Tomorrow is a momentous day for my little family. We are finally ready to make the move from apartment living to renting a house! We'll have four walls all to ourselves and even a nice little yard for the pup. We cannot wait to have more space (we have a baby on the way, so we need another room) for ourselves and our pets. I know they'll enjoy all of the extra room.
One thing I'm wary of, though, is how traumatic a move can be on animals of all kinds. We did move with these three animals once before (LA to Northern CA), so this tiny move should be a piece of cake for them. The thing is, they see our apartment as home. This is the place they know inside and out - hiding places, feeding area, sleep spots...they'll be taken away from what they know and thrust into a brand new environment (just like us)! I know this will be scary, so I'm trying to take all precautions I'm aware of in order to make the transition easier on them.
So far, I've taken the dog to the new house a couple of times. He seemed anxious the first time. I kept him on leash, except for when I let him out to inspect the new backyard. Once out there he immediately began eating the grass growing through the bricks of the patio. I couldn't tell for sure if he felt comfortable or if he was so nervous he had a tummy ache. The second time he was in the new house we let him inspect off leash. He is not an indoor marker, but I made sure he was with us the whole time, just in case. He really wanted to leave after about 10 minutes of checking things out. The house was completely empty and had the scent of different people and different animals, so I could understand his apprehension. Once outside he was happy as a clam. I'm pretty sure he marked every area he could. All other dogs will now know this is his yard.
When we finally make the big move, I know the dog will be nervous. There will be strange men going in and out of the house, I will be away at a prior engagement and no one will have time to play or inspect with him. Most likely we'll keep him in the crate, as that is his safe place. I think this is a great option if you're moving with a dog. Maybe even keep him/her in the car (if it's cool outside) so that there is no way he/she can get in the way.
The cats are an entirely different story. They hate moving. It terrified them both last time and I'm sure we'll run into that issue again. Our course of action last time was to keep them locked in the bathroom with food, water and littler box until moving was done. Once things settled down we opened the door and let them explore at their own pace. Sumiko, our Japanese Bobtail, was immediately ready to check out his new turf. He wasn't afraid at all once he knew we were there. His brother, Figaro, had a very different reaction. He was too petrified to move (think Petrificus Totalus from Harry Potter). He didn't leave his cat bag for a long time. Even after that, he wouldn't leave the bathroom for another hour or so. We let him take his time and eventually he found a spot under the bed. After a day or so he was exploring the apartment with his brother.
This time we have a much bigger space. I may take the advice of most cat experts and move the cats from the bathroom into our master bedroom for a day or so to acclimate. I now they will probably get antsy if they can't be with their dog brother, but we'll see how they do. I have a calming spray that I will be spraying on all cat furniture and any pet beds in the house. This does help calm them down most of the time.
Once we're all settled in and things are in place I think everyone will be happy to have some more room to roam. I can't help but be thankful that all of my animals are cage/tank-less. I remember when my friends moved with a large fish tank, reptiles and a cat. I did not envy them, as it was quite a tough transition. While I'd love to one day have some of those animals again, I definitely will wait until we have a permanent space to settle into first.
All in all I think our move will be only mildly traumatizing to our little furry friends. I will do my best to be sure all three get the time and space they need to transition to this new home. Wish us luck!!
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