Reducing Moving Day Stress for our ‘Fur Kids’
Our pets are family too, but even with the gorgeous indoor-outdoor flow that is a signature feature of a Horizon Homes’ custom design and build, moving can be a stressful time for the four-legged members of our families.
Cats and dogs often find house moving stressful and disorientating. Here are our top tips for helping the pets adjust when you move back into your knock down rebuild.
Dogs
Consider a boarding home or leaving your dog with a friend for a couple of days before and after your move. Your dog will pick up on any stress and get anxious itself.
If that’s not an option, make sure your pup is safely confined on moving day.
Make one member of the family responsible for the dog on the day. While that’s one less pair of hands helping out, you’ll get more done if you’re not worrying if someone’s accidentally let the dog out.
When you get to your new Horizon Homes home, keep the dog confined to one room at first. Make sure it has its familiar bed, toys, water and food. Speaking of food, that’s a great comforter for a dog. Help it settle in with small, regular meals. That will boost your contact with the dog and help it feel reassured.
If you have got an animal, it is a good idea to talk to Horizon Homes about ensuring fencing is part of your new home build. If all your fencing is secure, let it explore the garden. It may help to keep the dog on the lead initially and walk with it, to allow it to explore its new environment.
Cats
On moving day, our suggestion is once again to confine the cat to one room, making sure it has food, bedding and a litter box. It’s worth putting a notice on the door, to remind people to keep the door closed so the cat doesn’t escape.
Once you arrive at your new place, try to unpack one room first, then confine the cat to that room. If you can, ask one of the family members to sit with the cat for a while, while it explores its new surroundings.
Once the removalists are gone, shut all the doors and windows and let the cat explore your new home slowly. It’s important that you are calm, to show the cat there’s nothing to fear.
The standard advice is to keep the cat inside for about two weeks. When you do let it out, our top tip is to release it just before a meal time. A hungry cat is more likely to return. Make sure it is microchipped or wearing a colour with an ID, just in case.
Horizon Homes is a boutique home builder. That means we custom design and build all our homes to suit individual clients. Come and talk to us today about your new dream home.