Choose for the urgent day, not just the routine one
When you register after a move, pick a practice you can actually reach quickly when your cat is unwell, not simply the one with the prettiest website. Check how the practice handles out-of-hours emergencies, whether emergency care is on site or provided through another clinic, and how far that arrangement is from your new home. Ask how routine appointments are booked, whether nurse clinics are offered for weight checks and nail care, and whether the team has a particular interest in cats if your cat is nervous, elderly or living with a long-term condition. Registering before you need help matters: a practice that already holds your cat's details can see you faster than one taking a brand-new history from a distressed owner in a crisis.
Most practices will register a new cat by phone or online. Have your new address, your contact numbers and your cat's basic details ready, including age, breed if known, whether she is neutered, and her identity chip number if she has one, so the chip record can also be updated to your new address with the chip database.
Move the records, not just the cat
The single most useful step is asking your previous clinic to transfer the full clinical history to the new practice. That history carries vaccination dates, past illnesses and procedures, weight trends, test results and notes about how your cat copes with handling and travel, all of which shape good decisions at the new practice. A summary from memory loses exactly the details that matter, such as which problems have already been investigated and ruled out.
While the transfer happens, gather your own copies in one place: vaccination card, any discharge letters, a note of current food and feeding amounts, and a list of ongoing issues such as a sensitive stomach or a tendency to cystitis-like signs that have been checked before. If your cat was registered under a previous address or even a previous name from a rescue, mention it, so records filed under that name can be matched up rather than duplicated.
Use the first appointment as a baseline, not a formality
Book an introductory health check soon after registering, while your cat is well. That visit lets the new vet record a normal weight, look at teeth, heart, lungs, coat and joints, and note what is typical for your cat, which makes later changes far easier to spot. It also lets your cat experience the building, the carrier journey and the consulting room without anything painful happening, which can soften future visits.
Bring your questions to that first appointment. Ask what vaccination and parasite-prevention schedule the practice recommends for your cat's lifestyle in the new area, whether the risks differ from where you lived before, and what the practice suggests for an older cat's screening. Mention anything about the move itself that has changed your cat's behaviour, appetite or litter habits, since stress signs in the first weeks are easier to interpret while the timeline is fresh.
Settle the practical details in the first week
Update every place your old address still lives: the chip database, your insurer if you have one, and any reminder systems, so vaccination reminders and test results reach you at the new home. Find out where the practice wants you to go at night and save that number in your phone alongside the daytime line, rather than searching for it during an emergency. Walk or drive the route to the practice once in daylight so the journey is familiar before you ever make it with a sick cat in the carrier.
Finally, keep a note of your previous clinic's contact details with your cat's papers. New teams sometimes need one missing result or an older set of images, and knowing exactly where to ask saves days. Storing the old and new practice details, vaccination record and weight history together in KinsLe's Pet Passport means the handover stays complete, and any vet who sees your cat next starts from her real history rather than a blank page.