Moving House with Pets – What You Need to Consider

Your Comprehensive Guide to Moving With Pets

An essential aspect of house relocation is planning ahead. And preparation is even more important when you have pets to think of.

As you may already know, even small changes can be quite unsettling for pets, including dogs and cats, and other types of pets like fish, birds, guinea pigs and so on. So, with a house move, the effect on your pets would likely be traumatic.

To prevent your move from Perth (or wherever you are) from turning into a logistical nightmare and a traumatising experience for your animal companions, advanced, thorough planning is key. Having a comprehensive moving checklist that includes the care and transport of your pets would benefit all of you.

So, to assist you with your move, here’s a comprehensive guide designed to make your relocation a less stressful time, especially for your pets.

Moving House with Pets: Key Considerations

There are certain factors you need to consider that will impact your decisions, particularly ones that involve pet care and transport.

1. The distance of your move and mode of transport

Are you relocating via land or air transport? Your choice here will be impacted by the distance of your new address from your old one. It can also make a significant difference in the documents you need to prepare and fees you’ll pay to move your pets from your old place to your new neighbourhood.

Moving by land

The arrangements you need to make when moving by land would be much easier and simpler than when you need pet air transport. In this case, you need to talk to your vet so they can give your pets thorough exams and a clean bill of health. Ensure your pets’ health records are updated, and ask your vet for referrals to vets they know in your new neighbourhood.

Moving by air

Pet relocation via an airplane requires more than just going to the airport with your documents and paying.

Depending on the type of pet you have and its size, you need to make the necessary pre-arrangements and documentation to ensure your air travel is relatively fuss-free. Also, know that air travel can prove risky for specific types of pets, even in the most ideal conditions.

For example, moving with a dog by air can be problematic if your pup belongs to the brachycephalic (snub-nosed or flat-faced) breeds. These fur babies are susceptible to heat exhaustion, which is why pet air transporters set specific conditions.

Having a good-quality, airline-approved pet crate is just a basic requirement, whether you’re moving with cats or dogs. But with brachycephalic pups, there are certain seasons when it is ill-advised to move them, such as during summer and certain times of the day.

Therefore, working with specialised pet relocation services is key in ensuring the best outcome for the care and transportation of your pets.

They’ll take care of everything – including providing you with air and vehicle transport options. They can arrange for the pickup of your pet from your old home, provide temporary housing and care until you are ready to receive your pets in your new place.

2. Your type of pet

As mentioned earlier, pets are sensitive and affected by change easily. You can try to make moving less stressful for your pets by planning for everything. Depending on the kind of pet you have, you’ll be making the following preparations a few months or weeks prior to your move.

Dogs and moving to a new home

Let your pup get used to being inside a kennel, carrier or pet crate while you are driving around your neighbourhood or for a couple of kilometres. Doing so will help your dog feel comfortable and safe in their designated container.

This training is also helpful in alleviating dog moving anxiety and for preparing your pup for longer drives via land transport. You can also try covering the carrier with a blanket to help calm your pup.

Moving house with a cat

Cats are jittery creatures, especially cats stressed out from moving. Try to follow a pet crate training routine combined with a drive, similar to what you’ll do with your dogs.

Doing this as early as possible is crucial in ensuring your pet is prepared for the upcoming move. If you have just one cat, usually you can arrange for it to travel with you in-cabin if you’re flying to your new place.But if you have several cats, they can share an airline-approved pet container via cargo travel.

3. Pet feeding and play

Even in the middle of the madness that is packing, do your best to keep to a normal feeding and playtime schedule. This way, your pets can continue to enjoy the regularity and stability of their current schedule.

As you train your pet to stay in their carrier, cage or crate, include some of their favourite toys to make them feel at home. Relocating cats to a new home can be difficult, but you can ease them into the process. The same can be said of dogs and moving, so you might also need to ask your vet about how to calm a dog in a new home.

4. Taking care of packing

You can start packing around six to eight weeks before your actual move.

However, the anxiety of moving your cats and dogs to a new home, and all the unpacking and organising you need to do afterwards, may sink in when you start packing. This means more work awaits when you get to your new place.

Try to relax and avoid letting your pets know about your worries. Shield your pets from the hustle and bustle at home by keeping your packing supplies in one room and doing all your packing from there.

While you’re at it, prepare some essential pet supplies that’ll last your pets a few days when you arrive in your new home. Keep these items along with your overnight essentials. This way, you won’t get frazzled looking for the items you need when you get there.

5. Adjusting to your new place

When you finish moving, you’ll naturally be concerned with how to calm down a cat after moving or how to help puppies adjust to a new home.

What you should do is to secure your new place, especially if there are escape artists in your pet brood. This way, they can safely explore their new surroundings and get used to the new sights, scents and sounds.

Let your pets stay in the carriers they travelled in for a few days until you can finally set up their new space. Guide them gently as they adjust and avoid leaving them alone early on.

Feel at Home with Your Pets

Ensuring pet safety and comfort is paramount during a house relocation.

You can ably handle the stress of moving with pets by working with reliable and professional Perth removalists that’ll help you arrange your pet care and transport needs.

Once you’re in your new neighbourhood, you can focus on keeping your pets safe and giving them the time and space to enjoy themselves.

Soon, you and your pets will get into the rhythm of things and finally feel at home.