No one likes to do it, but it is sometimes necessary – moving. We all get attached to our homes. We all like to have a place to call our own – our own, little calm spot in the stormy, hectic world. Pets are no different. Everyone needs a place to call home, and it’s not easy to leave it behind.
If you find that you need to pick up your roots and make a home somewhere else, any pets you have will undoubtedly undergo loads of stress during the move, just like you. Keeping them calm and getting things back into a normal rhythm as soon as possible is essential.
Your pets can tell during all of the busy moving activities that things are changing, but they want to cling to what’s familiar and stable. So try to uphold your normal routines at least as far as your pets are concerned. Feed them, walk them, and play with them at the regular times while you’re boxing up your life and getting ready to move. This will help maintain a sense of stability in your pets, and a calm pet is a godsend in times like these.
Before you leave your old home, make sure that you contact your vet and have all of your pet’s records, especially vaccination records. Your new veterinarian will thank you. Have new tags ready for your pet before you make the move and you want need to worry as much about a lost pet in a place unfamiliar to them. And if your pet is microchipped, be sure to update their records online.
Assuming you manage to make it to your new home with your wits intact, you’ll want to do all you can to acclimate the pets so they know that all the upheaval is over with. Spread some of their toys, etc. around the new house so they get the feeling that this new space is indeed theirs. Pamper them a bit. Let them know that this is a safe place and you’re happy that you all made it there together.
Leaving behind an old home and moving to a new one is stressful for anyone, pets included. But giving them the attention they need in unstable times can make them feel that the change is only temporary. Good luck!
