If your feeling stressed and the anxiety levels are a little high when moving house, think how it must feel for your family pet!
Your Labrador’s sleeping mat is not where it has been for the past 10 years, his food bowl is not behind the back door anymore and his new home smells funny. These are a few changes your cat or dog may experience when moving house. Below are a few tips to help your beloved pet settle in your new home:
Cats and dogs are more comfortable when their surroundings smell of their scent. They will rub their bodies against walls and furnishings to lay down their scent and familiarise themselves. To help them out, take a soft cloth and rub your cat or dog’s face to pick up their scent and then rub the cloth on furnishings around the house at their height. This will increase their feeling of security to help them settle. You can also purchase manufactured scents from your vet which works in the same way.
A lot of cats and dogs are known to return to their old home when moving, especially if you are moving a few blocks away.
For cats it is essential they stay confined to the house for a couple of weeks. This might sound a little cruel but this will ensure your cat bonds with its new home and becomes familiar with its surroundings and smells. When you decide to let your cat outside, do not feed it for a day so your cat is hungry and looking for signs of feeding. Again this may sound cruel but this will help your cat learn where it needs to go to get food!
Unlike cats, dogs do not need to be kept inside for a couple of weeks. If you have moved around the corner from your old property your dog will come across familiar routes when out exploring. All dogs should be on leads but it is important you accompany them on their first outing and lead them back to their new home. All dogs are different so it may pay to do this on numerous occasions in the first few weeks in your new home.
Finally ensure your cat or dog’s identification (collar, tag or micro chip for your dog) is updated with your new address and any other necessary details.
Jake George
Move Manager
