6 Ways to Make Moving With Pets Easier
Pets are a wonderful addition to your life – science has studied it and proven that they add to your psychological wellbeing. However, we don’t think many of the test subjects in those studies were pet owners in the process of moving house! Animals with a higher level of interaction with their owners (and usually that are larger in size), such as dogs and cats are often the ones most stressed by moving. In certain situations though (such as interstate moves, or ones where your goods are travelling by rail and you are flying), even small pets like birds, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs can be a big logistical hiccup. We look at ways to arrange your moving and storage to ensure that you and your pets get where you’re going with a minimum of fuss!
1. Module storage units and your pet’s sanity
Pets are incredibly intuitive – without the benefit of spoken language to communicate, they become excellent at reading body language. If your body language says you’re stressed, your pet will be acting up. Don’t blame your dog or cat for this – just remove the stress from your own mind as much as possible! If need both moving and storage services, look for companies that offer module storage units – the reason why will become clear 
. The concept is similar to the ‘U Pack It’ companies where you load your own things into a shipping container for removal … only you don’t have to load your own things. Removing the double-handling of goods in and out of storage allows these companies to offer storage services as well as cover the cost of loading the storage unit themselves much more cheaply. And lower bills and less work for you, means more time and mental energy for your pet!
2. Familiarity breeds … relaxation
Pets don’t usually understand the rationale behind the need to move. You can’t blame them when we ourselves sometimes don’t! You can ease the worry of being in an unfamiliar place by taking your pet to visit the new place as much as possible. Leave some of their things there, like bedding or toys, to help them feel ownership of the new house.
3. Crate training
If your pets must be crated for pet transport, you can never start crate-training them too early. Leave the crate in a frequently used room of the house for a few days. Start feeding your pet near the crate, then just inside the door, and finally put their food bowl all the way to the back when they show they are comfortable. Start shutting the door when they are eating, and let them out immediately. Leave them in the crate for short periods while you go out, and let them out immediately when you return.
4. Boarding
See if you can leave your pet with friends on moving day – if not, use a dog/cat boarding kennel on the actual moving and storage day.
5. Plan for travel sickness
Ask your vet in advance about how to prevent travel sickness, and how to treat it in case it occurs. There is nothing in the world that is worse than being stuck in a car that smells of dog spew for eight hours…
6. Pet essentials
You have probably put together an essentials box for yourself and your family members, containing toothbrushes, shampoo, clean underwear, entertainment items, essential paperwork, etc. Do the same for your pet, to avoid extra expense and those heart-sinking surprises on moving and storage day.
