Moving house

Moving house can be stressful for anyone (and don't we know it after moving practice!) but our four legged friends aren't able to comprehend why everything is changing and why their space has suddenly become very busy and very noisy. There are a few things that we can do to help calm their worries and make these transitions a little easier.

Stress for our animals can present in a variety of ways and unfortunately can lead to conditions such as stress cystitis and behavioural changes if left unmanaged. 

Some helpful tips to bear in mind to make their lives a little less chaotic: 

  • If space allows, try to provide your pets with an area that is their ‘safe space’ this should be somewhere that is relatively untouched by noise and the comings and goings of workmen/removals. Having a quiet area that they can choose to escape to gives them the choice of removing themselves to somewhere that they feel is not a threat and where they can fully rest. This could include a comfy bed area, food and water bowls and, if you have a cat, a few litter trays (these should be placed away from food and water sources). 
  • Use a calming pheromone product. These can come in sprays for bedding and blankets or room plug-ins and can help to create a calmer atmosphere for our pets to relax in. 
  • Try to minimise the amount of factors that will change for your pet. Although it is inevitable that things will change if you are moving house, try to stick to the same routines such as when you go for a walk, the times that they get fed etc. If we keep to their routine, it is one less stress causing event that they have to worry about. 
  • Try to dedicate some play time. Giving your cat or dog some one on one play time can ensure that they are getting the attention they need from you and will also help them to display their necessary natural behaviours such as scratching on scratching posts or chasing toys. Enrichment/feeding puzzles are also great for this as they keep their brains busy with toys. 
  • Once you have moved house, try to bring things like bedding that smell of your ‘old’ home for them to settle with. There will be lots of new smells in a new home so these familiar smells of home will be a comfort to them whilst they settle in. 
  • Why not take your dog on a walk near to your new house leading up to the move so that they can familiarise themselves with the area, even walking up to the new house if it is safe to do so. This makes it not such a big surprise when they eventually move in. 

As long as we are continuing to reward our pets for dealing with new situations nicely and bearing in mind that they may take a little longer to get used to their new home than we would, our pets will get there with time and love.