Moving to a New City With Pets: A Practical Checklist

Quick answer

Moving with pets goes far better when you start early. Get a vet check and copies of records, update ID and microchip details, check the rules for your transport and your new home, and get pets used to their carrier weeks before the day. On moving day, keep them shut away from open doors. At the new place, set up one quiet room first and stick to familiar routines while they settle.

4–8 weeks before the move

Research your new area

• Find a vet near your new home, plus the nearest emergency clinic.
• Check the pet rules for your new building or rental. Some limit species, size or number of pets.
• Check local registration, licensing or vaccination requirements, which differ by country and city.
• Think about the climate. A move to a hotter or colder city changes how you house and exercise your pet.

Visit your current vet

• Ask for a health check and copies of vaccination, deworming and medical records.
• Bring vaccinations up to date. Some transport companies and boarding places want proof.
• Get enough of any regular medication to last until you've found a new vet.
• For long or stressful trips, ask your vet about handling travel anxiety or motion sickness. Do not give any human medicine.

Plan transport

Driving is usually the least stressful option for most pets, because you control the temperature and the stops.

Flying is more complicated. Airline rules on carriers, breed restrictions (often for flat-faced dogs and cats), health certificates and cabin versus cargo vary a great deal, so check directly with the airline well ahead of time.

If you use a pet transport company, compare a few, ask how the animals are housed and checked on, and read reviews.

2–4 weeks before

Carrier training Leave the carrier or crate open at home with a familiar blanket in it. Give treats or meals beside it, then inside it. Take short practice drives that end somewhere nice. A pet that thinks of the carrier as a safe place travels much better.

Update ID

• Update microchip contact details with your new address and phone number.
• Get a new ID tag for collars.
• Take clear, recent photos of each pet in case one goes missing.

Pack a pet essentials bag (keep it with you, not in the moving truck):

Moving day

This is the day most pets go missing. Doors stand open, strangers come and go, and the normal routine disappears.

• Confine pets in a quiet, empty room with water, bedding and a sign on the door ("Pets inside — keep closed"), or arrange for a friend or boarding.
• Feed a light meal a few hours before travel so they're less likely to be sick.
• Load pets last and unload them first, straight into a room you've prepared.
• Never leave pets in a parked car. Cars get dangerously hot very fast, even on mild days and with the windows slightly open.
• Keep carriers secure: belted in or wedged on the floor behind a seat, never loose in the boot or the back of an open truck.

Travelling by car

• Stop every 2–3 hours so dogs can drink and toilet on a lead.
• Keep cats in their carrier for the whole trip, and offer water at stops.
• Keep the car comfortably cool and out of direct sun.
• On long trips, check that your overnight stay accepts pets.
• Watch dogs for heat stress (heavy panting, drooling, weakness) and read our guide on heatstroke in dogs.

Species-specific tips

Dogs: keep walks and mealtimes on the usual schedule as far as you can. Explore the new neighbourhood on a lead before any off-lead time.

Cats: for the first few days, keep them in one room with litter, food, water and somewhere to hide, then open up the rest of the home bit by bit. Keep them indoors for at least 2–3 weeks so they don't try to head back to the old home.

Birds: use a small travel carrier rather than the full cage, where they get thrown about. Keep them out of draughts and heat, offer water-rich foods such as fruit, and part-cover the carrier to calm them. See our complete guide to keeping pet birds for setting up in the new home.

Fish: for short moves, carry fish in bags or sealed containers of their own tank water, insulated. Keep the filter media in tank water so the beneficial bacteria survive, and put it back to use straight away. Long journeys are riskier, so ask an aquarium shop for advice.

Small pets: carry rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters in a secure, ventilated carrier with bedding and hay. Keep them out of the heat, because they overheat easily.

Livestock: moving cattle, goats or sheep usually means a suitable vehicle, health documents and, in some areas, permits. Plan it with a local vet or livestock transporter.

Settling in

• Pet-proof first: check fences, windows, balconies, loose cables and gaps behind appliances before you let pets explore.
• Recreate the familiar: same bowls, bedding, litter and toys, in similar spots.
• Keep routines: feeding, walks and bedtime at the usual times.
• Watch for stress: hiding, not eating, accidents or over-grooming are common for a few days. If a pet stops eating for more than a day (sooner for small pets and cats), or seems unwell, contact your new vet.
• Register with the new vet and transfer records.

Quick moving checklist

• New vet and emergency clinic found
• Vet check done, records and medication collected
• Building or housing pet rules checked
• Transport booked and its pet rules confirmed
• Carrier training started
• Microchip and ID tag updated
• Essentials bag packed
• Moving-day safe room or boarding arranged
• New home pet-proofed

Looking to add a pet once you have settled in? Browse verified listings on Paalo.