How to Help Your Pet Cope with Moving

Written By

Sophie Kininmonth

published on

February 5, 2026

Updated on

February 5, 2026

People usually land on this page when a move is locked in and one question keeps circling: how do you get a pet from the old place to the new one without turning the whole week into a panic?

For many animals, a home isn’t just shelter. It’s a map of familiar smells, sounds, routines and safe edges. When that map is packed into boxes, stress can show up fast—sometimes subtly, sometimes all at once. The aim here is to help you notice the early signs, reduce the pressure points before and during moving day, and set up the new home so your pet can settle in at their own pace.

Why moving house can unsettle pets

Most pets rely on predictability. The rooms smell a certain way. The food bowl appears at a certain time. The door opens and closes with familiar rhythms. During a move, those cues change quickly, and the noise, visitors, missing furniture and open doors can make even confident animals feel exposed.

Cats are often hit hardest because many are strongly attached to place and routine. Dogs may cope better with the new space yet still react to the disruption, the travel, or the sudden lack of a calm base. Birds, rabbits and other small pets can be sensitive to noise, vibration and handling, and they often mask stress until it becomes more obvious.

Signs your pet may be stressed (and when it’s more than stress)

The most useful baseline is your own: what’s normal for your animal. Stress tends to show up as a change in pattern rather than one single behaviour.

Common signs to watch for

Reduced appetite, or changes in toileting habits
Hiding, clinginess, restlessness, pacing, or trouble settling
Less interest in play, training or usual social interaction
Vocalising more than usual
New aggression, defensiveness, or sudden reactivity
Over-grooming (common in cats) or other repetitive behaviours

If your pet stops eating, seems unwell, is vomiting/has diarrhoea, or the behaviour change is intense or persistent, don’t assume it’s “just the move”. A quick check-in with your vet can rule out illness and prevent a small problem becoming a bigger one.

Before you pack: set your pet up for the change

The calmest moves usually start weeks earlier, with small, practical rehearsals that make the big day feel less abrupt.

Get travel gear familiar early

Have the carrier or crate out well before moving week and let it become part of the furniture. Reward calm investigation. Feed treats in and around it. Keep the door open at first, then build up to short, comfortable closures. If car travel is part of your move, do a few brief practice trips and end them somewhere safe and pleasant.

An appropriate, secure carrier is also part of keeping your pet safe during transport.^{1, 2}

Let the boxes arrive without drama

Introduce boxes and packing materials gradually. Let your pet sniff and move around them in their own time, without forcing contact. Keep tapes, sharp tools and loose plastic away from curious mouths and paws.

Keep routine steady where you can

During the packing weeks, aim for consistency: meals at the usual times, the usual walks, the usual bedtime rhythm. Routine won’t erase the disruption, but it gives your pet something stable to lean on once the house starts shifting.

Book a pre-move vet visit (especially if travel is involved)

A pre-move check-up is worthwhile if your pet is older, has a medical condition, has a history of anxiety, or you’ll be travelling a long distance. It’s also a good moment to confirm parasite prevention, discuss motion sickness, and make a plan for any medications that must not be missed during the chaos.

If you’re considering sedation, don’t decide in isolation. Sedation is generally not recommended for pets travelling by air because of health and safety concerns, and any use should only be under veterinary direction.³

Moving day: reduce risk and keep the house quiet for your pet

Moving day is high-risk for pets becoming lost. Doors and gates are left open. Strangers come and go. Familiar furniture disappears. The safest plan is the simplest one: keep your pet secured and supervised, away from the traffic.

Choose one safe option and commit to it

Boarding or a trusted friend/family member for the day can keep your pet out of the noise and open-door danger.
A closed “safe room” at home with water, a litter tray (for cats), bedding, and familiar items—clearly marked so no one opens it accidentally.
A crate (only if your pet is already comfortable being crated), placed somewhere quiet and checked regularly.

RSPCA guidance commonly recommends either leaving pets with a trusted person/boarding, or securing them safely in a quiet room during the move to reduce stress and prevent escape.²

Pack their essentials last, unpack them first

Keep your pet’s everyday items available for as long as possible, then set them up immediately at the new place:

Food and water bowls
Usual food (sudden diet changes can add stomach upset)
Medication and a copy of any instructions
Bedding and a familiar blanket
Litter tray and litter (cats)
Lead, harness, collar and ID tag

Bring familiar scent in the car

A familiar-smelling blanket or bed can help take the edge off transport. It won’t “fix” anxiety, but it can give your pet one stable cue in a noisy, moving environment.

Arriving at the new home: slow, steady introductions

The new house is an unknown landscape. Let it unfold gradually.

Start with a single safe base

Set up one quiet room first. Put in bedding, food and water, and familiar items. Let your pet settle there before you open up the rest of the house. For cats, confining them to one room for the first couple of days is often recommended, then expanding their access slowly as they regain confidence.²

Expand the territory in stages

Once your pet is eating, toileting and resting normally in the base room, allow exploration room by room. Watch for signs of overwhelm (bolting, hiding, refusing food) and slow down if needed.

Prevent escapes early

Check fences, gates, screens and doors before giving dogs yard access. Supervise at first, even if the yard looks secure—new environments can change how an animal tests boundaries.²

After the move: routines, reassurance and a practical safety check

In the first weeks, keep life small and predictable. Regular meals. Familiar walking routes at first. Quiet time. Your presence matters, but try not to accidentally reward anxious behaviour with frantic attention—aim for calm, steady companionship.

Update identification straight away

If your pet slips out in the first days, reunification often depends on the details attached to their microchip.

Update your pet’s collar tag with your current phone number and address.
Update microchip registry details and any relevant state registry/council details as soon as you move.^{2, 4}
If you’re in NSW, the NSW Pet Registry supports updating details such as change of address online.^{5, 6}

It’s also worth checking which company actually holds your pet’s microchip record—especially if it was registered with HomeSafeID, which RSPCA Queensland has advised owners to move away from by checking through PetAddress and re-registering with another provider.⁷

When to get professional help

Some animals settle within days. Others take weeks. If your pet’s anxiety is escalating, not improving, or affecting eating, toileting, sleep, or safety (escape attempts, aggression), it’s time to bring in help.

Your vet can rule out pain or illness and discuss evidence-based options for anxiety support.
A qualified behaviour professional can build a plan that uses gradual exposure and reward-based training, rather than flooding an animal with too much change at once.

References

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