How to Move with Man's Best Friend
Your pets sense the stress and excitement surrounding an impending move. A scratching post gets moved, a favourite chair disappears, and long leisurely walks have devolved into a quick spin around the block. Hamsters and goldfish might not be as attuned to changes in household mood as cats and dogs, but all your pets are affected in one way or another, so it's important that you make their move as stress-free as possible.
Bird's Moving is one of St. Catharines’ premier moving companies, but alas, regardless of our name, we don't put your birds (or cats, dogs, guppies, or pythons) on our moving trucks. What we are happy to do is provide some guidelines and moving checklists for moving your furry and scaly friends.
Step 1: Preparing your Pet for a Move
Moving to new a home is such a busy time, when day-to-day tasks tend to get dropped. Book an appointment with your pet’s vet before your move to ensure the following is taken care of in advance:
•Check that shots and tags are all up to date
•Update the data on your dog's microchip - Your vet may take care of this; or you may be able to do it online
•Refill any prescriptions
•Make sure your pets all have appropriately sized carriers
Step 2: Packing for your Pet
•Keep items that are familiar to your pet available until the last minute. Ideally, put food,
water, litter boxes, beds, and toys in an empty room of your house while the movers are
there
•Small caged pets should be placed in a separate room as well; birds have been known to fly the coop when stressed
•Don't pack up your animal's belongings until you are ready to load them into the car; having their stuff around them is comforting during all the busyness of the day
Step 3: Managing your Pets on Moving Day
Whether you love dogs, couldn’t live without your cats, or prefer to keep the company of smaller critters in cages, there are aspects to keep in mind for each type of animal in a residential move.
Dogs are pack animals, but they also have a territorial streak and somehow know that a move is imminent. Any dog owner who has ever packed for a vacation has seen this firsthand. They know you are going somewhere and most importantly; they want to come with you! Keeping this in mind when it comes to your local or long distance move, it’s important to maintain your routine as long as you can. For dogs and cats alike, make sure they are leashed or crated when you get to the new house and perhaps set them up in one room with a familiar item as well as food and water while the rest of the move takes place. If you’ve previously had an outdoor cat, a relocation is a good time to change the cat’s routine and make your furry friend into an indoor animal. For smaller animals, it can be difficult to gauge the stress they are under but it’s safe to assume they are not having fun. For Birds, be sure to cover their cage with a blanket, and for fish, place them in a bag of their own aquarium water.
A word of warning, not all municipalities have the same laws about exotic pets and reptiles. You can view the extensive list the City of St. Catharines enforces regarding your reptiles and other unusual pets here.
Bird's Moving welcomes the opportunity to discuss your upcoming residential move in St. Catharines or throughout Niagara and beyond, and how we can handle just about every aspect of it, except your furry friends! Please contact us, we would love to arrange an onsite consultation and quote.