As your moving preparations get underway, it’s important to consider how the move will affect each member of your family. To be sure, it can have a profound effect on the human occupants of your house, but it can also have a major impact on the non-human occupants, as well. Properly caring for your pets during the moving process is an important part of a truly successful move. After all, your pets are just as much a part of your family as anyone else, so you need to ensure they are able to make the move with as little stress as possible.
Respect Their Routine
One of the easiest ways to help your pet make a successful move is to change things as little as possible, at least in the eyes of your pet. Leave food and water bowls in the same place, take them out for a walk at the same time every day, keep using the same litter in the litter box, and make sure the bed doesn’t get packed away. Even though the rest of the house might be in disorder, if your pet’s comfort items are right where they need to be up until the very last minute, they will be much less likely to be stressed out and causing trouble.
Get Someone to Hang out with them
As much as routine is important to keep your pets calm, an occasional trip to a trusted friend or relative is not out of the question. Especially on those days when a lot of work is being completed, it might be best not to have your pets underfoot. Not only do you risk injury to yourself and your pet but you also will completely stress them out with all the movement and loud and unusual noises. If possible, though, when the work is done at the end of the day, bring your pet back home so that they can keep to their all-important routine.
Have Lots of Treats on Hand
Sometimes, the best way to make things better is through bribery. Make sure to have plenty of your pet’s favorite treats on hand to help distract them and calm them down when things get crazy. These also, of course, make great rewards when they are behaving acceptably so you can try and continue their good behavior for as long as possible.
Keep Calm
If your pet is around during the moving process, do your absolute best not to get upset at them for any trouble they may cause. When you’re under the extreme stress that moving can bring, it can be easy to lash out at pets who might accidentally cause a problem. Remember, though, that to them, all the commotion is quite exciting, not to mention all the new smells and places to climb. Getting angry with them will only raise their stress level, as well as yours, causing the process to not go nearly as smoothly.
Introduce Them to Their New Environment
By this point, your pet is probably anxious and doesn’t know what is going on. They know something is but they can’t communicate with you, and so they are left out of the loop. If possible, start taking your pet to the new house. Let them sniff around the environment and, if you have a dog, let them mark their territory outside. Before doing this, get the permission of those that you’re buying the house from (if you haven’t signed yet). If your house is brand new and part of it is still under construction, talk to your new home builders to set up a time when doing something of this nature would be appropriate.
Once your move is complete, it’s important to keep things as normal as possible for your pet. Remember that because of nervousness or excitement, your pet may do things they don’t ordinarily do, so try not to come down on them too hard. Continue showering them with love and affection as you always do, and before you know it, they’ll be all settled in to their new home, loving every inch of their new surroundings.