Any chance you can go on FB and join a group: Trap Neuter and Return Community? A lot of people have tons of experience working with difficult cats. Also, a long shot but what about that cat guy on TV?

Thank you Pamela! I do need someone with experience with difficult cats.

Edited to add: I found the group and posted. But now my post isn't visible, only those made by the facebook owner/moderator. After I posted, there was a popup asking if I wanted to go to my post so it is out there somewhere. Maybe on another website?

Steph, that's the best option, and one I hope to find. But needing a short term rental makes it a lot harder. I know cats need to be kept inside for 2 weeks after a move so they won't run off when they are let outside. If we can find a house with a garage that has a window, we can build a temporary catopia so he can have the great outdoors and protection.

right now I have brought in one of the ferals. She has an ongoing allergy and needs two times a day medication. Sooooooooooo I understand your issues totally.

For our already house cats we have the kennel they can access through a pet door that fits into the window. They can come for both double hung windows or the slider type. The kennel is chain link and 10 by 10. Since I married two kennels together I do have an off center divider with door for the times I might need to cage a kitty by itself outside.

You certainly would not need such a large kennel. I got this one at the 10 by 10 because at the time two of my kitties were also used to having the run of the yard and when we moved it is impossible to let them run free here. We are too close to the highway and road. AND dozens of ferals in the area not to mention the ones we ended up with on our porch. I know the kennels come in 5 by 5. They HAVE to have a top on them so that is extra. I used one side as the kennel as a partial top and filled in with heavy duty wire. Later when I did buy a second kennel and parried the two together I used a side from it for the top too and it works much better.

BUT those ferals are very crafty and can get through the smallest spaces to freedom. Anything more than 2 inches and they are gone.

THEN caging for transport. Well if you can leash with harness not just collar that might work but how are you going to travel? In car? We used to travel with a cat and he was fine with it. Small litter box between my feet on the floor. But stink oh my. They usually manage to pooh when there is nothing you can do about it in heavy traffic. UGH

I did find on the times I had to cage ferals for trips to the vet They pitched a fit for a while then gave up. I had 5 of them caged in the house overnight for one early morning trip to the vet. All lined up in the dinning room. They were actually pretty quiet.

I was looking at hundreds of out side kennels on Pinterest. Lots of nice home made ones that certainly look better than the cyclone. I am just not a carpenter and took the easy rout for me.

Adding a link. Cat Houses

Sometimes, a change of scene makes it easier for the cats to adapt to a new place. I've had many cats (some feral...in fact one right now) and it really depends on the cat. Sometimes new smells and sights will make them a little scared and they don't want to leave....other times they freak and want to get out.

When you get the apartment, maybe start with a room that is his. Then he can be 'let out' into the main living areas. Then give him some canned food at night, in his room. This will give him a safe place to be, without the noises and changes...and will make it feel like his 'spot'. I'd have a sturdy bookcase or table in front of the window, so he can easily (and safely) look outside.

If you have a second bedroom for an office or storage space, this could be his space at night. And if he gets scared, it would be his safe spot to run into. My little wild man, Goofy....yes it's the perfect name for him....loves his little space. We still don't pick him up without gloves and a big coat, but he will dance right into his little space for his canned food every night.

Transport....that's a tricky one. You can get something from the vet, but that's iffy with some cats. Maybe get a nice big dog sized carrier (so it's very roomy for him) and put that in the garage. Then give him a little canned food each night, by putting it in the kennel/carrier. Maybe put in a few little stuffed toys and a blanket for him. He doesn't have to be locked up....just pretend it's his little house inside the bigger space. His dry food, water and kitty box would not be in here. Just his toys and a little canned food.

I once had a cat that would run into the carrier when we had a thunder storm. He loved that spot! Hope this helps.

I have a dog carrier and the food thing is how I get him into it now. I have one of those self feeders and we put it in there for about a week. Then we take it out and the next day just put in a handful of dry food or treats. This cat doesn't really like canned food and he NEVER finishes eating anything. I think that's a hang over from being so hungry for those homeless years. Every time I have to take him to the vet, he becomes so afraid that he pees in the carrier, and after we get home, he won't go in the garage if the carrier is in there. I have to put it in the attic for several weeks until he forgets the trauma. I have tried to get him used to being in the car, sitting beside the carrier with the doors open, etc. and he freaks out every time. I'll probably have to get a sedative from the vet to be able to drive with him very far.

I agree that the cat may not want to go outside in a new environment, as it won't be his territory, and maybe outside will not be outside one closed door, as it may be now.

That is an if, and I can tell you it is more than two weeks for some cats. When we moved, I had to take whatever I could to get my kids in a new school system and cats were not allowed. My sister took my cats until I found a house. My tabby cat ran away after two months.

Maybe you are setting the bar too high to find a garage that has a window. Maybe a garage should be your focus, to keep the cat in a semi-indoor place. You might not have to get landlord approval for a cat in the garage. He can come inside for a sunny window.

