Residential Moving with Pets

Whether you’re traveling across town or across the country, here are some healthy suggestions for making moving day as easy and stress-free as possible for the entire family, including your beloved pets.

Prior to moving day, make sure your pets are fitted with collars and ID tags with your name and current cell-phone number. Microchipping is also recommended and will serve as a backup if your pet loses its collar.

If your pet is prone to car sickness, make sure you visit your veterinarian a few weeks prior to your move to get any prescribed medications and feeding recommendations.

For long-distance moves, be sure to identify pet-friendly hotels along your route and reserve rooms ahead of time.

On moving day, make sure your pets are secured in a crate or closed room of your house or apartment until you are ready to load them into your car. The activities and sounds of moving day will be frightening to your pets, so it is important that they be kept in a secure area to reduce their stress as much as possible and to prevent an accidental escape.

Always transport cats, small dogs and other small animals in a secure, well-ventilated pet carrier. Keep larger dogs leashed and under control always. The stress of a move can cause even the most obedient dog to run away in unfamiliar surroundings. NEVER transport any pet in an open truck bed, trunk of a car or storage area of a moving van.

For long-distance moves, make sure you give your pet potty breaks and fresh water whenever you stop for a break yourself. Make sure pets are leashed always during potty breaks.

Consult your vet to ensure your pet is in good health for traveling. Your vet may also be able to provide other information relevant to moving with your pet to a new city or town.

Pack a bag for your pet. Include bedding, towels, toys, treats, food & water (eating the same food will help your pet avoid an upset tummy), bowls, leashes or harnesses, kennel or crate, plus any medications your pet requires. A pet first-aid kit is also a good idea.

If you must transport your pet by air, give yourself ample time to research airline regulations. Consult with your vet, too, and take precautions to help ensure your pet's safety.

Be careful when transporting the animal to your new neighborhood because if they get out they can easily get lost. Once they're in the car, it's important to not open the kennel until the pet is in the new home, even if the pet is usually well-behaved or docile. Give them a few days in the new home to adjust. Tip for cat owners: more and more people are keeping their cats indoors for safety reasons, and a move is a good opportunity to get them used to being inside as they won't be used to being allowed out in the new home. Use this transition to your advantage.

Are you planning on moving with fish? Fish respond strongly to stress and a move can be traumatizing, if not fatal. It isn't ideal, but you can transport them short distances in bags filled with their old tank water (check with your local aquarium store for supplies and more details). If you have a long distance to travel it's best to give them a new home with a friend, empty the tank, and buy new fish after you unpack.

Guinea Pigs also are known to suffer from change or being jostled around. Their hearts are particularly susceptible so please take care with guinea pigs and make sure they are transported in a warm, comfortable, small carrier.

Finally, more than one feathered friend has been known to fly the coop on moving day. Many people proudly announce that their bird has never flown off the shoulder, and sadly regret the complacency. Birds, like most pets, are very jittery about change. So even when the smartest parrot balks at the idea of being put in a cage, please do it on moving day.