Moving with a dog or cat

A move is stressful for a pet as well as for the people. Cats in particular don't like change, and a dog or cat that's frightened in an unfamiliar place can bolt. Most of the work is keeping the pet's routine as normal as you can and keeping it contained while doors stand open.

Weeks before the move

Get the pet used to its crate. Put its food in the open crate first, then feed it meals in the crate with the door shut. Carry the pet around the house in the crate, or take short drives, and finish each session with treats and play. For a long road trip, build up from short drives to longer ones.

Bring the moving boxes in early, so cats and skittish dogs get used to them, and keep the pet in a familiar room you plan to pack last. Make sure the pet's vaccinations are up to date, and keep copies of the records to travel with.

Put a tag on the collar or harness, and use a permanent form of identification such as a microchip. Update both with your current contact details.

Moving day

Keep the pet in a quiet room with the door shut, or at a friend's house, so it can't get scared and slip out while the truck is loaded. Keep its routine as normal as possible.

In the car

• Secure the carrier. A hard-sided carrier with ventilation holes, fastened so it can't slide in a sudden stop, is the safest choice. It should let the pet stand or sit without touching the top, lie down and turn around. Wire and collapsible crates can collapse or break open in a crash.
• Use the back seat. Airbags aren't designed for pets. A pet riding outside a crate belongs in the back seat, in a harness attached to the seat buckle, with its head inside the window.
• Feed it ahead of time. Feed the pet three or four hours before you leave, rather than in the moving car, which can make it nauseous. A small snack is fine on a long drive.
• Bring water from home. Water the pet isn't used to can upset its stomach.
• Never leave it in the parked car. Even in the shade, the inside can climb 20 degrees in 10 minutes, and a cracked window doesn't help. Cold weather brings the risk of hypothermia.
• Keep it away from strange dogs at rest stops.

At the new house

Pet-proof the house before the pet explores. Tuck away electrical cords, block nooks it could get stuck in, check that every window has a secure screen, take out poisonous houseplants and make sure no pest-control poison traps were left behind.

Then start with one room, the pet's home base, with its toys, treats, food and water bowls and, for a cat, the litter box. Open the rest of the house a room at a time once it seems comfortable, keeping some doors shut. To move a litter box to its permanent spot, shift it about a foot a day.

An annotated example

What to do next

Update the pet's tag and microchip with the new address. Then pack a travel kit with the vaccination records, food, a bowl, a leash, waste bags, medication, a first-aid kit, the vet's contact details and a favorite toy or blanket.