Moving pets? Prepare, implement, and relax: 3 key steps to ensure your furry friends stay happy and stress-free during relocation. #PetMove

Many people move homes during their lifetime, and for those with pets, relocating can be just as unsettling for them as it is for their owners. This guide provides helpful advice to ensure your pets experience a safe and calm transition when moving house.

Helping Your Pets Adapt to Moving Home in Three Key Steps

When arranging your move, it is important to inform your chosen moving service that you have pets. While pet owners typically manage the care of their animals during a move, advance notification allows movers to handle any special items—such as aquariums or pet equipment—with extra care. For example, aquariums might be loaded last and unloaded first to minimize stress on the animals.

Consider what pet belongings will travel with you in the car during the move, such as beds, toys, or familiar items that can help comfort your pets. Minimizing disruption is key to helping your animals feel at home quickly in your new place.

The process can be broken down into three parts: preparation, implementation, and acclimatisation.

Preparation: starts up to a week before moving day.

Implementation: happens on moving day.

Acclimatisation: involves helping your pet settle into their new home.

Preparation

Pets often sense when changes are coming. When you begin packing, they may become curious or unsettled. Maintaining their usual feeding times, diet, and routines helps reduce stress. Keep some favourite blankets or toys out, even if you have packed their beds or cages, so they feel connected to their usual environment.

For fish or reptiles, avoid moving them until moving day. Keeping their environment calm and lighting consistent during packing time helps avoid distress for these animals.

Spend quality time reassuring your pets through play, walks for dogs, and affection for cats to support their wellbeing before the move.

If you are moving fish, transport them in sealed bags filled with aquarium water, placed in insulated containers to keep them safe and comfortable. Preserve about half of the original aquarium water to help them adjust in the new location.

Implementation

If your cat has outdoor habits, it is advisable to keep them indoors starting the day before the move. Allow cats to enter their carriers only shortly before they leave to reduce anxiety.

Dogs should be placed in comfortable crates with familiar items and possibly a cover to provide a quiet, dark space during loading. Be sure to take regular breaks for toileting and drinking if your journey is lengthy, always using a secure lead outdoors.

Ensure all pets have identification tags or microchips to support their safety. Animals may try to return to familiar places, especially if they had access to neighbourhood routes previously.

For exotic pets and aquarium animals, moving generally takes place over a short timeframe to reduce time out of their habitats, especially when temperature control is critical.

Acclimatisation

After arriving, it is helpful to keep cats indoors initially so they can gradually mark their new territory, which helps them feel secure.

Dogs benefit from supervised exploration of the new environment and spending time outdoors on a lead. Offering smaller meals and focused attention supports their adjustment.

Bringing familiar blankets, beds, and toys can encourage pets to settle more readily by associating the new home with comfort.

For aquarium fish, use some of the water transported with them to reduce stress from changed conditions. Place tanks in areas with similar lighting to previous locations.

Check temperature settings for exotic pets to ensure heating or cooling devices maintain appropriate conditions in the new home.

It can be helpful to learn about your new neighbours and their pets, as this awareness allows you to plan for any interactions that could affect your pet’s wellbeing and help foster positive neighbourly relations.