I would not put the cat down. The cat is not going to be stressed by the move. The cat will adjust in one day. Better to have to readjust to a new home than be put down. You are lucky your cat has reached this age. Appreciate the cat.

I would recommend that you properly test the cat and factually know what the cat's medical condition is. Without knowing for sure, you don't know that extraordinary treatment is required. Some simple meds may well improve her quality of life.

I probably would not spend a lot of money for testing on an 18 year old cat, either. But each person has a threshold for how much, is too much, and that is your personal choice.

I would do as much as I could to make him comfortable.

I probably would take him with me on the move. If he takes a turn for worse, you can make your tough decision, then.

Personally, if I put him to sleep prematurely, just for the move, that would bother me forever.

Keep the cat in a small room/bathroom with his litterbox, food dishes and favorite bed during the move. Once you're ready to permanently leave the current home, take him to the new house.
Set him up the same way in the new house until strangers no longer are entering the house. Then allow him to explore the new home.......if he chooses to.

Be sure to put a 'do not open' sign on the door of his private room!

I've moved with many animals.........healthy and sick..........I wouldn't put him down at this time.

"I probably would take him with me on the move.
If he takes a turn for worse, you can make your tough decision, then.

Personally, if I put him to sleep prematurely, just for the move, that would bother me forever."

good advice.

I once moved from an office duplex (my office in one side, beauty shop in the other side) & couldn't take the office cat to the new office.

I would have had to take her to my home;
she was 13 years old, she had been mistreated when she was younger & therefore was very easily upset (she used to wet the floor when I decorated for Christmas),...& she never had been around other cats or dogs.

A rescuer had advised me that moving an old cat to a new home was disastrous.

Thank goodness, the hairdresser took her, put her in her own separate room, with her own bed & toys & dishes, & let her settle in gradually.

I was amazed at how well the cat did, surrounded by her own things & with a human being she'd known for nearly a dozen years.

so I know it *can* be done.

I wish you the best.

Peter moved at age 20. When movers were in doing the packing, my cats were shut in my office with me. When they were bringing everything into the new house, one room was closed off for the cats. They all did fine, and none were young. I did get sedatives for Peter for the travel, but tested them a week ahead and they agitated him, so he traveled without any meds.

Peter loved his new house, which was selected with him in mind, lots of windows to sun in and hardwood floors so that he could throw up wherever he wanted. He died peacefully at 22.

Are you treating his liver disease with anything? We had a cat with the same diagnosis and she did quite well for about three more years on a regimen of Phytoliv ( not sure about the spelling, little brown pills that smelled bad) and Zentonil tablets. They both support liver function. The Zentonil can be bought on line from several sources, The Phytoliv I got from my vet.
I would move him. If you follow everybodie's advice, he will be fine.
Katharina

I could never leave my pet, no matter how old and ill. I would let him adjust in an open door cage or ample carrier with his own smells, favorite bed and toys inside, perhaps food and water in it, that he could later be transferred in and to provide him in the new strange house with familiarity, safety and prevent him running off and getting lost. Good luck with whatever you decide.

"The cat is not going to be stressed by the move. The cat will adjust in one day"

You're kidding right? We only lived in a an apartment for 6 years.We moved and it has been 2 years and our cat is STILL not adjusted to the place! In fact,he still hides whenever we leave because he is scared of being alone here.We have to coax him to come back out.
If this cat has lived there most of his life,I think it will be VERY stressful on him...
However,I wouldnt put him to sleep. I would try some cat calming herbs (petsmart) and just be as reassuring as possible with the old guy. It may not take him as long as my cat to adjust (as mine is just a big sissy).I really wouldnt put him to sleep unless you feel he suffering alot. But it sounds as though he is doing pretty good.

I definitely would not put him to sleep. I have an 18 year old too and he gets the least upset over anything going on..sirens, thunder than the rest of my cats.... Just put him in a safe room with a closed door, food, water, bed, litter box and a big note on the door saying KEEP OUT..When all is quiet and the movers gone, let him out to investigate. Good luck.

