Animal escape artists: how to keep your pets safe when moving home

We all know that moving home is a stressful experience for us, but it’s important to remember that it can also be stressful for our beloved pets. For most of us, this will be a dog or a cat, or perhaps a bunny, but some people may have more exotic animals and one story recently caught our eye.

Farmer Michele Cooper, who recently moved from Hertfordshire to Devon, has issued an appeal for people to help her track down her pet skunk, Barney, who escaped from his new enclosure shortly after the move, ITV News revealed.

According to Michele, this is the first time he’s escaped and she believes he found a way out after being unsettled by the move. At the time of writing, Michele is still trying to track Barney down, although there have been numerous sightings of the skunk by her neighbours.

While you are unlikely to have quite such an exotic pet as Michele, you may well have a dog, cat or other animals that will be moving with you. It’s important to consider how to keep them as calm as possible during the move itself, as well as to consider what you can do to help them settle in once you’re in your new home.

You may find some of the information in our previous blog post about moving with pets helpful. When it comes to moving day itself, the advice from animal charity PDSA is to either find a trusted friend or family member who can look after your pet on moving day, or to set aside a room for your pet that you can make as comfortable as possible until you are ready to travel to your new property.

If you are only moving a short distance, such as from Westbourne to Winton, and you have a dog, you can take them for walks in their new neighbourhood ahead of moving day to help familiarise them with the area.

Another top tip is to use pheromone diffusers in your pet’s room to help keep them calm while the move is happening. While our team take the greatest care with all of your possessions, naturally moving furniture and boxes will create strange noises, so the pheromones can help keep your dog or cat settled.

Our team at Removals Unlimited love animals and will do their utmost to ensure that we disturb your pet as little as possible during the moving process.

Once you have the keys to your new abode and are able to travel there, make sure you set up a homely and comfortable room for your pet before you bring them over from your old home. This will mean they can come straight into a space with familiar bedding, smells and other items to help minimise their stress levels.

If you’d like to speak to our team about your move, please contact us to learn more about our services. We are always happy to do what’s necessary to work around your pets, so please let us know if you will have an animal in your home on moving day so that we can work together to make the moving process as stress free as possible for all of your family.