How to Successfully Move Your Pet to a New Home
Moving is stressful enough without adding Fido or Fluffy into the mix. As someone who has moved several times with my paranoid (read: separation anxiety-ridden) poodle, I have first-hand experience with this common relocation challenge. If you notice a change in your pet’s behavior when you move, it’s not just your imagination. Just like their owners, pets also experience plenty of stress when changing up their daily routine and environment. According to a LiveScience interview with veterinarian James Morrisey, “Dogs and cats are very good at picking up stress in people.”
So to help you manage your pet’s stress levels during a move (and your own), here are a few helpful tips on making your cat or dog’s move as pawsitive as possible!
Preparation
Preparation is everything! While packing, try to organize your moving boxes in one room, so that your pet doesn’t scratch or chew up all of your moving supplies. Remember: puppies combined with bubble-wrap, tape and cardboard isn’t going to end well.
Also, make sure to pack all of your pet’s essential belongings in a separate, clearly-labeled bag. You’ll want to take this with you to get through the moving day and the immediate days following. Pet items to consider bringing with you, include:
- Poop bags
- A few favorite toys
- Something for your dog to chew on (rawhide bones, chewing sticks or a favorite chew toy)
- Leash
- Kitty litter, box and scooper
- A crate, doggy gate or carrier
- Blanket
- Water bowls
- Food (if you are bringing raw food, bring a cooler with ice to keep it fresh while you travel)
When preparing your cat for the move, Purina suggests introducing them to their cat carrier by placing treats inside and cozying the space up with a blanket. Typically, cats do not like to be confined in a crate, and have an especially strong aversion to traveling. Have you ever seen someone carrying a panicking cat onto the plane? Without giving your cat a safe medication to relax and calm them during travel, chances are – your cat is not going to take well to the flight.
Many dogs, on the other hand, prefer small spaces, finding their crate to be a place of comfort – especially, if they are crate-trained. Hopefully, transporting your pup to the new home won’t be too stressful for you or your dog. However, you may want to prepare them for their new environment, if you’re able. Purina recommends taking your dog for a walk around the new house and neighborhood before the move. For dogs, smell is the most important sense they possess, so introducing your pet to the common smells around the home is a great way to make them feel comfortable in their new surroundings. My husband and I did this exact thing before moving to our new house. We brought our poodle up for a walk around the neighborhood, and even brought him with us to our home’s official walk-through, so that he could smell the inside of the house before moving.
Finally, if you’re moving to a new area, begin your research for a new veterinarian ASAP. Also, make sure to look up and write down the addresses and phone numbers of the closest pet emergency hospitals and 24-hour care centers. If something unexpected happens to your pet during the moving process, it’s best to be prepared.
Moving day
My best advice for moving is to figure out a way to keep your pets contained during the chaos of the day. Unfortunately, moving day involves a lot of open doors, and – if you’re not careful – ways for your pets to escape. Trust me – desperately searching for your beloved cat or dog on the streets of your new neighborhood is the last way you want to spend the first night in your new home.
Ways to keep your dog or cat contained, include: keeping them in a crate; installing a gate in a doorframe; sending them to a pet daycare; or having someone else watch them during the day. If you’re helping to load and unload moving boxes, you won’t be able to watch your pet as carefully as you may like. Given that it is a new neighborhood, it’s also much more likely that if your pet escapes, they’ll become hopelessly lost. For this reason, make sure your pet has a tag with its name and phone number on it during moving day.
If you’re flying with a small dog or cat, make sure to look up your airline’s rules and regulations. Transporting a pet with you on the plane usually requires placing them in a small, ventilated crate underneath your seat and paying an extra fee. If you decide to fly with a larger dog, you’ll have to put them in an approved shipping kennel to be placed in the cargo portion of the plane. For more information on how to transport your pet to a different state, check here .
Settling in
Adjusting to a new environment can be difficult for some pets. While dogs may have an easier time getting used to their new home, cats usually have a harder time adjusting at first. The best thing you can do for either pet is to maintain consistent mealtime and bedtime routines for your dog or cat. Make sure you have a designated place in the new home for their food and water bowls, their bed, as well as litter boxes or pee pads, if used by your pet. I also recommend taking your pet on a little tour of the house to help them familiarize themselves with the different rooms and unique smells. Finally, a tired dog is a good dog. To lessen their anxiety over moving, make sure to go for daily walks and provide them with plenty of exercise opportunities throughout the day. Getting used to a new home may take some time; but by following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to helping your sweet furball adjust quickly and smoothly.