If
moving is stressful for a homeowner, imagine how
it feels for a family pet!
Yes, it's true, moving home is a difficult time
for any household pet. Whether it's a dog or a
hamster, animals do not like to be disturbed.
Dog's in particular hate being parted from their
owners for long and any separation can be very
upsetting for them. All animals need fresh water
and food; they should also be surrounded by familiar
things. They may not be human, but animals are
home loving creatures and if you don't include
your pet in your moving plans, they might be the
first to run away, all right, maybe not your goldfish!!!
What can you do to help family pets settle down?
Dogs: Keep them away on moving
day. Ask a neighbour who knows your dog to look
after it. The sight of its owners packing can
be worrying. Once your dog is out of the home,
keep it away until you can take it with you to
the new home. When you arrive at the new house
(and this applies to cats too), wait until everything
is indoors before bringing them in. Make sure
their basket and any toys are ready. The idea
is to keep everything looking as normal as possible
- not always easy, it's true. It's also a good
idea to encourage them to go to the toilet before
coming into the house for the first time. Dogs
in particular can be very excitable. For the first
few hours it doesn't do any harm to keep them
on a lead.
Cats: Again, keep them with
a friend on moving day as they have a habit of
wandering off on some private mission. Just when
you are packed and ready to leave the house, you
don't want to be looking for your cat. Make sure
you don't let its food and milk go in the moving
van - cats can be very unforgiving sometimes.
As with a dog, the sight of familiar things such
as a basket or favourite rug can be very comforting
on arrival. For the journey, buy or hire a travel
basket. Your mover may be able to hire or lend
you one.
Birds: If possible, put their
cage in a position in the new home as similar
as possible to the old home. Caged birds will
normally travel quite well and will be happy with
you in the car, but the journey needs to be short
and they need their food, water and ventilation.
Moving overseas
There are specialists in the field of animal transportation
that usually work closely with moving companies.
Ask Chatfields about contacting one of them on
your behalf, but remember to plan well in advance.
As a professional moving company, Chatfields have
moved all kinds of pets. Make a point of asking
for advice if you have prized collections of fish
or birds to be moved. If you have household pets,
tell Chatfields in advance if you want to make
special arrangements for their transfer.
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