Must Have Pet Supplies If You Plan On Moving

Are you planning a move? Will it be across town, or across the country, or to a new country altogether? While every move has its own challenges, you can be prepared to move your cat in the best way possible.
1. Cat carrier
You’ll want something that the cat can stay in during the transportation part of the move as well as while moving is actively happening with doors being open and such, unless you can manage a room that stays closed during the unloading of boxes and furniture from the truck. Make sure the carrier is well-ventilated and plan for being able to give your cat food and water at various times. You may want to try it out before the move so your cat is familiar with it and knows it’s not permanent.
2. Toys
Bring familiar toys for more immediate use. This may help you avoid situations where your cat is bored and may begin to try to find their own entertainment – which may lead to destructive behaviors or playing with unsafe objects.
3. Bedding
Does your cat have a bed, blanket, or combination of such items where it loves to sleep? Try to have this accessible for immediate setup.
4. Scratch posts
Depending on your cat’s needs and your move timeline, consider having your cat’s scratch posts handy for a redirect away from any carpet or other items it may try to substitute for.
5. Food and water bowls
While you could improvise, it’s better to just keep familiar ones handy to ensure your cat is getting regular water and eating normally.
6. Litter box
You will need to provide your cat with the appropriate place to relieve itself as soon as possible, so a litter box and bag of litter plus any scoops and trash bags you may need to use for cleaning it should be accessible quickly. You may want to include cleaner for carpets, and a roll of paper towels, just in case there’s an accident.
7. Food
Have on hand enough food for the move plus a few days for while you are getting settled in. You don’t want to add to your stress by immediately running out of food and having to do an extra errand while you’re taking care of everything else that comes with a move.
8. Medications
Any medicines your cat is on should be kept handy and you’ll probably want to time out your refill to right before your move. That way you can get settled a bit before you need to run to your new vet and get medications filled.
9. Basic first aid
While you may not need anything from your first aid kit, moving is a more likely time for injuries and illness. Consider whether you may need any of the following in a first aid kit for minor wounds and issues: tweezers, cotton balls, thermometer, gauze pads or strips and tape, antiseptic wipes, saline, styptic powder aka stop bleed, an e-collar.
Being prepared can give you peace of mind and make your move go more smoothly wherever possible!

If moving to a new area, know your potential new vet’s contact information and at least one 24 hour emergency vet.