DEALING WITH YOUR PET'S MOVING ANXIETY

Your new house is beautiful. You and the family are going to be so happy here. But what's this? Do you detect a sourpuss in the crowd? Is that your cat scratching up the furniture, urinating on the rug, looking for a place to hide and perhaps plotting an escape from your lovely home?

"Moving can be very traumatic for a cat," says Sandy Sawchuk, D.V.M., clinical instructor of small animal medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison. "Owners don't like to hear this, but cats are often more attached to their territory than they are to you."

Dogs, on the other hand, are usually much more attached to people than turf and so are less likely to have relocation trepidation, says Dr. Sawchuk.

To keep moving anxiety down, try these tips.

For Dogs and Cats:

Be a pack rat. If your pet is particularly fond of a certain piece of furniture, take it along. "Don't even think twice about whether it will fit into your new house," says Dr. Sawchuk. "Taking it along will help your pet become comfortable more quickly. Her scent is on it, she's used to it, and it's comforting for her."

Dr. Sawchuk says she once moved and left behind her cats' favorite old chair. "They wanted their chair, and they let me know in no uncertain terms," she says. She had to quickly get them a scratching post so they wouldn't engrave their marks on the new furniture.

Give her the shirt off your back. One way to help your pet get used to the new place is to make her sleeping area smell like you. "The olfactory world is extremely important to animals. They can be much more relaxed if they smell something or someone familiar around them," says Jeanne Saddler, owner of Myriad Dog Training in Manhattan, Kansas.

She recommends putting a T-shirt or sweatshirt you've worn but haven't washed for a while in your pet's sleeping area. "Use one you've sweated in during your move -- that's perfect," she says.

Provide a quiet space. In the midst of moving, it's hard for your poor pet to get settled in her new abode. "Set aside a quiet place where your pet can go to escape from the noise, the boxes and the usual moving stuff," says Dr. Sawchuk.

To make the quiet place even more special, she recommends giving your pet lots of love and extra treats when you visit. That way there will be extra incentive for her to go to her retreat when she needs quiet time, says Dr. Sawchuk.

Be consistent. Keeping as close to your old routine as possible is very important after a move, says Patricia O'Handley, V.M.D., associate professor of small animal medicine at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing.

"Pets need patterns and predictability, especially after a move," she says. "Walk your dog at the same time, let your cat sleep with you if you did before and feed your pet the same food at the same time you did before," she says. "It can make a real difference."

Exercise away her angst. Keeping your pet well-exercised will help make her less anxious, says Dr. O'Handley. "Play games with your cat. Take your dog for fun walks. They'll enjoy their new lives a lot more and be healthier for it," she says.

Foil escape artists. It's critical to keep a close eye on your pet to ensure she doesn't sneak away while you're moving in, says Dr. Sawchuk.

"It can be easy to lose a pet during all the confusion," she says. Make sure your dog is under control -- in a fenced yard, for example, or on a leash or in her own private kennel. If you plan on letting your cat go outdoors, let her get settled in for a month before you let her out. Even then, keep her on a leash the first few times, advises Dr. Sawchuk.

In addition, don't forget to get updated identification tags with the new address and phone number.

Be sure it's safe. A new home isn't necessarily a perfect home. Dr. Sawchuk advises going through the new house room by room and looking carefully for pet pitfalls, such as holes they could fall through, foamy packing material they might eat or dangerous exposed wires.

"This is important, take it from me," says Dr. Sawchuk. "Our new house had some floorboards that were lifted up, and my cat decided this would be a great place to explore. He ended up falling a good ten feet down to the next floor and got wedged behind the brand new drywall we'd just painted. We had to saw a hole to get him out."

Plan ahead. "Try to schedule your move so someone in the family can spend several days at home with your pet before you go off to work and school again," advises Al Stinson, D.V.M., professor emeritus of animal behavior at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in East Lansing. "The worst thing you can do for anxiety is move in and immediately leave the pet behind by himself all day."

For Dogs Only:

Check out the area. To help your dog feel at home, take him out on a leash for a 10- to 15-minute walk around the neighborhood, suggests Michael W. Fox, B.V.M., Ph.D., vice-president of bioethics and farm animal protection for the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., and author of The New Animal Doctor's Answer Book. "It's important for a dog to get his bearings, to get to know his neighborhood as soon as possible," says Dr. Fox.

Hire a sitter. If you're working long hours and your dog's alone all day, you may want to have someone visit and take him for a walk, suggests Dr. O'Handley. "Otherwise your dog can get very lonely for human companionship. He might not be able to wait that long to go to the bathroom, either."

For Cats Only:

Keep her nearby. It's not at all uncommon for cats to say adios to their new homes and head back to their old stomping grounds after a move. To prevent this, keep your cat inside or on a leash for at least a month following a move. When you do let her out, don't let her wander for long periods of time, vets advise.

Take it one room at a time. To help your cat feel secure in her new home, you may want to try introducing her to it gradually, says Dr. Sawchuk. For the first week, let her stay in one small section of the house, or even just a room (your bedroom would be ideal).

Put her bed there, along with her litter box, food and toys. Visit her frequently. Then, when she seems comfortable with that area, let her wander elsewhere. "The cat will explore slowly, cautiously, but eventually will come to terms with the new territory," Dr. Sawchuk says.