Your Pet and Moving Day! Part II

(continued- refer to Part 1- How to Give Your Pet as Peaceful a Move as Possible)

Part II: Moving Day

Pets are very intuitive when it comes to reading their human’s emotions. Pets can sense how you feel and often mimic these feelings themselves. In Part I, you learned many ways to assist in preparing your pet for the impending move, including staying in control of your own stress and emotions and planning ahead for your pet’s moving day.

Part II: Moving Day

On moving day, prior to the moving company arriving, move all the boxes from one of the rooms to a hallway or central area of the house. Dedicate that one empty room of the house as the pet room. Place your pet, their kennel or carrier, toys, litter box, food, water, bedding, and any other essential elements in the room with them. If your pet is not used to being in a confined space for very long, make sure to take down curtains or any other fixture or furnishing that can be potentially used as an inappropriate stress reliever! Place a sign on the door so that everyone helping in the moving process is aware of this arrangement. Keeping your pet(s) in one room, preferably a room towards the back of the home, will allow the pet to be in a more secure, quieter environment during the hustle and bustle of emptying out the house.

Even in the midst of moving day chaos, it’s very important to keep your pet on their normal schedule. Feeding, walking, and taking your pet out for its daily walk and bathroom breaks at the normal times is a key element to a smooth move for your pet. Schedule your packing breaks around your pets needs as much as possible. It may seem like a trivial thing to do, but keeping your pet in their routine as best as you can will pay off with a much more pleasant move for both you and your pet! Do not let your pet eat anything a few hours prior to hitting the road. It will help prevent your pet from having an upset tummy on the car ride. If your veterinarian has prescribed your pet a sedative or anti-anxiety medicine for traveling, make sure to read the instructions on when to give your pet their recommended dose prior to travel. There may also be cheaper options available at pharmacies like the Canadian Pharmacy if ever you’re on a tight budget.

f moving by car, make sure you stop every few hours to allow your dog to use the restroom. It’s extremely important that your pet is always on a leash, that the location you stop at allows pets to be on the premises, and that you bring a scooper and bags to properly dispose of your pet’s waste. Cats are a different story. When traveling long distances in a car with your cat, the cat carrier should be large enough to hold a small litter box — separate from a place for your cat to comfortably curl up on the journey to your new home. It’s highly recommended that you do not open the cat carrier en route to your new town. As much as you may want to comfort, feed, or let your cat roam the car for just a few minutes, it will almost always prove to cause more harm than good. Keeping them in the carrier ensures your feline friend remains safe and secure in a confined, known space. Covering the carrier with a familiar smelling blanket also helps to decrease the irritability and stress of your pet. Keeping the music on a low level and not drastically fluctuating the temperature will also aid in a successful car move for your furry friend.

Stay tuned for Part III: Acclimating Your Pet to Their New Home