Checklist
Moving with pets checklist
Choose the animal and how long the journey is. Enter the move date to see when to start carrier practice and when to update the tag; the travel kit is counted from the days on the road.
Weeks before
The last days and moving day
Travel kit
On the way
Settling in
Tips for this list
- Keep the routine and the smells. Same food, same feeding times, unwashed bed: these matter more to an animal than the new rooms do.
- The riskiest moments are open doors: loading at the old home and the first arrival at the new one. A closed room with a sign on it solves both.
- Update the tag and the microchip record on moving day itself. A pet that slips out in the first week will head for an address it no longer lives at.
- Food and bag counts are estimates from the days of travel you enter. For health questions, travel sickness or calming products, ask your vet; this list does not advise on them.
Questions
How do I move a cat to a new home?
Get it used to the carrier weeks ahead, keep it shut in one room during loading, drive with it in the carrier, and start it in one room at the new home with its own bed, tray and bowls. The checklist dates each step from your move date.
How long should a cat stay indoors after moving?
Long enough to treat the new home as its base. People commonly keep cats in for a few weeks; your vet can advise for your cat, and the checklist tells you to ask.
How does the travel kit change with the days of travel?
Food portions, water bottles, waste bags, pads and bedding are each counted from the days you enter, and a second day adds booking pet-friendly stops. The counts are estimates.
Related lists
Long-distance moving checklist
For moves where the belongings and the people travel separately: delivery windows, an inventory, the car and the days in between.
Moving day checklist
One day, in order: before the truck, loading, locking up, unloading and the first evening.
Change of address checklist
Everyone who holds your address, grouped by type so you can work through them in one sitting.