Moving cat away from his home to an apartment. How to make it easiest?

I have had my cat for about 11 years and he is an indoor cat. He has lived in the same house his whole life. I wasn't able to take him with me for the first couple years of college but next year I will be taking him with me to my new apartment. I had some questions about moving him.First, he lives with another cat and a dog and I would be taking him away from them. He doesn't really seem attached to them or anything, they chase each other around mostly, but I was wondering if that would affect him much.Second, I go to school about a 7 hour drive away from my house. How should I transport him? Should I maybe go move in a couple days earlier and get settled in and then have my parents bring him up a couple days later after all the commotion has stopped?How long should I keep him in a room separate from everything else? Should I leave him alone to explore for a while before I go in to sit with him?Third, if there are any other tips you may have I would really appreciate them. He is relatively old and I want to make sure to keep him as least stressed as possible for such a big change.

Use a pet carrier when you transport him, and occasionally stop for breaks an let him walk around in the car. It is a good idea to set up before, because that kind of commotion can stress him out. When you introduce him to the apart,net, try to do it in little bits at a time. First one room ,then open a door to the next, just so he won't get stressed. Good luck

Well first off you seem a good owner! Back to my answer ....... I know how you feel my cat has lived in 3 different houses in 3 different countries in 3 different continents ( she had to go into quarantine for 2 months to check she didn't have rabies and then take a 14 hr flight to Singapore and then back agin 12 months later! So what you should do is settle in yourself before you bring your cat in to its new home. Next keep your cat in one room for at least 24 hrs ( possibly your kitchen) this will let him start to settle in without to much to investigate. In the certain room you put him in let him explore and do not disturb him. He is likely to hide somewhere strange don't panic leave him there and let him come out in his own time this could take a few days or more. Once he is fully settled and knows whereas litter box/ food is you caplet him investigate the rest of the apartment. You may just want to introduce him room by room to your apartment but if you feel ready go or it.

1. Wait a couple months to see how the cat acts without his buddies to chase. He'll be taking about a month to settle in to the new place and become comfortable with new scents, new furniture, new sounds, new windows and views. Then watch and see if he is acting lonely. It may be that at his age he is happy to have a place to himself. If he acts droopy then think about a companion but NOT a kitten!2. He should be transported in a molded plastic cat carrier. NEVER ever use those stupid mesh things that provide absolutely no protection in a car accident or if something falls on it. Do not let the cat out. Go buy Feliway spray in a cat at the pet supply store. Get him in the car, spritz in 2 or 3 times, cover the carrier with a towel. The towel keeps in the spritz so he inhales it and keeps the carrier dark and cozy which de-stresses a cat.Feliway is a pheromone cat calmative (my vet uses it on terrified cats), they can smell it, you can't. It lasts about 2 hours so if he seems antsy spritz every so often. No food or water prior to travel so no upset stomach. It's okay for him to arrive hungry. Have his home set up and favorite foods ready.Do not travel with car windows open or radio blasting. Your parents bringing him a few days later would be ideal!Moving in ahead of time with all the noise and commotion gone by the time he arrives is perfect. Cats hate change so he will be spooked very likely. Keep him in your bedroom for a week before you let him examine the rest of the place. If he appears to want to go out the bedroom door on his own then let him out supervised and he may be ready. By all means be with him in the bedroom! You are his person and he relies upon you for comfort so you will be making him feel secure.Here's a tip I'd recommend. Before you leave, take an old tee shirt, wear it a couple of days and sweat good in it. Then use that tee shirt to line the bottom of the cat carrier for him to sleep on. Your scent will be on the shirt, it should comfort him a lot and make him less stressed.Watch how much food he is eating. I say this because at one of my moves one of my cats didn't like it (handled others well) and just quit eating, and started to get skinny. I had to have a feeding tube surgically inserted and I had to squish special food via syringe into the feeding tube three times a day for weeks. The cat went anorexic on me and $900 later she came around. Give him a kitty condo to climb and look out windows or arrange some furniture so he can sit or lay and observe his new world. Bring his old toys and don't get new ones for awhile. Keep things as routine as possible.Everything should go well. Congrats on your efforts to make your fur friend have a good trip!