Today’s #WhiskerWednesday is brought to you by our still-upset babies that LOATHED our cross country move… they really want us to figure out how to make them feel comfortable going outside. 

If you have a furrbaby, specifically a “rescue” cat, you might be able to sympathize when I say that when you take a 100% indoor cat OUT of the house, it’s always an event… 😒 

Our vet recommended that we start getting them used to going out , or at least get used to being handled , before the trip with the use of harnesses and small trips in their carriers. Harnesses , or hugging shirts, can sometimes make kitties feel safe and are able to be handled better. Taking them on small trips in their carrier , other than JUST to the doctor, can help them not get so worked up whenever they get in their carrier.

After a horrific visit to the vet with 5 babies, where the vet and 2 assistants had to get handling gloves and bandaids, we decided that it was time to “tame the cats”. 🐱 

We went out and bought them all little clothes, harnesses , treats and started the adjustment process. Sometimes we saw progress, sometimes we didn’t. 

**Important note: In addition to making sure that all of the babies’ information was updated and current on their microchips , we replaced their little scratched up tags for new and improved tags. These are from Pawdentify ( www.Pawdentify.com ) and really make us feel at ease, knowing that if our babies ever got lost, someone would be able to help them come back home! I will do a post about these next week. 😊 

With 7 cats, most of whom are very skittish or not excited to be in their harness, it was hard to keep a consistent “training program” for them to all be comfortable enough to be carried or go out. Not to mention, keep them from noticing us packing up our home in California, for the big cross country move…the progress was slow! 


Our move was as eventful as you can imagine, how could it not be, with 6 people (including an 84 year old in a wheelchair ) and 7 cats moving cross country.

Here is a quick timeline, of what it was like : 

-Monday : We packed up our rented RV , corralled 5 cats in a three-level cage, the other two were in individual carries because they fight too much with the others, and we left California. We drove nonstop through Arizona and were able to snooze for an hour at a truck rest stop around 4am on Tuesday. The cats were hysterical… but we couldn’t take them out for a long period of time because they would have just ran off. 😓

-Tuesday : We continued driving nonstop and decided that it was just too much to keep our babies in that cage for 48 straight hours…oh and our RV flooded…that was fun. We found a pet friendly Motel 6 in West Texas and slept on beds for the first time , Tuesday night, since we’d left Monday afternoon. Our kitties were SOOO happy to be out of that darn cage…and so were we!! 

Wednesday : We drove the last of this never-ending trip and made it to our new home on Wednesday evening. We had no furniture, only a bag of clothes per person and spent the next two weeks trying to make ourselves AND the kitties relax and unwind from the big move. The first week was hard and the babies just slept in our bags and hid in our closets…💔

It’s officially 2 months after that big move and we are all ALMOST back to normal. I still have a minor anxiety attack when I see an RV and the babies are now not too horrified of us picking them up or closing them in one room.

Texas is SO beautiful. The skies are just breathtaking ! Our old man,Timmy , is so enthralled with the birds out here and he is the only one ok with being in a harness and on a leash. Raymond and Paulie run out of the back door and roll around in the grass. Lol 

I worry so much about them running after a bird or getting scared and getting lost. 

Which leads me to my next topic/question, have you seen a cat in a backpack or stroller? 

I am so inspired by these kitties on Instagram to help our babies get used to going outside in a safe way! I am currently doing some research on the best backpack or stroller to get and enjoy walks with our babies in our beautiful new community! 

Maybe it will help reduce the anxiety, for when they have to go to their new vet. 

What do you think? 

Do you have any tips or suggestions for backpacks or strollers that are sturdy and safe for walking cats? 

Thank you for reading my blog posts, I really appreciate your time and attention! ❤

Toodles for now,

– Diana and the Miller Cats<3