For a dog or cat, a move is mostly confusing. Suddenly there are boxes everywhere, strangers are walking through the house and the familiar smells disappear. With a bit of preparation, you can keep things a lot calmer for your pet, and for yourself.
Start getting them used to it early
Bring the moving boxes into the house a few weeks in advance and just leave them there. A cat will often sit on top of them or lie in them, a dog will sniff them and get used to them. That way the boxes are nothing new by moving day.
Is your pet travelling in a carrier or crate? Then put it out in the room now, open, with a blanket inside. If the carrier only comes out for a trip to the vet, it will be hard to get your cat into it on moving day.
Keep the routine as normal as possible
Animals are attached to set times. Keep feeding, walking and playing at the times they are used to, even in the busy weeks before the move. Pack your pet's things last: the bed, the food bowls, the toys and the litter tray stay put until the very end.
Arrange care for moving day
On moving day itself, the doors are open and things are being carried in and out. That is stressful for an animal and sometimes dangerous too. The calmest solution is to have your pet stay somewhere else that day:
- with family, friends or neighbours your pet already knows;
- at a boarding kennel or cattery, ideally one your pet has been to before;
- with a dog walking service for a long walk during the busiest hours.
If that is not possible, empty one room and put your pet there with water, food, its bed and the litter tray if needed. Close the door and put a note on it, so the movers and your helpers know that door has to stay shut.
On the way to the new home
Transport your pet yourself, in your own car. A cat belongs in a closed carrier, a dog in a crate or secured with a harness on the back seat. It is best not to give a big meal just before leaving, to prevent car sickness. Take water with you if the journey is a bit longer.
Small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and birds suffer most from draughts and changes in temperature. Secure the cage or hutch firmly in the car and put a cloth over it to keep them calm. Mostly empty an aquarium: the fish go in a bag or bucket with water from their own tank, and the tank itself moves with a layer of water and the filter kept wet.
Arriving in the new home
Do not let your pet explore the whole house straight away. Start with one quiet room where its own things are already in place. That bit of familiar smell helps. Only once the movers have gone and the doors are closed, let your pet look around further.
For cats: keep them indoors for the first few weeks. A cat that goes outside too soon sometimes tries to walk back to the old address. After a few weeks you can let them out under supervision, for example just before a meal, so they have a reason to come back.
You can help dogs by doing the same walking routes for the first few days. That way they get to know the neighbourhood and soon learn where they live.
Don't forget the microchip and the vet
If your dog or cat is microchipped, update the address and your phone number in the database where the chip is registered. If your pet gets lost in the first few weeks, you will then get a call. Also put a new address tag on the collar.
If you are moving further away, find a vet in your new town in advance and ask your old vet to send on the records.
A short checklist
- Bring boxes and the carrier into the house well in advance.
- Arrange care or set up a closed-off quiet room.
- Have a bag ready with food, water, bowls, a toy, the litter tray and bags.
- Update the chip registration and the address tag.
- Start with one room in the new home.
Would you like us to plan moving day so you have time for your pet? Request the free moving check and we will help you work it out.
