10 Tips for Moving with Pets
Whether you’re moving across town or across the country, it can be a stressful time for everyone involved.
Luckily, there are many tips and tricks to help make this whole process easier.
This includes moving companies that will transport your belongings from point A to point B, as well as online checklists to keep everything in order.
For those of us that are moving with pets, there is even more to consider!
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Recently we’ve been a little silent here on Shed Happens. The reason? We moved 4.5 hours across the province to a new house in a new city.
This has been an exciting move for our ‘pack’ as we prepare to start our new chapter.
At the same time, however, moving with 3 dogs and 2 cats involves a lot of preparation and attention to detail.
Especially when one of those dogs is a mischievous little puppy!
This isn’t my first time moving with pets. In fact, I’ve been down this road more than a dozen times since moving out on my own.
With all these moves, I’ve learned some important lessons.
Here Are 10 Important Tips for Successfully Moving with Pets to Your New Home
Double Check All Identification
There are many points throughout the moving process where a pet could get loose.
This includes at the old house while you are loading the moving truck, during the road trip between houses, and at the new house as they adjust to their new surroundings.
Ensuring that your pet has proper identification with up-to-date contact information could make all the difference in getting him back home safely.
Address Your Own Stress Level
Studies show that our pets can read our emotions, picking up on your excitement, happiness, sadness, and frustration.
If you’re experiencing a high level of stress, your pets will be stressed too.
Take the time to plan out your move and organize as much as possible in advance to minimize your stress level.
If you notice that you are starting to get stressed out, take a step back and take care of yourself.
Visit Your Veterinarian
Before the big day, bring your pet to see the veterinarian and make sure that everything is in order.
This checkup will ensure that there are no health concerns that could complicate the moving process as well as an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have.
If you know that your pet struggles with car rides, your vet may be able to suggest a short-term solution.
Plan for Safe Transportation
If you’re moving with cats or smaller dogs, you will be able to use a pet carrier to keep your pet safe both during transport and when you first arrive at the new house.
Place something familiar in the carrier such as a favorite toy or blanket.
Secure the carrier using a seatbelt when the vehicle is moving and keep your pet safely in their carrier until such time that they can be secured in a room.
This will reduce the risk of your pet getting loose as people are moving your belongings into the house.
For those that are moving with a dog that is larger in size, the carrier may not be a feasible option.
Instead, make sure to keep a seat in your vehicle clear for your dog.
Use a doggy seatbelt during travel and always keep a leash hooked to his collar so that you can grab onto it if needed.
When you get to the new house, secure your dog in a room with a door as soon as possible, keeping him closed away from the door as people are coming and going.
Just as we mentioned with the carrier above, provide your dog with a familiar item such as a toy or blanket both in the vehicle and in the new house when you arrive to provide comfort in an unfamiliar space.
Pack an Overnight Kit for the First Day
There is a good chance that you won’t have everything organized let alone unpacked the first night at your new house.
Pack a tote bag or backpack with everything that you will need for the first 24-48 hours.
Keep this bag with you in your vehicle during the move so that you know exactly where it is when you arrive.
Some items that should be kept in this bag include your pet’s food and water dishes, enough food for the first 48 hours, a pet first aid kit, and any medications that your pet may be taking.
Moving a Cat’s Litterbox
If you are moving cats to a new home, there is an extra step that you need to consider – the litterbox.
Make sure that your cat has access to their litterbox as soon as they are allowed out of the carrier, showing him where it is located.
Keep in mind, however, that your cat may not use the litterbox for a while in the beginning due to stress.
Keep Your Dog on Leash
If you’re moving to a new house with a dog, make sure that your dog is leashed anytime that you are leaving the house regardless of how good their recall is.
This includes spending time in your new yard.
A stressed dog that is allowed to run loose in a new place that they are unfamiliar with is at a higher risk of running off.
It will take time for your dog to adjust to his new space, don’t rush it.
By always keeping a leash on your dog, you have an added layer of security to make sure that he’s safe even if he gets spooked or overly curious about new sights and scents.
Even the best-behaved dogs can be distracted in a new environment.
Stick to Your Usual Schedule
In the days leading up to and following move day, try to stick to your usual routine as much as possible.
This includes feeding your pets at the same time and following through with normal daily activities such as walks or bathroom breaks.
Everything in your pet’s life is suddenly changing and you can’t reason with them to explain why.
By keeping your regular schedule, you are maintaining some sense of normalcy.
