Caring For Your Pet During a Move
Moving can be stressful on the entire family, but it is especially stressful on pets — where you can explain what’s happening during a move to your children, not so much with your furry friends, who can’t make heads of tails of the new changes and upheaval. As a result, pets may show signs of nervousness and even panic during travel and moving procedures. How can you ease the process? Gina Spadafori of Pet Connection has some tips for helping your pet adjust to this trying time. One of the most important parts of the process is making sure your pet feels secure and comforted during the transition, and getting them back into a routine as soon as possible. Cats, the article notes, are of special concern.
Cats are a particular worry at moving time because they form a bond not only with the people in a home, but also with the home itself. Because of their mobility, cats can be difficult to keep around the new home long enough for them to realize that this is where the people they love will now stay.
While dogs are by no means immune to the stresses of moving, a show of love and support (and a proper fence or similar boundary) is usually enough to calm a dog as he adjusts to his new apartment or backyard. Indoor-outdoor cats run a much higher risk of wandering off in search of their old stomping grounds–many times disappearing for good. Even if your cat is normally a roamer, in situations like these confinement is key.
Bring your cat inside, if he’s not already an indoor cat, before the movers arrive. Set him up in a “safe room” — a spare bathroom or bedroom is ideal — and leave him be. Provide him with food and water, his bed, a scratching post, litter box and a couple of favorite toys while the packing and moving is under way.
The cat’s ride to the new home is best undertaken in a carrier, especially for the cat who rarely sees the inside of a car. At the new home, work the “leaving home” procedure in reverse: Put the cat into a “safe room” for a few days — until the movers are gone, the furniture arranged and most of the dust settled — and then allow him to explore inside the house on his own terms after things calm down a bit.
If you’ve wanted to make your exploratory cat a homebody, the article states, now is the perfect time to establish your new home as his main turf. If not, however, your safest bet is still to keep him inside for a few initial weeks while he adjusts to his new surroundings.
But whether you’re moving or not — but especially when you’re moving — one piece of security should never be forgotten is to make sure your pet has proper ID! Even in the face of the best laid plans, accidents may happen that result in your pet getting loose in an unfamiliar area. Whether you go all out with microchip IDs or stick with the good old fashioned collar tags, the proper identification with up-to-date contact information can make all the difference in seeing your loved ones safely back at home.
