Moving with pets

by Bridget Blonde

October 11, 2022

Moving is stressful for everyone - including your pets! Read on for some ways to decrease the stress felt by Fido or Fluffy during your moving journey.

Packing: change in their environment can upset your animals, cats seem especially vulnerable to this stress. Bringing in packing boxes early and packing slowly can help ease this stress. Making sure your pets always have access to their dishes, water bowl, beds and litter box while packing is also important.

Moving Day: either secure your furry friends in a safe room they can't escape from (with their favourite things) or send them to a boarding facility or friend's house for the day. There is a lot of commotion on moving day and escape is a very real potential problem.

Moving In: moving into a new place and unpacking is chaotic at best but, it's important to make sure anything harmful or dangerous to your pets is kept out of reach. Consider anything they could get stuck in, hazardous plants, dangerous chemicals, pest control traps, and make sure all windows have secure screens.

Settling In: a new and unfamiliar space can be overwhelming to your pets. Start by allowing them to adjust to just one room with their favorite toys, treats, water and food bowls and litter box of course.

When they are comfortable, gradually introduce them to other rooms in the house. You can relocate your cat’s litter box from the initial room to a more permanent location by moving it a little bit each day, don't change locations all at once.

With time, patience and a good plan, your four-legged pals will become so comfortable they'll forget they ever lived anywhere else!