Our pets want a comfy bed, good food, and a solid routine.
Gather all the necessary documents
First things first, and that means paperwork and research.
You dont exactly need paperwork if youre moving a few blocks away with your cat.
Similarly, if youre flying, mostairlines require that health certificate, too.
Keep in mind: the certificate is only valid for 30 days after your vet signs it.
Most countries (andsome states) have quarantine procedures andnew travel requirementsto consider.
PetTravel.com has adatabase of regulations for 240 countries here.
Their short nasal passages leave them especially vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke.
Consider all the alternatives to flying.
If you plan to bring your pet on vacation,
driving
is usually a better option.
If theres no way around it, call the airline before you book andcheck their requirements.
Many of them limit the number of pets that can board.
They might have other processes and procedures that arent detailed on their website, too.
Youll need to take care of a few tasks:
Obtain a health certificate, if necessary.
Ask your vet about motion sickness prevention or sedatives for your pet.
tune up your pets vaccinations.
Ask your vet for your pets medical records.
It helps to feed and walk your pets around the same time every day, too.
My cats generally dont mind being surrounded by boxes as long as I serve dinner on time.
Some cats get nervous and wont come back inside.
Place your cats favorite blanket or toy in the carrier, and praise her when she goes inside.
This way, when she feels stressed, shell hide in the carrier instead of in a suitcase.
Start with short trips and associate something positive with the trip to help ease your dogs anxiety.
Make moving day less disruptive
Some pets handle change better than others.
If yours tends to freak out, boarding them with your vet might be a better option.
If thats not possible, keep them in a safe, enclosed area on moving day.
Once youre in the car, pay attention tohow your pets react.
Cats get a little freaked out when they see the world moving by, he says.
According to my vet, the familiar smell keeps them calm.
If youre staying overnight during your drive, ensure to find a pet-friendly hotel.
Flying is a tough one, as flightsarent comfortable for humans, let alone pets.
A few of the most important ones:
Use direct flights.
Always travel on the same flight as your pet.
Dont ever ship brachycephalic animals such as Pekingese dogs, bulldogs or Persian cats in the cargo holds
.
If traveling during the summer or winter months, choose flights that will accommodate the temperature extremes
.
Early morning or late evening flights are better in the summer; afternoon flights are better in the winter.
Fit your pet with a collar that cant get caught in carrier doors.
Try not to fly with your pet during busy travel times such as holidays and the summer
.
Your pet is more likely to undergo rough handling during hectic travel periods.
see to it to properly label your carrier with contact information in case your pet is lost, too.
Pet transportation servicesare another option.
Look for any possibletoxic plants outside, for example.
Once, I moved into a new place and kept losing my cat only to find her outside.
Ease your pet into the new home bymaking it a little more familiar.
Put their familiar objectsbowls, toys, litter boxes, scratching postsin the areas theyre used to.
If their litter box was in the bathroom, keep it in the new bathroom.
It also helps to keep a sanctuary room for pets,as CatBehaviorAssociates.com suggests.
You just dont want to shock him by having the box disappear suddenly.
Its important to stick to their schedule once you move, too.
This helps reduce some of their stress.
To that end, its important for you to be as calm as possible.
A lot of the stress that your animal feels comes from you.
If youre falling apart, your animals reaction is going to reflect that.
If you have a relatively calm demeanor, thats going to brush off on the animals, too.
Finally, if youre changing phone numbers, dont forget toupdate your pets ID collarwhen you move, too.
A big move can be tricky with pets.