Thank you all for your thoughts, especially success stories of elder-feline moves. Most of the cats in my life have lived to 20+, so I certainly don't think at 18 that it's necessarily his time. However, if it is approaching, I don't want to think of his last days being miserable/scared/stressed/etc. and that having been caused by me. But y'all have given me reassurance that it's a managable thing.

As for getting over it in a day, not hardly. I know my cat. He won't appear for hours when I get home after leaving him overnight and won't speak to me for several more hours after that. Even if the parade o' folks and the car ride don't upset him for some reason, he's still gonna be ticked. lol

glaserberl, the vet has him on a daily dose of SamE. I can't say really if it helps or not because if it hadn't been for the bloodwork, then the more specialized bloodwork, I wouldn't have known he had an issue beyond things I write off to "old age". I figure at 18 you're entitled to not be as perky as you once were...

Personally, if I put him to sleep prematurely, just for the move, that would bother me forever.

Absolutely -- a huge fear. Followed closely by causing him unnecessary suffering because I'm too selfish to let him go when it's clearly time. But medically I don't think this is it for him, and y'all have helped me feel much more confident that his stress level can be managed throughout the process.

tauphidelt,

I moved with a twenty year old cat, and she did fine. I had another one who lived into his twenties, moved internationally twice, and domestically a good dozen times, and he still freaked out every time like it was the apocalypse (to the point of attacking us, hissing, hiding out, etc. for a few days until he magically got over it in an instant).

Your cat is probably somewhere in the middle, so I'd be likely to try it.

I've read that when you move with cats, you should keep them inside for a while. Otherwise, when they go out, they try to find their way to their old home. Once they've lived inside for a while, they realize that the humans are going to be living in the new place, and they're less likely to get lost. It can help to maintain as much of a pet's routine as possible--feeding times, old toys and bedding, relative location of bowls, etc.

Tauphidelt, best wishes to you and your cat in your new home. As for his old age, I think you'll know when it's time to let him go. I recently was present for the death of a pet for the first time. It was my boyfriend's mom's dog Harry. I've always thought that when my Bear goes, I'll want to keep petting him for a long time after, but with Harry, after he was gone, I just knew that what I was petting wasn't Harry anymore, just his tired old left-behind body, and it felt right to stop petting him.

Melissa

My daughter moved with her cat several times. He was a few years old the first time she took him.He was a spunky one, very independent but obedient. She took him clear across the country and back a few years later. He finally died at the tender age of 19,spunky to the end. You may have to tranquilize him if he gets resentful when left alone but most cats adjust. My other daughter adopted a very mature cat from a rescue group and after a period of adjustment began to bond with the family. I was at Petco on their adoption day and there were several mature cats wanting adoption, they were eager for love you could tell. It broke my heart to not be able to take at least one home. I don't think my kitty would appreciate company. Just the smell of kitty on my daughter turns her into dracula, hissing and highly unsociable.

I've read that when you move with cats, you should keep them inside for a while.

Considering that cats shouldn't be left to wander outside alone, anywhere at anytime, that is a given.

I wanted to let y'all know how Fang is doing. We have packers here today; the actual move is tomorrow. He happened to be near the door when they first walked in and gave them this look like "Who are you and why are you in my space?" He's since wandered by, ignored them, eaten and has now disappeared, probably up under my bed.

On the other hand, our younger cat, who it never occurred to me to worry about, is having fits. I finally had to go put him in the bathroom and shut the door and he's still pacing around in there. Go figure.

They'll both be corralled in the bathroom tomorrow. Thank goodness it's a local move so I don't have to take them 'til everything is unloaded and the house is quieter.

It might be too late to think about this, but there are natural calmatives on the market that might help. I've used Good Cat and Rescue Remedy. There's also something called Feliway. My last move was with four cats. Luckily it was only about a mile and a half.

Catnip might help. Some cats get agitated by it, though, so beware of that.

Good luck with your move. My cats took less than a day to check out the new place and settle in. The new house has a lot more room, and stairs to run up and down, so they love it.