the cat licks the butter off his paws, he is surveying the environment and getting a good bearing on his new territory.
Putting butter on his paws removes the smell of his previous home.
Hes so busy licking the butter off his paws that he forgets about being stressed in his new environment.
As he licks the butter off his paws, he becomes accustomed to the scent of the new environment.
Some suggest the butter go on the bottom of his paws, so his little buttery footprints will help him find his way home.
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