While moving house can be stressful enough for you, imagine how it feels for your pets. They don’t understand the concept of moving home, so it can be a frightening and disorienting time for your furry friends. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to prepare a plan for helping your pets during the move. Cats, dogs, birds and any other larger animals will need to be well looked after in this process.
Take a look at the different stages of the move and what you can do to help your pet.
Before the move
If you can get your pet familiar with your new home and the surroundings, do so as much as possible before moving. This will help them get familiar with sights, sounds and smells in the new home – just make sure you have the owner or developer’s permission to be there.
You should plan a safe room for your animal. This can be their room throughout the day of the move and for the first week or two to get them comfortable and ensures they have their own space.
Begin packing things in the days leading up the move, especially things you won’t need for them right away. This way you’re organised and won’t leave anything behind – but don’t deny them their favourite toy either!
You’ll surely know the new address which you’re moving to, so get any tags updated and be sure to inform your vet of the move. If your cat or dog is microchipped you should also update this information, it could prove to be vital if your pet goes AWOL when moving or in the first few weeks after.
During the move
If you’re not sure your pet can handle the stresses, noises and strange people, leave them with family or friends for the day. While this may distress them a little, it won’t be quite as bad as being around when the bulk of the work is being done.
If you keep your pets with you on the day of the move, you should try to stay calm at all times with them and not rush their move. Spend lots of time with them, even if it’s only a few minutes at a time, they’ll hopefully settle after the initial surprise of moving.
You should have created a safe space for your pet, with a dedicated cat or dog room for them in the new house. You can fill this with toys, giving them their food and water, but avoid cluttering the room with boxes or anything unfamiliar.
Should you be aware of your pet being highly stressed by such situations, you can always get an Adaptil plug-in device. By getting the specific plug-in for your pet you can help to lower their stress levels and keep them calm during and after the move.
After the move
Initially, you should make the effort to introduce your pets to their new home, spending time guiding them around. If your cat or dog is allowed outside, keep them on a lead and give them a chance to investigate your back garden – this will help them in the long run.
It’s important that you don’t baby your pets if they show high levels of stress, this will only further their fears and reward the behaviour. At the same time, don’t yell at them or get stressed out yourself if they happen to have the odd accident – just make sure to praise the good behaviour they show and things should settle down in time.
With any new home or renovation project, ensure that fumes, chemicals and dangerous tools are kept away from your pet. Keep their safe room set aside if you’re doing a lot of work to the house or if you’re aware that wet paint and plaster or the glue for setting carpets will be present.
On top of all this, at all times you should try to keep to the schedule you have set for your pets previously. This is the biggest tip for achieving harmony as, if meals, walks and other activities are the same as ever, they won’t notice how strange the new house is quite as much.
If you’d like assistance with your move, look no further than the friendly, professional team here at Two Men And A Truck. We’ll help you plan and carry out your move so that you can spend more time with your pets making them comfortable in their new home.