ArsCompendium - Digital Scribes For The New Millenium

Users Online

2 Users Online

Moving With Pets

Read more articles on Pets.

October 11, 2006

About This Editor: Tiffany is an airline professional by day and freelance writer by night. She enjoys writing on a wide variety of topics. Tiffany resides in north central Texas with her husband, Chris, a state police officer, and their four "children": puppies Naya and Missy, and kitties Frankie and Audrey.

465 Views

Submit this article to the following social bookmark news sites:

To-date, I’ve moved 9 times within a 5-year span. No, I’m not in the military, nor do I have record of evictions. My moves have all been voluntary or work-related, and by now, I consider myself an expert in the art of packing, moving, and unpacking. My last three moves have involved pets - two cats the first time, two cats and a dog the second, and two cats and two dogs this last go-round. Each move has been interesting and with its own share of funny situations and frustrations. Below, you will find some tips, tricks, and stories you can use to help make your next move involving pets a successful venture!

Get your pets involved!
Moving is a big upheaval for your pets and the sudden flurry of activity with wrapping, packing and carting around boxes and furniture will most likely upset their equillibrium. I always allow extra time for packing, so that my two kitties can offer their unique brand of help. Tissue paper and newspaper are, after all, toys for kitties! If you’re short on time, the help that your pets provide may be more of an annoyance than a fun time, but remember to stay patient and indulge them in their whims to help keep some fun in their lives while you pack.

I’ll never forget my first move with the little critters. I’d saved a variety of wrapping materials from my move, only 8 months before, across the country, and as I get set to pack again, I hauled the boxes of wrapping papers out of my storage unit and into my living room. Audrey, our cute-as-can-be darling of a cat helped me out by removing all of the wrapping paper from the boxes, and scattering it throughout my living room - making sure I had a piece of tissue paper or newspaper near anything that might need wrapped! Later that same night, Audrey found a bit of space between some wrapped trinkets, and packed herself into a box - “don’t forget to take me, Mama!”

Find a safe place!
On your actual moving day, you’ll have multiple people tramping through your house, carrying heavy boxes and furniture. This can be a dangerous time for your pets! First, by accidentally getting underfoot, your animal risks injury. Next, with doors opening and closing frequently - or simply remaining open - and humans concentrating on other matters, the risk of escape escalates. And finally, think of your pet’s wellbeing - it can be nervewracking for humans on moving day; just imagine what your pets must think. Designate a room that’s already been emptied for the animals to use while the house is in an uproar, remembering to stock it with newspaper (if your dogs are paper trained), litterboxes, food, water and toys. If possible, having a friend take your animals for a bit, or even boarding them can be a great alternative.

During our last move, most of our local friends and family pitched in to help load the truck - and unload on the other end. Moving from one small apartment to another, extra space was at a premium, and it would be a bit much to ask anyone to mind my 4 pets in their home for any length of time. So we shuttled! During the course of our packing, all packed boxes were piled in the back bedroom. So during the first part of moving day, all of our furry creatures were tucked away in the master bedroom while we unloaded everything from the back bedroom. Once the back bedroom was done, the pets got moved over to the now-empty room and the process started over on the master bedroom.

Allow exploring!
Once you, your belongings and your pets arrive at your new digs, give them a chance to look (and sniff!) around. Spaces are different, smells are different - and they need to adjust to that! It’s unlikely that you’ll unpack your whole house on moving day (and if you can manage that trick, you’re welcome to handle my next move!) so as soon as everything is off the truck and in, with walkable paths and room to sit, let the pets free.

I consider this the most fun time of my moves. Frankie, our regal Manx/Siamese mix, jaunts through the new place as if, upon sight, he owns it all. Naya, our elderly Chihuahua, scouts out new places to play hide and seek - she loves to view others without being seen herself. And then there’s our overly-exuberant Border Collie/German Sheperd mix, Missy. Missy LOVES new places - but only if she has a human to run back to for comfort every time she ventures more than 5 feet in any direction.

Good luck on your next move with your faithful furry friends, and remember that, above all else, you can get through the experience if you keep a smile on your face and use your pets as a source of amusement instead of frustration!