Moving With Pets

It’s really important to consider the well being of your pets during a move.  As my husband and I are in the process of moving this week we have learned that although we tried to think ahead for the needs of our furry friends, there are still things we wish we had done for them.  Now we can share our new knowledge with others so they can make the transition between homes easier for pets and themselves as well.

The most important thing that we learned:

Plan Ahead

Before the house is consumed with boxes and chaos, it’s really important to evaluate what your pets will need throughout the move.  We thought we did a pretty good job of this, but we realized that it was critical to share our plan with the friends and family who love us enough to help us move.  When you have a lot of people working together, sometimes important things get overlooked. 

Consider Daily Needs/Items

Before the move we set aside several days worth of food for our dog and bunnies.  We also organized our elderly dog’s medications in one place so we would always know where it is. 

Our dog Comet has glaucoma, thyroid disease, and arthritis.  He has about 8 medications that he needs daily, and some of them require multiple doses throughout the day.  If you are anything like me, you know how frustrating it is to spend precious time every day looking for things.  We realized that we needed to get organized to minimize this—and when you are in the arduous process of a move, life automatically becomes even more chaotic.  Just before moving we were happy to find an inexpensive organizer that contains all of Comet’s gear.  We found it at Ikea for $3: 

 

We knew these organizers would come in handy in other parts of the house, so we bought a few.  One is in our “junk” drawer to help corral the everyday clutter in the kitchen (stamps, paperclips, chip clips, tape, batteries, etc.).  $3 is a small price to pay for a more organized life.  We made sure to label this organizer “Do Not Move,” so the critical supplies wouldn’t go missing.  Comet is dependant on drops to keep the intraocular pressure in his one remaining eye down.  We’re trying to preserve his eyesight as much as possible, but it’s getting worse now with the formation of a cataract in the sighted eye.

For our rabbits Rosalie and Humphrey,  we set aside their bunny essentials:  food, box habitats, toys, hay, and litter.  Now, even though we set aside our dog’s and rabbits’ essentials, we didn’t tell all of our wonderful helpers not to move them into the moving truck and unload them at the new house.  That was a BIG problem.  The bunnies’ hay (their main food source) went missing when someone loaded it somewhere on the truck.

After an exhausting day of hard labor and heavy lifting, my poor husband had to travel to the only 24 hour store in the area at 1 am to purchase hay for the bunnies.  That’s when they normally get their second helping of the day since I am definitely a night owl.  So are they;-)  Jeff wasn’t happy about this, but there is nothing we wouldn’t do for our pets.   The bad part is that the bunnies don’t like the kind of hay you can buy in a grocery store.  They are used to the good stuff—Oxbow Western Timothy Hay.  Rosalie was so disenchanted with the poor quality hay that she sorted it and tossed offending pieces of it out of her litter pan.

Put Yourself In Their Paws: 

Make the New House Familiar & Comfortable:

I  made sure to set aside the box habitats that I build for the bunnies to play in.  They love these boxes, and when we finally move the bunnies to the new house I want them to enjoy things that are familiar to them so they feel more comfortable. 

Likewise, I want Comet to be comfy in the new place too.  I washed his beds the week before the move and not during the move.  Why?  I wanted them to be cleaner, but to have familiar scents on them so he feels more secure when the beds are in a new place.  I also made sure to choose the right spot to place the beds and his food and water bowls, too.  It’s important for an animal to know “their territory” in your new home.  Sometimes it helps to put yourself in your pets’ paws to anticipate their physical and emotional needs. 

Love them Through It

Our pets look to us for their emotional needs, and to maintain familiar routines.  We’re still not completely moved.  Our pets will be the last thing that is moved to the new house.  We want to keep everything as familiar to them as possible to minimize their stress.  It’s so important to take breaks while moving to give your pets affection, and feed them at the same times that they are used to eating.  Take them outside for potty breaks at the same times.  Above all, pet and talk to them often during moving day.  It reassures them, and it is a stress reliever for you.  Moving can make humans frazzled, and the warmth of a fuzzy friend can make all the difference in even a brief moment.  Remember,  you understand all the chaos that has overtaken the house, and why you are moving everything in the environment out of place and removing it from the home, but your pets might be anxious and confused about the changes.  They look to you for comfort.  Moving is highly stressful on everyone, but with a few simple preparations before and during the process, it can be made a little kinder for people and pets alike.