Gradually Open Up the Home to Your Pet
When you are first moving with pets into a new home, limit their access to the space and pet-proof every space before allowing them to explore.
Set up everything that they will need in a single room including food, water, their bed, some familiar toys, and a litterbox (if it’s a cat).
Give them time to decompress in this smaller space before slowly giving them access to more of your home.
Learn About Your New Surroundings
If you are moving to a new city, take some time to learn about the place that you now call home.
This includes both learning about the pet laws and regulations that they have in place as well as discovering pet-friendly areas that you can enjoy together.
Make a list of places that you want to go, but don’t rush to check them all off at once… You have plenty of time to explore as you both settle into your new home.
Have you ever experienced moving with pets? If so, what were some of the tricks that you found made the process easier?
Feature Image Credit: Irina Gutyryak | Canva
Congratulations on your new home! How exciting! I know it was a lot of work.
This is a great checklist when moving with your pets. Some of these I wouldn’t have thought about like only letting your dog or cat have free rein of one room at a time. That’s a great tip, which makes perfect sense. I’m hoping to move within the year and I’ll certainly be revisiting this list.
I’m sharing this list with my other animal friends.
Thank you! It is a lot of work but we’re already loving the new location, so it’s worth it 🙂
Fantastic post and good luck in your new home. I think moving a pet can be so stressful we have to be double careful with all and your list really makes it easier for us to double check everything although I am not moving anytime in the future. Merry Christmas
We’re lucky that the moving process is nothing new for some of our pets, but it’s still incredibly stressful for others. Like Daviana and Jinx are both like ‘whatever, as long as my pack is with me, who cares’ but Pippen and Indiana are a little more anxious about change and new spaces and this is the first big move for little Lucifer since joining our pack so he has NO idea what’s happening lol
We were lucky that all our dogs always did well with moving. For example, Cookie watched us get everything out of the house until we took out her bed (we did that last). By then, though, we were all getting loaded in the vehicle and she calmed when she realized that the bed, herself, and us, are going all together.
That’s how Daviana is – as long as she has her pack, she’s a happy camper. The same can’t be said for everyone though lol Indiana is a bit of an anxious boy and he’s none too impressed with anything involving change lol
These are great tips! When moving I would also bring my cats own favorite toy or blanket in her carrier so it is a familiar scent to help keep her calm in new surroundings.
I wound up leaving the cats’ carrier in ‘their space’ in my office because I had room. They use it as an extra bed
How exciting and stressful at the same time to move to a brand new place. I definitely could relate to your point on stress and how you need to properly control this as pets pick up on your mood really well. Trying to keep other routines as normal as possible including keeping things that they are used to close by just makes so much sense. If this is a difficult process for us, it must feel much worse for them! Hope you all love your new place Britt and best wishes for an awesome Christmas!
Thank you! We finally feel like we’re starting to settle into the new place and loving it. Moving is stressful, but when you get that new schedule under wraps and remember why you moved, it’s all worth it.
Right now I am feeling extremely grateful that my plan to move was put on hold. I’m not sure my little guy would have made it through that level of stress. My husband and I decided moving would not be beneficial to our cat, because of his age, blindness, and other health issues that are showing up right now. My favorite tip here is about managing our stress levels. Animals really do pick up on that, and it can easily make moving that much harder on our furry friends.
I’m actually surprised with how well ours did, with 3 of our 5 pets considered seniors, and a 4th just knocking on that door. Our Pip had a bit of a challenge at first but she’s settling in nicely now. I think the best thing that we did for her was to give them their own ‘space’ in my office that the dogs can’t get at and just let them adjust. Even now, they have run of the house, but the office is blocked off from the dogs with a gate so only the cats can get in there when they want to get away from the activity of 3 dogs lol
wonderful tips! I do find moving the hardest when it comes to any pet! I mean it is super stressful and hard for people and we initiated it! your tips definitely make it so much better for pets
Exactly, and we can talk through what’s stressing us out, making changes to accommodate those things. They don’t have that luxury! Instead, we need to do what we can to advocate for them.
My parents are moving soon and they have no clue about how to go about dealing with the pets. I’m going to show them this post.
Sending them good luck! The moving process isn’t always easy (I know, we just did it lol) but when you get settled in your new place, it’s worth it!
This is great information for anyone moving with pets. You’ve really covered this topic well. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
this is such an informative post, I did not know there was so much to it! Great post!
Thank you!