Many families move to new neighborhoods or even different states over the summer before the school semesters begin. Moving is stressful for pets as they pick up on the vibes in the household and the unusual activity that precedes a move. Thus, it’s important to pay special attention prior to the move and especially on moving day to ensure they are safe, unable to run away and remain as calm as possible.
First on the ‘to do’ list is to ensure that all pets – both cats and dogs - are wearing collars with up-to-date information. Also, inform the database that holds your pet’s microchip information of the changes too.
If your cat is allowed outside, stop letting her outside at least two weeks before moving day. This will prevent her from possibly disappearing beforehand. It’s also a good idea to have her carrier accessible so that she sees it around and let her climb into it if she is curious.
However, when you actually begin packing boxes, place her in another room. Cats have been known to jump into a box and snuggle down amidst the contents, out of sight. Next thing, you can’t find her because she’s packaged to go!
On moving day, if possible, ask a friend to take care of your dog so that he is not even in the house. If that’s not possible, confine both cats and dogs to a bathroom with food and water as there is usually no furniture to be carried out from here. Also put a warning sign on the outside of the door. Be sure to put your cat’s carrier here so it doesn’t get loaded onto the moving van and also place your dog’s harness and leash here for the same reason.
Wait until the movers have delivered everything and left the premises before taking your pets over to the new address. Put all your cat’s paraphernalia in one room and closet her here at least for a couple of hours before letting her roam around. It’s also a good idea to plug synthetic feline and canine pheromone diffusers throughout the home to help reduce stress levels.
At the first opportunity take your dog for a walk around the neighborhood so she familiarizes herself with her new address and hopefully makes some new doggie friends.
