Pets and Moving
Moving is stressful on everyone - Adults, kids, and yes... even your pets! They sense the anxiety when their human family is busily throwing everything into boxes. They are creatures of habit, and are easily confused. Naturally, we want to keep our pets happy and healthy, and prevent them from 'acting-out'. Let's help them feel secure.
Below are some valuable tips.
During The Packing Process
Let your pet explore some empty packing boxes, so they won't be afraid of these new objects.
Adhere to the usual feeding, exercise, and bedtime schedule.
When packing, leave your pet's belongings to last, right up until you're ready to go. Allow your pet continued access to the same food dishes, litter box, bed, and toys. And keep these things in their usual spot, if possible.
Moving Day
Remove your pets from the house BEFORE you start moving your possessions. Allowing your pets to roam free, while the front door is propped open, and everyone is rushing around, is a recipe for disaster.
If it's not possible to remove your pets beforehand, then select an empty room with a door to safely house them for the day. Place their food, water dishes, toys, bedding, and litter box in the room as well. Many pets find the background noise of a radio comforting, and it helps to muffle some of the loud and unsettling noises that come from moving heavy furniture and boxes.
Be sure to put collars with identification tags on your dogs and cats, in case they escape during the confusion. To avoid possible injury to your cat, always use a breakaway collar. Although many pets today are micro-chipped, having your pet wear a collar remains a good idea, as only pet care industry workers have access to the tool that reads the chip, while anyone can read your name and phone number on a tag.
For transportation to the new home, cats should be placed in a cat carrier on the floor of the back seat, and dogs should be properly restrained. Dogs should either ride in the back of the vehicle, separated from passengers by a grate, or should sit in the back seat, strapped into a dog seat belt. This protects both your dog, and the passengers in the vehicle - otherwise, a quick stop can send your canine hurtling forward, causing serious injury.
Never leave your pet unattended in a vehicle. While the temperature may seem just a little warm to you, animals overheat quickly. Sadly, every year there are thousands of pets who succumb to heatstroke as a direct result of being left in a hot car.
Bring your pet's dishes, food, leash, toys, bedding, litter box, and any medications in the car with you. Providing consistency is important, so when you arrive at your new home, set up your pet's things in the spots where you intend on keeping them.
Introducing Your Pet to their New Home
Before releasing your pet into the backyard, take a quick safety check... Is the fence in good shape - no spaces to wiggle through, or under? Can your pet reach the neighbour's pet through the fence, and if so, is he/she friendly? Are there any sharp objects that could pose a hazard? What about plants - are there any that could be harmful if swallowed? Is there any garbage lying around to get into? Is there shade available? After running through all of these checks, be sure to leave a large, cool, bowl of water, and spend some time just sitting in the backyard with them.
It is recommended that cats remain indoors. Cats who are allowed to roam free outside have a life expectancy much lower than an inside cat. If your cat has been allowed to roam in the past, now is the ideal time to break them of the habit. If you keep your cat indoors from day one in the new house, he will consider this his new turf, and sole territory.
Select a room with a door for your cat to use as the 'transition room'. Place a litter box, food and water dishes, toys, and bedding. After a couple of days, when most of the boxes have been unpacked, the furniture placed, and things have generally calmed down - open the door and allow your cat to venture out. Before moving the belongings to where you want to keep them, allow your cat the use of the room for another 2 or 3 days while becoming more confident in the new surroundings.
Small Pets
Birds, lizards, rabbits, and other small animals are much easier to move, as they're normally housed in a cage, or at least accustomed to regularly spending 'quiet time' in one. To make the journey safely, they should be kept in their cage, or placed into an appropriately sized carrier before being loaded into the car.
Place a light weight cloth, with adequate air flow, over the container to maintain quiet and calmness during the car ride.
Be sure to have food and fresh water in with your pet. Many small animals do well with a drinking bottle that is easily attached to most cages. Remember to bring your pet's supply of food, feeding dishes, and any medications with you in the car.
Small animals overheat even faster than large animals, so again, never leave your pets unattended in a vehicle.
For more information on how to ease a move for your pets, or if your pet has a pre-existing medical condition that requires special care, please contact your veterinarian.
