As if moving house weren’t too difficult already, moving with pets across the country presents yet another challenge for caring pet owners.
In addition to all the move-related tasks that people on the move have to take care of prior to their respective move-out dates, the presence of a pet animal – most often a dog, a cat, a bird, or fish – will make any house move more complex to organize and pull off without any problems whatsoever.
Pets have their daily needs and that becomes especially apparent when their masters get preoccupied with the upcoming move and begin to spare less time for their animal companions. Oftentimes, the moving preparation gets so intense and stressful that pet owners tend to make serious mistakes before, during, and after moving with pets to another home.
Check out the most common mistakes pet owners make when moving with pets across the country so that you yourself don’t end up making those same judgment errors too.
Mistakes when moving with dogs
Moving with a dog across the country can be more challenging than you expect for a number of reasons. Still, you should do your best to avoid making any serious mistakes that may totally ruin the house moving experience for your pup.
1. Disrupting your dog’s routine
Dogs are highly sensitive animals and they love their routine – they feel calm and secure when everything happens in a specific order that makes perfect sense to them.
One of the most common mistake dog owners make is to break their dogs’ routine due to the extra load of work surrounding the house move. Bear in mind that such disruption of a set daily routine can make pups rather anxious and stressed out.
Do your best to keep your dog’s routine as unchanged as possible.
2. Not taking your dog for a medical checkup
In most cases, a house move will put a lot of stress on your dog so you must be absolutely sure that your lovely pet is in good physical health to make the transition, including the trip to the new place.
Don’t make the mistake of skipping the must-do step of taking your pup to the vet for a thorough medical checkup. While at the vet’s office, speak with the animal doctor if your dog should need any medications (tranquilizers) to keep them calm during the actual move.
Read also: How to move with a dog across the country
3. Not keeping your pup safe on Moving day
It’s a serious mistake to let your dog walk or run freely around the house on the day of the move. Moving day is the busy period when large and heavy items are being moved around house and taken out to the waiting moving truck – definitely not a good moment for Fido to be around such chaos.
Keep your pet dog safe on Moving day by having them in a room far from the dangerous action. Better still, leave them with a friend until the movers are gone.
4. Not dog-proofing the new place
Some dogs can get really stressed out when they find themselves in a strange and unfamiliar place. And too much stress for your best animal friend can only lead to trouble.
It’ll be a mistake not to take the time to dog-proof the new home in order to make it perfectly safe for your pet. Identify and eliminate all dangers that could your canine companion. Also, introduce the new place little by little to your dog and make sure they cannot escape outside on their own during the immediate post-move adaptation stage.
See also: How to make a dog comfortable in a new home
Mistakes when moving with cats
You have to remember that moving with cats across the country can be rather tricky because of the fact that, unlike dogs, cats should always travel inside pet carriers when traveling in a car.
Here are the most serious mistakes pet owners make when moving with cats cross country:
1. Not making an effort to calm your cat
Cats have extraordinarily developed senses so you can be sure that your feline friend will sense that something’s not quite right as soon as you start piling up those cardboard boxes inside your home. It’s very likely that your sensitive pet will even pick up your increased anxiety and they themselves will pretty soon get anxious too.
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring your cat during the busy pre-move preparation period. Instead, keep their daily routine as unchanged as possible, try talking to them in a calm way to chase away their fears, and play with them whenever you’re taking a break from packing.
Good to know: How to move with cats across the country
2. Not preparing a transportation carrier
Professional movers are not allowed to transport pets, so you’ll have to move your cat in your car. But here’s the thing: you should never let your car loose in the car during the relocation trip no matter how peaceful they may seem on the outside.
You must prepare a transportation carrier that is spacious enough so that your cat can sit or stand comfortably in it, as well as to turn around freely inside. Check whether the pet carrier can be locked safely.
During the car trip to the new home, keep your dear cat, together with their favorite blanket and toy, inside the pet carrier to avoid any troubles.
3. Letting your cat loose in the new home
Never make the mistake of letting your cat loose in the strange new place – if you do, they are likely to get really scared and try to escape or do something unexpected that may get them hurt in the end.
Take your cat to a safe room right after the move and leave them there together with the transportation carrier, some toys, their favorite food, and fresh water. This way, you’ll give your overly sensitive pet friend enough time to acclimate to the new surroundings in a gradual and safe manner.
Useful info: How to make a cat comfortable in a new home
4. Not pet-proofing the new home
Cats are curious in nature so they will try to explore a new home thoroughly once they begin to feel comfortable in it. And when that happens, you have to be sure that the new place is as safe for your pet as it can be.
Go from room to room and look for potential dangers for your cat. Of course, when you do find any hazards, eliminate them at once.
Start pet-proofing the new home from the kitchen that’s considered the most dangerous place for a cat to be. Then, make your way to the bathroom and laundry room and make those rooms safe for your feline companion as well.
Read also: How to pet-proof your home after the move
Mistakes when moving with birds
Moving with pets to a new home can be harder than you think because birds happen to be territorial, meaning that they usually have a rough time adjusting to a brand-new environment.
Nevertheless, your pretty pet should be fine as long as you avoid these major mistakes when moving with birds across the country.
1. Exposing your bird to noise and commotion
Your pet bird – a parrot, a canary, a finch – will sense that something important is going on as soon as you start working on your pre-move tasks. So, to keep your bird from getting too anxious too early, you should move the bird carrier to a quiet room far from all the noise and chaos of packing for a move.
Another thing you can to do keep your pet as stress-free as possible is to maintain their feeding routine, and if possible, their playing routing as well.
2. Not taking your bird to get checked by a vet
It’ll be a mistake not to take your bird to the vet prior to moving out. Why?
Even if your feathery friend looks perfectly fine, a thorough examination by a licensed avian pet is important because the bird doctor may recommend changes in your pet’s diet, immune boosters, or digestive supplements that will enable your lovely bird to have a smoother transition to a new home, especially when a long car trip ahead of you.
All in all, a quick visit to the vet’s office can save you plenty of worries or even issues during the move.
3. Not transporting your pet inside a carrier
Bear in mind that moving a bird to a new home can only be done while the pet bird stays inside a bird cage during the actual relocation.
Never ever make the mistake of letting your bird out of their cage while in the car. You can keep them in their regular cage simply because they will feel most comfortable inside it. Make sure you remove all toys, swings, feeders, and water receptacles from the cage for fear of potentially hurting your winged friend during the car trip.
Secure all bird cage openings using twist ties and consider covering the cage with a lightweight cloth to provide a sense of security and to keep their eyes protected from direct sunlight.
See also: How to move with pet birds
4. Not monitoring your bird after the move
After the move, some pet owners just leave their birds on their own and let them cope with the new setting any way they can.
Don’t do that. Instead, monitor closely your bird’s behavior in the new home and be ready to react if you notice that something’s not quite right.
Pick a good spot for the bird cage, return the essential items in it, and provide your birdie with plenty of fresh water and tasty treats. Keep them company whenever you find some free time and be on the lookout for troublesome signs of stress and depression.
Good advice: How to ship pets across the country
