Keeping Your Cat's Health In Mind While Moving Into A New Home

If you are moving to a new home, don't let your cat's needs become an afterthought, especially if your cat is older or has health concerns. The moving process and the adjustment to a new space can be stressful and may cause inadvertent anxiety for your cat. Here are four tips that will keep your cat safe and healthy when moving to a new home.

1. Keeping Pet-Related Items Handy

While you might be packing up everything in the kitchen or pantry to go in the moving truck, it is a good idea to keep your cat's food and medications separate and easily accessible if you can. The last thing you want is for your pet's specific food or medications to go missing while moving. Especially if your cat has health concerns or is on a special diet, maintaining a consistent diet and administering of medications are important to their overall health.

2. Safety on the Road

Keeping your cat as safe as possible during your actual move is important. If you will be on a long road trip or flight, your vet might have medications that can calm or subdue your cat during the journey. If your cat is an indoor cat, keep them in their carrier as much as possible since they might have limited vaccines because of this.

3. Finding a New Veterinarian

If you are moving to a new town or state, getting a new local vet lined up needs to be a priority. Most vets need to have a baseline check-in with a new cat in order to prescribe medications. Having your cat on file at the vet's office will also help you get in to see your vet if there is an emergency. Getting your first appointment on the schedule before moving will ensure you don't let this get put on the back burner.

4. Stress and a New Home

Cats might not acclimate as quickly as you hope to a new space, and stress related to this can cause weight loss, weight gain, or over-grooming. You should try to calm your cat by creating a smaller, safe space that they can retreat to in their new environment. Your vet might suggest calming nutritional chews or pheromone sprays as well.

While you and your family might be excited about moving, your cat might be anxious about the process. If you can, try to take steps to keep some normalcy in their life during a move. By keeping your cat's health and safety a priority, they hopefully won't run into any health concerns or emergencies during the process. For more information on keeping your cat healthy, contact a clinic like Seattle Emergency Veterinary Hospital.