Aside from using a pet moving service, here are some great tips for transporting Fido, Sylvester, and the rest of the non-human crew.
Moving? Here’s some advice on how to handle moving with pets from the book “How to Survive a Move” (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95), straight from people who’ve done it:
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“I treated my cat sort of like a roommate. He stayed with me all through the move. Anytime I went to and from the new place, he rode along. I think these little visits helped him get familiar with the new place before we made the final trip.”
— Jeff Ellis, Cross Lanes, W. Va., 7 moves
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“Find a safe place for your pets. Moving day was stressful for our dog. He wanted to be everywhere, watching everything. So we tied him with a long leash inside our garage and left the garage door opened. That way, he could watch us going in and out of the house, yet he wasn’t outside in the hot sun and he couldn’t run away or get stepped on.”
— Molly Brown, Allentown, Pa., 4 moves
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“I have three cats, and I drove them out to Kansas from Colorado by myself. I put them in crates, and I made sure to stop every couple of hours, open their cages, pet them, give them a sip of water and make sure they were OK. I didn’t feed them anything during the drive because I didn’t want them to get sick. I would also recommend having music on — it seems to calm them.”
— Candice Porter, Overland Park, Kan., 5 moves
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“I have a cat that was 12 years old at the time of this last move. I boarded him while the movers were packing my space to lessen his anxiety, and had the vet administer some kitty valium before I picked him up. I also made certain that there was a place in my new home that he could call his own while adjusting. He stayed in the hall closet for two weeks after we moved!”
— Liz Scherer, Annapolis, Md., 3 moves
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“What does one do with the family goldfish? We took ours along in a big garbage can filled halfway with water. The fish made it!”
— Claude Gruener, Austin, Texas, 4 moves
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“I had a lovely cat named Hemingway. Unfortunately, I moved to an apartment complex that did not accept animals, and I had to put him up for adoption. My real estate broker adopted him and Hemingway was very lucky. If you have an animal, seek a place where he/she is welcome. If you can’t find such a place, think ahead and find your animal a good home.”
— Mindy Phillips Lawrence, Farmington, Mo., 8 moves
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Hundreds of Heads Books’ survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share.
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© 2006, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.