If you read my blog on a regular basis you might recall that we have our condo on the market. We’re trying to sell it so that we can buy a house upstate to be closer to family and friends. We’ve also seriously outgrown our condo. Not only do my teenagers need their own space, but also our pets. We have five cats, a dog and a tank with fish and snails.
My husband and I have been looking forward to moving into a house for many years, but we never put our place on the market. Now that it’s on the market it makes the thought of moving more “real”. We’ve already discussed what furniture and “stuff” we’ll try to sell or giveaway and what things we’ll move with us. Moving furniture and stuff is not much of a concern to me as long as we can afford to hire movers (the idea of carrying our sofa bed and massive coffee table down six flights of steps doesn’t sound like fun). What concerns me is moving with six pets and a fish tank and how well our pets will adjust to a new home, especially since this is the only home they know.
I worry about my eldest cat. He’s practically afraid of his own shadow, let alone a new environment. I think he’s the one that is going to have the most difficult time adjusting. Our youngest cat should handle it fine.
In the past I have worked with the Apartment Guide on pet related topics. I’m working with them once again to discuss moving into a new home with pets. Thankfully Apartment Guide offers site visitors great tips for helping pets adjust to a new home, as well as bringing a new pet into your apartment after you move.
My husband and I have already concluded that we need 4-5 cat carriers. It would be difficult to stuff more than one cat in a carrier. We do have a huge carrier that I might be able to put both my boys (male cats) in. I think that might help my oldest cat (a boy) feel a bit better traveling in the car if he has a companion. I have to pair my boys up because the girls fight with each other. How I’m going to stuff 4-5 cat carriers AND the dog AND a fish tank into my car I’ll never know.
If we are fortunate to move from here I plan on getting things set up in the new home before introducing my pet to it. I think if I have their pet beds, toys, cat tree/perch and litter box set up for them it might help them feel better. Ideally I would love to toss them out (except the cat tree) so that I don’t have to worry about moving them and so they can start fresh in a new home just like us. But they don’t understand stuff like that. They will NEED to have things they are familiar with so that they can understand that this is their home and this is where they are supposed to be.
Ideally I would like all our furniture moved in and have everything in place before introducing our pets to a new home too. Moving things around and having strangers come in and out (movers) would only make things more stressful for them. I think it would be better off for them to be able to move into a new home with little to no distractions or disruptions.
Apartment Guide has some great articles on their site to help families move their pets into a new home, whether it’s across town or across the country. Two fo my favorite articles are;
How to Keep Your Pets Comfortable During a Move
What to Do Before and After You Bring Your New Pet Home
If you are like my family and you are ready for a whole new space, Apartment Guide has the photos, floor plans, features and tips to help you search for the perfect pet-friendly apartment community. Knowing what apartment complexes allow pets will help make your search for a new place much easier.
Once you know where you are going to move to be sure to check back with Apartment Guide for more tips on moving to and exploring a new neighborhood with your pet. Apartment Guide will help point you in the right direction.
Now that I have a “game plan” as far as what I am going to do with my pets when we are finally able to move it will alleviate one area of stress. Just trying to sell a home in this economy is stressful enough, let alone having to worry about moving everyone.
If you are planning on moving don’t forget to check out the articles at Apartment Guide. They have plenty of great non-pet related moving tips, ideas and suggestions too.
Don’t forget to “Like” Apartment Guide on Facebook. You can also find them on Twitter (@AptGuide) as well as Google+. They are even on Pinterest.
Do you have any moving tips you would like to share with me? Feel free to leave me a comment. I always enjoy hearing from my readers. 🙂
Kimberly
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