Make Moving Day Easy on Your Cats

Change is stressful for all of us, and moving ranks right up there with other life changes such as marriage and divorce. While you and your human family members can at least understand what is going on, your cats cannot and feel the stress more acutely. Since more people move during the summer months than at any other time of the year, this seems like a good time to go over some tips to make moving day flow as smoothly as possible, especially for your feline family members.

Keep your cats' things in their normal places as long as possible. Don't move their beds, feeding stations or litter boxes until the movers arrive (or right before). All the activity of packing will be stressful enough for them without them having to hunt for their food and boxes.

Feed them a light snack the morning of the move, or nothing at all if they tend to vomit when upset. Give fresh water, of course. If they tend toward nervousness, give them a quarter of a Calms Forte tablet each 2 to 3 hours before the movers are due to arrive. If they are difficult to pill, grind it up and mix with a small amount of their favorite wet food.

When the movers arrive, set the cats up in an empty room with their water, beds and litter box. Frightened cats can get underfoot, causing injury to themselves and others. They may also run out the door in a panic, never to be seen again. Spare them and yourself this trauma by keeping them in a closed room to which no one but you is allowed access. Placing their carriers in this room will make packing them up later easier still.

Pack up your cats and move them separately to the new location, ahead of the movers. Once there, set them up in a room that won't be entered, such as a large bathroom, as far away from the hubbub as possible. Stay with them until the movers arrive, then check on them whenever there is a lull in the action; this will help calm them.

Don't let them out until the movers have gone and outside doors are not being constantly opened and closed. Show them where their boxes are now located, and place their beds and water nearby. Don't feed them until they calm down a bit, or you'll have messes to clean up, for sure.

By the way, this is the perfect time to make changes to their lifestyle, such as making them indoor-only cats if they were not so before. The combination of upheaval and a new environment makes old habits less sticky, making them more open to other changes, as well!
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Stress and the Older Pet

Stress is detrimental to the health and well-being of both people and animals. Studies continually show that high cortisol levels, representing increased output of the adrenal glands due to sustained stress, is a prime suspect in both the generation and worsening of disease. As animals age, stress can pose a more serious problem due to the presence of chronic health issues as well as an immune system that has diminished in efficiency. How do we go about reducing the stress levels in our pets' lives?

If you have cats that have not been kept indoors their whole lives, start doing so by at least nine years of age. Older cats who get into fights do not heal as quickly as youngsters, and are more prone to infection. They are also slower-moving, making them prime targets for dogs and other predators. Their slower immune response will be less stressed if it does not need to constantly combat pathogens encountered in the outside world.

Dogs who reach the same age cannot be kept indoors, obviously, but should no longer be allowed to roam free (if they ever did). Exercise is just as important for older dogs as younger ones, but it must be lower-intensity, with you as a direct participant. Take walks, play fetch, etc. but make sure Fido doesn't run off and get into trouble by eating something his system now cannot tolerate or by being unable to avoid the hazards of road traffic anymore.

Change the diet to a premium one that delivers more nutrition and fewer empty calories and low-quality fillers. Give a quality vitamin-mineral supplement, or make your own. Take your pet to the vet whenever the need arises, but resist if talk of continuing on with vaccinations comes up. If you need to follow state and local laws and get a rabies shot for your dog or cat, then so be it; all other inoculations are no longer needed, and will only unduly stress your animal's system.

Animals, just like people, like their routines and become stressed when things change. People can understand why change must sometimes occur, but animals cannot. Therefore, it is probably better to pay someone to take care of your pets in your own home than to board them. They will be exposed to fewer disease-causing germs that way, too.

Keeping your pet's life as stress-free as possible will not only make him or her happier, it may very well extend their lifespan, too!
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