HERE KITTY, KITTY, KITTY! © 2013 by Wayne D. Lewis, Sr.

Having a Heart to Heart with the

Family Pet About Moving

Let’ face it, our pets are very much apart of our family’s decisions.  We know their various personalities, and their quirks.  And to many of us, they are like children, our children.  So, when it comes to move, taking the time to sit them down and explain to them what it means to put the house on the market. 

Cousin Derby from Kentucky (below)            

Cousin Derby in Kentucky-Downtime

Pets are family, too

Whether your pet is like our pet, Jourdan, who will only come out from whatever  “undisclosed hiding place” he magically has (don’t ask), or like Derby, his distant cousin in Kentucky, who seems to have a secret stash of caffeine, and sugar whenever we go to visit, it is important to know your pet’s idiosyncrasies.  This would be key to helping them cope with the decision to move.

Why?

Obviously, I am no pet psychiatrist, or pet whisperer, but there is something to be said for treating your pet with the respect that they deserve for the many years of enjoyment and support that they provide.  If you are spending a tremendous amount of money to take care of them, from feeding them to vet bills, or rubbing their stomachs, which is more for you than them, then, you will want to take the time to sit down and talk to your pet(s) about the major move they are about to go through.

Jourdan with his "Really?  eyes

When should you tell your pet that you are about to move?

Like anything, timing is everything.  I suggest not telling them on the day the moving van pulls up to the front door.  This is just asking for trouble.  Pets can sense certain things about our behavior as it is, and the idea that we haven’t taken the time to prepare them for what is about to happen may send them into their own “undisclosed location” that may have you either crawling around in the attic, or under the house, neither of which is fun.  So, when should you tell them?  Here are some suggestions on when you should and when you shouldn’t:

1. You shouldn’t tell them as you are leaving for work; you may to clean up the house from their frantic response, providing of course they aren’t kept in a cage,
2. You shouldn’t tell your pets that you are moving when you are walking them for their potty break, and you don’t have them on a leash, they could bolt for it;
3. You shouldn’t tell them before you go to bed, this could make for a long night of explaining why, especially for pets that sleep in your bed.  You’ll be up all night for the crying, and yelping, or listening to them throwing themselves up against the wall;
4. You may want to tell your pet that you are moving after a good meal, on a weekend morning.  That way, if you don’t have to go to work, and your day is not too well planned, it will give you and your pet time to come to an agreement that it had nothing to do with the stains on the carpet, the chewed-on furniture, or the fact that the bed is getting too small for the 4 of you (2 pets).
5. And, speaking of more than one pet, if you have 2 pets, you may want to be prepared as one pet may blame the other for the impending move.  Make sure that both pets understand that the need to move is not about them, and that despite their constantly chasing and barking in the yard viciously at the mailman, the UPS[1] driver, and Cousin Peter and his bada--- kids (with good reason), that neither are to blame.
6.  Last, but not least, pick a time to tell your pets before the sign goes into the FOR SALE sign goes into the front yard, or at least, before the agent comes into the house.

Jourdan with sad eyes

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What should you tell your pet?

Telling your pets that you are moving may work in general.  But, as all know, pets, like other family members, don’t take kindly to dropping information on them without some type of filter.  For example, you may want to tell the fish in your 50 gallon aquarium you are moving, and nothing more will be said.  But don’t just haul off and tell your pet python that you moving and walk away.  All of the times that he/she has lead you to believe that they can’t get out of the cage with that flimsy top, well, this may set Big Bertha off, and off she goes, slithering out of her cage, to that yet to be identified: “undisclosed location”, in your home.  You have to be careful what you say to your pet(s) when it comes to moving.  They don’t take too well to new places as it is, especially when they have been in one place for at least 2 or 3 years, which may equal to 14 or 21 years if they are cats and dogs (or so I have heard). 

Here are a few suggestions, coupled with when you may want to spring it on your pets that you are moving.  Remember, everything should be balanced in preparing your pet to move to a new place.  You may want to say something on this order:

1. Spike, you’ve been such a good girl, you are going to be getting a bigger yard! (Make sure you are rubbing your pet’s stomach and her neck, look her in the eyes, and add a fresh steak to leave in her bowl);
2. Tiger, we are moving, and we are not leaving you behind! (Scratch that)
3. Tiger, (dog) it’s time for the family to move to a great place, with a bigger doggy door, so you won’t get stuck as much, and a pool for you to lie out by alllllll day long and,---- wait for it--- no cats!
4. Tiger, (cat) it’s time for the family to move to a great new place, with a kitty-cat window for you to look out at the pool all day, groom yourself and,----- wait for it--- no dogs!
5. Terry the Canary-We’re moving Terry, guess what, you’ll have more windows to look out of from your cage! So now you can watch more of the world go by!  And guess what?  Wait for it----------no cats!  (Cats get such a bum rap!)
6.  Last but not least, Ilene the iguana- I don’t think it matters to iguanas, but just for the sake of argument, wait for it--------noooooooo----- I got nothing.  Sorry.

