A home removal is a big moment in life which often results in stress and worry as you wait for things to go through and for the removal itself. But one member of the family will certainly find it as stressful as you and they are your pets – especially cats and dogs. So here are a few helpful hints on how to ease your pets through your removal.

Breaking Routine

The main issue that causes stress amongst cats and dogs is a breakaway from the usual routine. What with all of the responsibilities to sort out in the lead up and on removal day, this can often filter down to your pets with feeding times changing amongst other things. A great way to combat this is to move your cats and dogs away from the environment all together and book them into a kennel or cattery. This way they will get the love, care and attention that they always require and they are also out of the way when moving items to and from your home.

Pet Monitor on Move Day

If booking a kennel or a cattery is out of the question or out of the budget then ensuring that your pet has the love and attention on the move day is paramount. To ensure that they don’t feel the stress of the move, set up one room in the house with some of their favourite toys and bedding with a member of the family or a friend for the day so they have someone to provide attention, take to the toilet or feed.

On arrival it would be a great idea to set up a room in your new house with your pet’s favourite toys and bedding so that they have some familiar objects to relate to while you prepare the rest of the house.

Scent Profile

A great way to help your pets settle in is by using scent. Pets feel at home because they can pick up on familiar smells including their own scent. In a new home there will be a lot of scents and smells that they don’t recognise which will make your pets anxious. A great way to help rectify this is to scent profile your new house using a soft cloth and rubbing it around your pet and then rubbing it on furniture and other areas of the house at pet level.

Outdoors

This is where cats & dogs truly differ. There is no need to keep dogs inside your home but ensure that they are taken out for exercise on a lead and ensure that your dog has a clear and up to date dog collar and microchip. This until you feel that your dog is confident enough to be let off and understands where its new home is.

Cats are slightly different in the sense that they should be kept inside for three or four weeks so they can regard your new home as a safe place that is their own. When you start letting them outside then do it just before mealtime so that they can be attracted back inside when hungry. Only let them out for short periods and with clear points of re-entry until they start acting confident when outdoors.