Moving with Pets: Ways to Ease
the Transition
Moving to a new home can be incredibly stressful for
pets. Both dogs and cats thrive on stability and routine. Sudden environmental
changes often provoke anxiety and unwanted behaviors.
Luckily there are many ways to ease the transition for
furry family members. Let's explore how to help dogs and cats adjust to a move.
## Preparing Dogs for Moving
Dogs are famously loyal companions. But
abandonment is a real fear when their family and home suddenly disappears.
Prevent trauma by preparing Fido with these tips:
- 📦
Introduce boxes and packing activities weeks before the move. Let them
investigate while praising calm behavior. This normalizes the changes.
- 🚗
Take your dog on regular rides in the car before the big trip. Make them
positive experiences with toys and treats to prevent motion sickness.
- 🏡
Once moved in, establish a daily routine right away in the new home and stick
to it diligently. Schedules comfort anxious pups.
- 🐶
Invite familiar dogs or people over often. Maintaining social connections provides
security.
- 🏕️
If boarding your dog during packing and moving, choose somewhere familiar or
vet-approved with webcam access to reduce abandonment fears.
- 🎧
Play calming music to mask disrupting noises during unpacking. Try plug-in
pheromone diffusers to boost security too.
Keeping routines consistent, preventing isolation and
maintaining stability eases the adjustment period. Dogs crave sameness in their
people and places.
## Preparing Cats for a Move
Unlike dogs, most cats hate major change and
unfamiliarity. Ease kitty’s transition using these tactics:
- 📦
Set up scratching posts, beds, food, water and litter boxes in one room of the
new house right away. Give cats their own safe space.
- 🚚
Transport cats in well-ventilated hard carriers buckled inside the car, keeping
them in a quiet room when first arriving.
- 🏡
Rubbed on furniture, synthetic pheromone sprays mimic cat facial pheromones and
reduce anxiety in unfamiliar surroundings.
- ⏱️
Maintain daily feeding and playtime routines. Cats want schedules and
structure.
- 😿
Make sure kitties have raised perches and hiding spots to feel secure while
adjusting to new sights, sounds and smells.
- 🐱
Avoid scolding nervous or attention-seeking behaviors. Instead give extra
playtime and cuddle sessions.
Patience, understanding and meeting cats' basic needs
smoothes out the transition. Don’t force interactions until they adjust on
their own timeline.
## Preparing Homes for Dogs
To help your pooch feel at home faster:
- 🏡
Set up their crate with familiar bedding in a quiet corner on move-in day so
they have a safe den.
- 🦴
Secure leashes, gates and doors so they don't escape and get lost in an
unfamiliar area.
- 🚪
Use pheromone sprays on doorways to boost security in the new environment.
- 🚫
Hide wires, toxins, and edibles during unpacking. Stressed pups chew!
- 🏃♂️ Explore the new neighborhood, parks
and walking trails right away so it becomes familiar territory.
Dog-proofing a new home prevents scary surprises and
destructive behavior.
## Preparing Homes for Cats
Helping cats familiarize with a new home
includes:
- 🚪
Rubbing synthetic feline pheromones near doors, windows, and furniture helps it
smell more secure quicker.
- 🗓
Maintain the old feeding spots and schedules even if bowls move to a new
kitchen. Routines comfort cats.
- 🏃♀️ Avoid rearranging furnishings
frequently once placed. Constant change is disruptive.
- 😽
Make sure favorite napping spots are set up right away - sunbeams, cat trees,
boxes, high shelves.
- 🚫
Keep toilet lids down and kitchen counters clear so cats don't fall in during
exploration.
- 🙀
Closet and pantry doors should be kept closed so cats don't get trapped inside.
- ✂️ Tuck away strings, wires, and choking
hazards during unpacking. Curious cats ingest things.
Cat-proofing minimizes scary surprises. Make their
familiar resources available ASAP.
While moving disrupts
pets, some preparation helps minimize chaos, anxiety and accidents. Maintain
consistency in scheduling, confinement, socialization and environmental safety.
With compassion and patience through the transition, furry family members will
settle into their new digs. Home is ultimately where their favored humans are!