Are you thinking you won't get in him a carrier for transport? How long is the journey? My cats have traveled up to 6 hours in a carrier with no issues. If they are young animals, and I suspect he is if he is feral, they can hold their bladder for a long time. If you can't get in him a carrier, perhaps you can put him in a pillowcase (head out, paws useless)?

This is going to be hard on him. Cats are territorial and do not like to move. My indoor pampered cats found it very difficult. I hesitate to suggest the foster angle because even with my sister's doting loving care that is far above what I offer the beasts, my cats were not happy. You may be more important to that cat than his territory, and he may further cling to you when the move is made. But really, with cats, it is all an experiment, isn't it?

BTW, that tv cat guy is Jackson Galaxy. I love him!

Thanks handmethehammer. The house we will build is about 25 miles from where we are now, so not that far. Every time I've had the cat in a cage in the SUV, he has cried and yowled the entire time. I think it would be even harder to get him into a pillowcase than into a carrier. Although, I did see something about pickup up cats by the scruff of their neck and it made even the wildest cat docile. I plan on trying that the next time I have to take him someplace and don't have a week to prep for it.

The vet thinks he is about 9 years old. He said it was hard to tell because the cat was so scarred, at least where he shaved his leg, and he had broken teeth and ragged ears from fighting.

One of my worries about moving the cat is that he can never roam free again, and that will make it even more stressful for him. But in the rental, we'll be in a town with neighbors who might not like visiting cats and there are probably leash laws. Where we are now, that's not an issue. In the permanent home, it will just be too dangerous for him, but there I plan to build an enclosure on the side of the garage.

I hope you are right that his attachment for us will be stronger than his need to run off. I think one reason he stayed here after he was neutered is that while he was under anesthesia, I held him and petted him. Before and even after, he wouldn't let us pet him anywhere but the top of his head without trying to bite or scratch. Now he loves being petted but he doesn't like being held or cuddled.

My daughter actually took her cat on the airplane with her on several occasions. They allowed it as long as a soft carrier fit under the seat. She got a sedative for it from her vet for the trips. Kitty dosed and was not upset.

When we had to move our elderly feral across country, we bought the largest dog carrier we could find. We used the small travel litter boxes with the peel off lid, and food in small individual containers. We used bottled water, all the same brand.

Still, she was hysterical all the way across the country. She was 20 years old at the time and senile, and only lived a year after that, gradually declining. I sometimes wonder if we did the right thing.

Scone- Did she have any good days in that last year? Did she get to enjoy the sunshine? Did she seem to feel safe/loved? If so, you did the right thing : )

scone911, did your cat use the travel litter boxes while traveling or just make a mess of everything with her hysteria? When I've put food in the carrier just to go to the vet, our cat scatters it everywhere.

And where do you get the travel litter boxes?

Lavender, I don't know. She was so senile, I'm not sure there was mych of anything in there. But physically, she was pretty robust until the last month or so.

Missouribound, I got the travel litter from the grocery store. Can't remember the brand. Our cat did use them, as much as she used any litter as she was quite senile, since the carrier was the biggest size available, and she had a separate pillow to sleep on. What she really hated was the motion, especially slowing down or speeding up. Stop lights were particularly bad.

Highway driving is always easier! Once you can just go the same speed, they usually calm down a bit. How far is your trip?

Lavender, it was from Oregon to New Hampshire. An unexpected job transfer for DH. But I had lived in New England as a child, so I was glad to get back, even though we had to sell our "dream house" at the beginning of the crash. I won't lie, driving pedal to the metal for nearly five days, with a screaming cat, was literally hell on wheels!

I had to move from Washington DC to Texas for a job. At the time, it was a hot spell across the country and the airlines would not let you fly your pets in the cargo area. Since both of my cats were 15+ lb they would not fit under the seats and the airlines would not sell me seats for them.

My brother flew up to DC and we drove back to Texas. I had gotten medicine from the vets but the test dose I gave them scared me too much to give it to them again. Well, the cat carriers were too big to fit in the floorboards of the U-Haul, so we took them out and they rode in the floor boards of the truck on blankets all the way. I was so afraid they would get out somewhere in the hills of Tennessee.

We couldn't get them to eat or pee, so we drove all the way with only very short bathroom stops.

Got to Texas and the cats sat beside me while I quickly filled the kitty litter and immediately used it. They had only ever been on the patio and were unfamiliar with going on the grass in the new house.

The vet recommended that I keep the totally inside for about 2 weeks and slowly let them outside. After the trip was over I had NO problems with them acclimating to the new house.

Best cats ever. Anthony and Cleopatra.

ETA: I know this story didn't offer much in the way of help, but cats do get used to a new environment. Also, here in my large metro area, apartment/house locaters can help you find exactly what you are looking for.

It sounds like you are a good kitty guardian.

Please do not use a sedative for the first time while you are traveling, not knowing how kitty will respond and where the nearest vet is. Sedatives can depress breathing. A pediatrician friend responded to a request for "medical personnel" on a flight. The "patients" were 2 cats that had been sedated. He was able to resuscitate one but the other died.

Have someone, vets office or shelter, teach you how to scruff a cat, and practice doing it before you need to, for both yours and the kitties safety.

Good luck.