How to move home with pets..
April is National Pet Month, so we thought we’d share top tips from the RSPCA for a stress-free home move experience for your pets.
Moving home cannot be entirely stress-free, not for humans and not for your pets – unless they’re fish or rodents of course, which tend to be pretty chill about a change of scenery.
Cats and dogs however can feel very upset and unsettled – not only do they have to deal with being transported in a car or van, which usually means a visit to the vet, but on arrival in their new home everything looks, smells and feels just wrong.
When moving with pets, it’s worth taking some time ahead of the move to plan out how you’ll manage their transfer in the least stressful way, for all of you.
Here are the RSPCA’s top five tips for a happy move:
Plan the journey
Make sure your pets are fit to travel. If they are elderly, or pregnant, or of a nervous disposition, make an appointment with your vet to discuss the best approach to making the move.
Plan your route
Make sure you plan a route that minimises the journey time and you use a vehicle that can maintain comfortable conditions. Don’t be tempted to leave your pet in a car, whether in a crate or not, while you just finish those last few jobs. It will cause immense stress if they are unfamiliar with travelling..
Reduce stressful situations
Try to keep your pet away from all the commotion of packing, unpacking, moving and cleaning to help reduce their stress. It might be a good idea to ask a friend or relative to keep your dog or cat at their home for the day. Cats are particularly unhappy with people coming into and out of a house, and may well disappear away from all the noise and commotion, leaving you searching for them later on. While dogs may be happy spending a day elsewhere, if you have cats, ask if you can simply pop them in a room with a closed door, a litter tray and some food and drink.
Ask your vet about calming products
Speak to your vet about artificial pheromone products, for example Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs – these may help to make your pet feel more secure and settled in their new home.
Keep a routine
On moving day pack all your pet’s things – including food and water bowls, food, bed and toys – into one clearly labelled box you can find easily when you arrive at your new home. Getting out things that they are familiar with will help minimise their stress.
Try to keep to the same routine and feeding times as in your previous home, this helps your pets settle into the new normal.
Prepare to keep cats inside
Cats hate change. Unless your cat is already an indoor cat, there is a risk that if you let your cat outside too soon, they’ll simply head ‘home’, or as they’re unfamiliar with the scents and scenes of their new territory, get lost while exploring. Be prepared to have a litter tray set up in your home for two to three weeks, while your cat gets their bearings. After this time, you can introduce them to their new garden. If possible, do this bit with them on a harness. If not, let them out at a time when they are usually fed, so they’re hungry and likely to stay close to you. Stay with them and have treats to hand. If you have a catflap, keep it locked in those first few weeks, and on the first few occasions you let them out, keep the house door fully open so they can run in if they get scared. Just allow them outside, supervised for short periods at first, till they build their confidence and start to establish their territory. You won’t know if there’s a dominant cat in the neighbourhood, they will, so make sure they can get back in the house fast if they need to.
Update your details
Update your contact details with your pet insurers, vets, microchip and any ID tags., and if you have moved to a new part of town, register with a new vet. It’s already a legal requirement that all dogs be microchipped and registered, and from 10 June it will be a legal requirement that all cats be microchipped and registered too.
Eddie – Friday 19th April 2024. (Image used of Pudge – team members dog).
