Helping Pets Adjust to their New Surroundings

Any pet owner who has moved from one location to another with their furry friends knows it can be challenging to move with pets. From the minute the moving boxes and supplies start appearing in your home, your dog or cat knows that something’s up. Your pet’s stress level can rise as moving company crews come in and out of your house loading everything onto the moving trucks. But there’s good news. Once you’ve moved and you start to settle in, you can help your pets adjust to their new surroundings by following a few simple guidelines.

Moving Tips – Let Your Cat Adjust to its New Home

Some cats find moving frightening, but if you create a safe area with familiar surroundings it will help. Pick a room or two where the cat can stay while it gradually adjusts. Put its litter box, bed, toys, food, and water in that room. Let the cat explore the new house at its own pace. If it “hides” under furniture or in closets at first that’s okay, it will come out when it feels secure.

Even if your cat will be going outdoors eventually, it’s important to keep it inside the new home for two to four weeks. Cats will often try to return to their old homes until they adjust to their new surroundings.. When you do start letting it out, stay with it and keep it’s outside time it short at first – maybe 10 or 15 minutes at a time -- while it gets accustomed to its new world.

If you have an outdoor cat that has to adjust to indoor living, the key is providing lots of stimulation to keep the cat active and interested. Some ways to do this are by hanging cat toys over vents so they “flutter,” providing containers of live grass (from pet supply retailers), and even placing food in containers around the house where your cat can “hunt” for it – but wait until your cat is comfortable in the new home and then check to be sure your cat is eating the food.

Moving Tips – Help Your Dog Get Used to its New Surroundings

Dogs generally adjust to a new home faster than cats, but it’s important to stop the dog from leaving the house or yard for a period of time until they recognize that this is its home now and won’t try to return to the old house.

If your dog will be alone in the new home, try to take some time off work to stay with it during the adjustment period. Also, maintain your dog’s pre-move schedule – walking, eating, and training. Daily walks and exploration should start with the immediate block and then gradually expand as your dog gets to know the new people, other dogs, and sights and smells of its new neighborhood.

As far as housebreaking goes, if you’re moving from the suburbs to the city, be patient while your dog adjusts to pavement instead of grass.