WHO’S COMING INTO THEIR DOMAIN?

Anyway, our pets, with their various personalities should be given the benefit of the doubt when moving.  Why, because on the more serious side, there will be various people going in and out of your house, excuse me, their house, and those different personalities will come into play from the moment the real estate agent starts showing the home to perspective buyers,  to the final walk through.  By the way, here are 2 tips when it comes to people walking into your home and leaving your pets at the house:

1. LOCK UP YOUR PETS-WHY?  None of our pets bite, well not us, anyway. (Jourdan bites, scratches and hisses at me, cat has anger management problems). But perhaps, on this one, tiny occasion, Fluffy, the dog, Chuck the cat, or the Sam, the chimpanzee, decides that this one person (a perspective buyer), has disrespected their domain, or their airspace, and for that reason, decides to go for the buyer’s wrist, backside, jugular, or, what the hell, the whole person.  Why be picky?  These incidents, as much as we may not believe it, are not isolated in themselves.  Pets, while they are family, are still the “A” word.  No, the other “A” word.  They are subject to act out because they are, by their nature, territorial, or defensive of us, as well as, the places that they live in.  No one who enters into their domain should have to worry if your otherwise unassuming, Fluffy, who is a low-key-ignore-everyone-else-who-has-ever-comes-into-their-house, decides to go all “Norman Bates”.  And of course, as pet parents, what are we going to say?  “It must have been something that the person did, because “Tyronnie” has never done that before.  In the meantime, get your lawyer, “Tyronnie” and you may need to make an appointment. 

Additionally, some pets are too friendly.  Let’s face it, your pet jumping up and down on everyone who comes into the house, just knowing that the visitors are coming to pet them on the head and rub their stomachs.  And as you might know, some people freak out when a big 70 lb. creature jumps all over them.  Or, some people freak out when the fur ball rubs up against their leg like they are the side of a tree.  Pets are indeed, family, but everyone does not want to interact with them, even if it is your home, or their home.  And when moving becomes the issue, all of the people who will be coming in, will not be friendly to the friendly pet.  Nothing personal.

2. YOUR PET IS GETTING READY TO MAKE GOOD THEIR ESCAPE-Now that you have taken the time to let your pet(s) know that you are moving, it’s just a matter of time before they make good their escape.  They have no intention of leaving the neighborhood where all of their friends are.  All of their pet friends are here.  You know them from the dog park. Skippy the 150 lb Mastiff who seems to have serious sinus problem; Maximillion, the beautiful red Labrador who thinks too much of herself, and of course, slim, the 3 foot long wiener dog whose head and tail would stick out both ends of a 3 foot pipe.  There is no way your pet is going to leave his/her friends, and the moment the home inspector comes, or the appraiser leaves the door open, your pet is packing their little Hefty bag, [2] and off they go.  And who will you blame?  No, wrong person.  As pet parents, we are responsible for how our pets handle the selling of our homes and try though we may to believe that they will get over it, not all pets take too kindly to being uprooted from their home, essentially.

Conclusion-

I hope you enjoyed our little talk, as I hope your pet(s) enjoy your little talk with them.  Obviously, you may see this as sad opportunity at humor, but it is important that we do realize that those furry creatures or, those feathery little creatures, the slimy little creatures, and those scaly ones too, deserve to be included in our decisions when it comes to moving.  While we aren’t asking their permission, we are including them in the final analysis.  Why?  Because, while in our care, they do bring a bit of respite from an otherwise busy world, and for so small a price as preparing them for a move to new surroundings, it is really important to prepare them.  Sit ‘em down, and give your pets a heart-to-heart talk about the move to their new home. 

Disclaimer:  Information provided while deemed to be from reliable sources, is not guaranteed. Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian or therapist as your results may vary.  Links should not be considered as endorsements. This is not an attempt to solicit the business of any broker or Realtor. 

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[1] UPS-  http://www.ups.com/  (not an endorsement)

[2] Hefty bag- http://www.hefty.com/ (Not an endorsement)