Moving House
with Pets

Pets experience house moves very differently from the humans they live with. They can't be told what's happening or why. They pick up on their owner's stress acutely. And they attach to the familiarity of their environment — the smells, the routes, the rituals — in ways that a house move disrupts completely.

The good news is that with some preparation, most pets settle into a new home reasonably quickly. Here's what works for the common ones.

Dogs

Dogs are pack animals and their primary attachment is to their humans rather than a specific location. This makes them, in some ways, the most adaptable to a house move — as long as their routine and the people around them stay consistent, the physical location matters less.

The biggest challenge with dogs on moving day is safety. A house with doors constantly opening and closing, strangers carrying furniture — it's easy for a dog to slip out or get underfoot in a way that's dangerous for them and the crew. The best solution is to arrange for the dog to spend moving day with a trusted friend or family member, or in a boarding facility if that's not possible.

In the new home, let the dog explore at their own pace rather than restricting them to one room. Take them on walks from the new house in the first few days so they begin to build a mental map of the new area. Keep feeding, walking and sleeping routines exactly the same — these are the constants that anchor a dog's sense of security while everything else changes.

Cats

Cats are territorial rather than pack animals, which makes house moves more unsettling for them than for dogs. They've mapped their territory precisely and a new house means starting from scratch.

Keep cats confined to one room on moving day — a room that's set up with their bedding, litter tray, food and water, and a familiar-smelling blanket or toy. Put a sign on the door so the removal crew know not to open it. Once everything is in the new house and the activity has died down, let them explore room by room at their own pace.

The conventional advice is to keep cats indoors for at least two to three weeks after a move before allowing them outside. This gives them time to learn the layout of the new house thoroughly enough that they can find their way back to it reliably. Cats that are allowed outside too early after a move have been known to attempt to walk back to their previous home.

Rabbits, guinea pigs and small animals

Small prey animals are easily stressed by unusual smells, sounds and movements. Keep them in their regular enclosure with familiar bedding and food throughout the move, ideally in a covered area where they can't see all the activity. Transport them in a secure carrier and keep them away from the main moving activity throughout the day.

In the new home, set up their space as close as possible to how it was in the previous home — same layout, same feeding routines. Familiar scent is important, so don't wash all the bedding immediately.

Fish

Fish are often the most overlooked and most challenging pets to move. Moving an established aquarium involves transporting the fish separately (in oxygenated containers), breaking down the tank, transporting it without losing all the beneficial bacteria in the filter, and setting it back up at the new property.

For anything other than a short local move, it's worth consulting your local aquarium shop about the best approach for your specific setup. Some experienced fish keepers use a bucket of old tank water transported in the car with a battery-powered air pump for the fish, while the tank itself travels on the removal van.

On moving day itself

Whatever animal you have, the safest place for them is away from the removal activity — either with a trusted person, in a boarded facility, or secured in a room that the crew know not to enter. Moving day is one of the highest-risk times for pets to escape, and a lost pet on top of everything else a house move involves is genuinely devastating.

Plan this in advance rather than on the day. Whoever's looking after the animal needs to know the full plan — when to collect them, where to bring them at the new property, what the signal is that everything is ready and settled enough for them to come back.