How to Help Your Pet Adjust to a New Home

Settling in to a new home can be an adjustment for everyone involved, especially your furry family members. Follow these tips to help your pet feel right at home in your new apartment.

Enforce the familiar
The more things change, the more your pet needs some things to stay the same. New smells and sounds in a strange space are especially unnerving for animals. So, once the last box has been placed inside your new home, it’s time to set your pet’s new environment so that it becomes as familiar as possible.

This means eating and walking at regular times and keeping up a routine that matches your old one. Try to place food and water bowls in a place that’s similar to where you had them in your previous home. Also make sure that your pet’s favorite toys and bed are ready for him on that first night, and in the same proximity to you that your pet is used to.

Explore your new neighborhood
One thing that your pet will enjoy is learning the lay of the land around your apartment. Go for extra walks and let your dog do plenty of exploring and sniffing along the way. Your pet will soon make new friends and learn to tell the difference between neighbors and strangers, which could result in less barking at your front door.

If you have an outdoor cat to acclimate to your new home, take special care as it begins to explore outside. For the first few weeks, avoid letting your cat out when you’re not at home; your feline is less likely to wander off if she knows you’re around.

Get extra company for your pets
When you begin work again, consider hiring a local pet sitter to come in for at least a half-hour each day. Your pet or pets will feel better knowing that there is a human around to check on them in their still-new home.

A well-adjusted pet is a confident pet, one that knows it is safe and cared for. When you’re settling in to your new home, take extra care with your dog or cat, knowing that their happiness depends on feeling completely at home in their new apartment.

One Response to “How to Help Your Pet Adjust to a New Home”

  1. Jeanie Hendrix says:

    VITAL INFORMATION…THANKS!

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