Have you moved with pets? Did you move across town or perhaps across the country? Did you drive with the pets or did you choose to fly? I asked friends online to tell their stories about moving with their pets, with the goal of giving novice pet guardians some suggestions on how to accomplish a safe and happy move, both for the humans and for the pets.
I’ll share some longer stories in the next few blogs.
Photo by Laurie Schlossnagle
Laurie Schlossnagle (South Carolina) I moved a year ago from Utah to South Carolina with one human, four dogs, and a rabbit! It went quite well. I am a planner anyway, so I spent time planning our route, the hotels, and how I was going to manage it all alone (my husband moved a month before us for work while I stayed behind to finish the sale of our house and to wrap up my local work). I planned how I could best potty/walk all the dogs, how best to care for my rabbit, how to get everyone fed, how to get them all in/out of hotels—for example, my most vocal dog was last in to the hotels and first out, etc. I planned what needed to be in my minivan and what could go in the pods. The planning was very worth it and everything went very well! I’d do it all over again with these animals. They were so good!!!
Photo by Laurie Schlossnagle
Ronia Holmes (Illinois) I moved with my cat several times, including interstate and intra-city relocations. I put her in her carrier and drove, either with me in a U-Haul or in my own or a rented vehicle.
Jewels Eilmes-Daly (Washington) I moved from Arizona back to Washington with my two big gingers, Dr Dre and Eazy E. They flew with me, but I couldn’t have carried both of them. Thankfully my Mom and sister came down to help me move.The cats were in cat carriers, right under our feet, and they were a hit!
Kenna Stonefern (New Hampshire) I have not moved, but I have picked up a puppy and brought puppies to families across the country. Dramamine is your friend, and pack lots of paper towels and garbage bags.
Jacqui Halvorson (Washington) I lived just outside of Cheney and people kept dropping off cats near my isolated house. I moved to Spokane with six cats, four only 7 months old! I kept them in the basement for a week until they realized they were safe and fed, and that we were staying here. I then started letting them outside in the fenced backyard so they could explore, but would bring them inside after a couple of hours. It was a smooth transition—they became well-adjusted indoor/outdoor cats. (The kittens were eventually re-homed.)
Gary Crooks (Washington) We drove from Phoenix to Spokane with a baby and two dogs. Not many hotels took dogs back then, but Shilo Inn did. Stayed in two of those. Stopped at a friend’s house in Utah. We went out to dinner, and I assured them our dogs were potty trained. Nonetheless, one of them pooped inside. So, you just don’t know what they’ll do in a strange environment.
Jennifer Grant (New Mexico) I have moved cross country twice. Once in my Civic with two dogs and a cat, from California to New Jersey. Stayed in Days Inns mostly, with doors on the outside. The dogs got in the rhythm of car travel quickly. We had lots of dog chews and snacks, of course. The cat was the tough part, with lots of crying in the car even on medication. They all seemed to love the hotels. We had eyes on them almost the entire time, stopping at parks along the way.
Christina Rosa (Washington) I have moved every year for the past seven years. My pets came with me every time, and we usually made a fun road trip out of it! My dogs are used to travel. They love the adventure!
Fernando Diaz (Maryland) Just moved across country from San Diego to Maryland with four dogs and a cat!
Oona McGuinness (Washington) Yes, I drove 2,300 miles in winter with two elderly cats. They were not confined in the car. Set up their box and food/water in back and smuggled them into our hotel rooms. Sad that dogs are accepted in many hotels, but in general not cats.
Trish Ryan (South Carolina) Yes! Four times with my previous dog, Gracie. She was a seasoned co-pilot on road trips, which made moving fairly easy. She loved tagging along and made herself at home quickly with each move. From cars, to pickup trucks, to ferries, this gal was on the move.
Photo by Trish Ryan
Jennifer Johnson (Texas) I moved from California to Texas in 2020. My 12-year-old pit and three cats traveled with my husband, my son, and me in a 2017 Jeep Wrangler four door. We put the cats in a very large dog crate. We all slept in the Jeep when we had to. Otherwise we just rotated drivers so we could get there as fast as we could.
Glenda Lee (Maine) Before retiring, my hubby spent 49 years in radio. We’ve lived all over the country so, yep, moved with pets, each and every one of them! The longest move was from Cape Cod to California. Three dogs and three cats. The cats traveled in an XXL dog crate that I added a shelf to so they had a place away from the litter box for food and water. We never had anything major happen. Our dogs have always been good travelers, so never an issue with them; the cats did carry on when they first went in the crate, but always settled well. The worst thing that we had was a cat who peed in my hubby’s shoe one night in the motel. On a Sunday, back in the days when it was really hard to find a store open on Sundays!
Donna Lange (Washington) Moved with multiple cats twice. Gave them all gabapentin and kept them in carriers. They did fine overall. The first time was just from Spokane to Spokane Valley. Second time was from Spokane Valley to Walla Walla.
Shelah Bloom (Massachusetts) I moved with my four dogs from North Carolina to Massachusetts. Sold my house in North Carolina in August 2022 with the deal to stay there through November, thinking I would be able to find a house in Western Mass. I could not, and no rentals (that I could afford) would rent to somebody with four dogs! I ended up at a long-term Airbnb at the end of Cape Cod in Wellfleet for six months, then moved into my RV for four months and moved into my current home in September 2023. It was a very stressful adventure at first, but those six months on the national seashore were some of the best I’ve ever spent with my dogs. I could hike out my door and never have my dogs on lead.
Cindy Wilmot (Vermont) We moved from Illinois to Vermont in an RV with four dogs, three cats, and six chickens.
Kristi Cetrulo (New Mexico) Moved from Santa Barbara to Santa Fe with two dogs. Just crated them up and went.
Bob Hadley (Washington) I moved from Spokane to Vancouver, Washington, with my dog of about 10 years of age. She was with me during the drive and she was with me in the new apartment—being with me is all she really cared about. She lived to 19.
Sandee Strobel Szabo (Virginia) We moved a few times with our pets—dogs, cats, birds and fish. Which would you like to know about? The four-hour move or the ones across the area (about 30 minutes)???
Frances Dauster (Alabama) From Germany to the USA … one cat overdosed on sedatives that worked paradoxically at 30,000 feet … it was a DISASTER.
Harve Morgan (California) I altered an RV, loaded up five guinea pigs, five birds, and two large dogs (the last of my rescues) and moved. We all existed happily in that RV for a while. No rentals for that big a crew, but the RV worked. Stayed in various RV and fishing camps. Met some lovely people in those camps. The first time I saw a cat being walked on a leash was in one. A big, burly mountain man walked his cat on a leash and the cat was always with him outside—either on a leash or in a crate enjoying the outdoors along with him. I miss the meandering river where the eagles fish, the river otters barking at you, the elk at your back door.
Cheri A. Moore (Nevada) We drove from Spokane to Las Vegas with our cat. We had made the decision to do the trip in one day rather than try to find a motel that would accept the cat. The first few hours were fine; he cried a bit when we had bumpy roads, but was pretty calm. When we stopped, he refused to leave his crate for food, water, or the litter box. We tried at all our stops to get him out and had no luck. Finally, about two hours away, we heard the scariest yowling from the crate and scrambled for a place to stop. When I got to the crate and opened it, we were confronted with a very wet mad cat. We had some rags and puppy pads and did our best to get both the cat and the crate dry. I then called my sister—we were headed to her house—and told her that my first act when we arrived would be bathing the cat!
NEXT WEEK More stories from people who moved with their pets—most happily!
