On moving day the humans that move you and your pets may have to interact with each other. Both need to be considered in order to avoid potential human and pet problems. Moving can be extremely traumatic for your pets and as a result they can cause trauma to your human movers.

Moving Your Pets

Pets have emotional territorial claims to your residence and they have favorite hiding spots and play areas. So on move day, with all kinds of strangers present (the humans helping you move) they can become very, very upset. Cats can snarl, spray and scratch. Dogs can bark, growl and bite. Cats or dogs both can frantically tear around the house, or run outside and get lost, or get under foot and end up getting hurt. With open doors in cold weather cats and dogs can flee and birds can get chilled and die.

The best policy on moving day is to isolate your pets away from the moving origin and destination sites and into as comfortable a temporary safe and secure surrounding as possible. Try to provide them with familiar human companionship, food, water and a place to relieve themselves. As often as possible during the move try to visit and reassure them. Also try to be as sensitive as possible to their potential for emotional upset.

If you can, take your pet to the new residence prior to move day and let them get acclimated to it. One customer of ours even camped with his pet out for a couple of days at his new place while he cleaned and prepared for move day - he said this solved the problem wonderfully. When the move is over and all the people are gone, then bring your pets into the new residence. By doing these things your pets will settle in as quickly and nicely as possible.

Human interaction with your pets

Many folks are afraid of animals, or dislike them, or are allergic to them. By removing the pets from the origin and destination points in the move; fears are allayed and dislikes have no reason to manifest. It is a good idea to suggest over-the-counter anti-allergy medications for friends or relatives, or for the professional movers to ingest on moving day. It is also a good idea to warn your mover if their odors or stains are to be contended with on moving day, so that they can emotionally set themselves to deal with this. Do not expect even paid professional movers to be oblivious to these things. It has been known for people to have a nightmare moving day because friends, relatives, or paid professional movers have arrived and unexpectedly encountered a pet problem and immediately just up and left the job, truck and all.