Moving house with pets, without the panic.

People cope with a move because they understand it. There is a reason for the chaos, an end date, a new house they chose. A pet has none of that. All a cat or dog sees is their safe, familiar territory being dismantled by strangers, and their humans acting stressed for weeks. That is why the animal that has never once tried to escape suddenly disappears on moving day. The good news is that almost all of the risk is predictable, and a little planning removes most of it.

Two weeks before: the boring admin that matters

The pet jobs before a move are small, but they have deadlines. Knock them over early, alongside the rest of your moving house checklist, so nothing is left for the frantic final week.

• Book a vet visit. Make sure vaccinations are current, refill any medications, and ask for a copy of your pet's records. If you are changing vets, having the file in hand makes the handover easy.
• Update the microchip address. A microchip only helps if the details behind it are current. Update the registry with your new address and phone number before the move, not after.
• Update your registration details. In NSW, cats and dogs are registered on the statewide NSW Pet Registry, so update your address there (you can do it through Service NSW) rather than re-registering with a new council. Moving interstate, check the local council's rules for your new area.
• Check the ID tag. A collar tag with your mobile number is still the fastest way home for a lost pet. Order a new one if the old tag lists a landline or an old address.
• Keep routines steady. Feed, walk and play at the usual times right through the packing weeks. Routine is the one familiar thing you can keep constant while the house changes around them.

If your pet is an anxious traveller, the vet visit is also the time to ask about options for the trip. Do that two weeks out, not the night before.

Moving day: pick one of two plans

Moving day is open-front-door day. The door stays propped for hours, strangers walk in and out carrying furniture, and nobody is watching the cat. That combination is exactly how pets go missing, so decide in advance where your pet will be, and commit to it.

Option one: off-site with someone they know

The best plan is for your pet to not be there at all. A friend, family member, pet-sitter or familiar boarding kennel takes them for the day, and you collect them once the new house is quiet and their gear is set up. They skip the scariest day of the whole move entirely.

Option two: one quiet, closed room

If off-site is not possible, set up a single room at the old house that gets packed first and then closed. Put your pet inside with water, bedding, a litter tray for cats, and something that smells like you. Then put a big sign on the door: PET INSIDE, DO NOT OPEN. Tell the crew lead as well, and our house removal crews will work around that room and leave it sealed until you are ready to load your pet into your own car.

The car trip: your car, not the truck

First, the non-negotiable: pets can never travel in the moving truck. It is not safe, it is not legal for us to carry them, and the back of a loaded truck is no place for a living thing. The same goes for your plants, which cannot travel in the truck either. Pets ride with you, and a few rules make that trip safer:

• Cats go in a carrier, every time, even for a five-minute drive. A loose, panicked cat in a moving car is dangerous for everyone in it.
• Dogs travel harnessed or restrained, in the back seat or cargo area, never loose on a lap.
• Feed a light meal a few hours before the trip, not right before, to keep queasy travellers comfortable.
• Never leave a pet alone in a parked car, especially in an Australian summer.

If you are moving interstate, one more thing: quarantine and entry rules for animals and plants vary by state, and some states are strict about what can cross the border. Check the requirements for your destination state well before the move, because some of them take time to satisfy.

Settling in: cats and dogs need different things

Getting there is half the job. The first week in the new house decides how quickly your pet relaxes, and cats and dogs need almost opposite approaches.

Cats: start small

Do not give a cat the run of a new house on day one. Set up one quiet base room with her litter tray, food, water, bedding and a favourite hiding spot, and let her own that room for a few days. When she is eating normally and coming to you for attention, open the door and let her expand her territory at her own pace. Keep her indoors for a couple of weeks before any outdoor access, and supervise the first trips outside.

Dogs: learn the new ground together

Dogs settle through you. Walk the new neighbourhood together early and often, on lead, so the new streets, smells and route home become familiar. Set up his bed and bowls in a settled corner on the first night, keep meal and walk times the same as the old house, and check the new yard fencing carefully before any unsupervised time outside.

For both: keep the old smells

Resist the urge to buy everything new for the new house. The old blanket, the scratched-up bed, the toy that has seen better days: they smell like home, and right now smell is the only continuity your pet has. Wash them later, once the new place smells like home too.

Make the human side easy too

A calm move for your pet starts with a calm move for you. Our crews turn up on time, work to a plan, and stick to a Capped-Price Promise, so the day runs on schedule and the front door is open for hours, not days. Get a free quote online, or call us and we will get a quote back to you within the hour, 7am to 7pm.