Moving with Pets

Community First Realty – Your Triangle Realtors – Raliegh – Fuquay Varina – Lillington – Clayton

Are you preparing to move with your fury family?  Here are some great tips to help you along the way.

1. Prepare an easily-accessible ‘overnight kit’ that has enough dog food, kitty litter, toys and grooming tools to sustain your pet and keep them comfortable during the first few days of unpacking.
2. If you’re moving out of the area, inform your vet so you can take records and any prescription medications with you. See if they can recommend another vet in your new neighborhood.
3. During the move itself, the best way to reduce stress on an animal is to keep them in the quietest area possible.
4. Take the pet to the new house in your own vehicle. Cats and small dogs can be put in a carrier in the back seat, which can then be secured with a seatbelt. A bigger dog can be moved in a kennel in the back of the car; you may need to put seats down if possible.
5. 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.
6. Move the house before you move the pet. Set up as much as you can, even just in a room, before you introduce the animal to the new home. Confine them to a section of the house while they slowly adjust to their surroundings
7. After you move, make sure you update their tags or microchip information to the new address and phone number.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.