More than half of all UK households own at least one pet. That’s millions of dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs sitting in the middle of your packing chaos, wondering what on earth is happening to their home. A house move is already one of the most demanding days of the year for people. For your animals, it can feel even more unsettling.
Why Your Pet Finds Moving So Stressful
Your pet doesn’t have any context for what’s happening. They can’t read the sale agreed notice or check the completion date. What they do read is their environment: the familiar smells, the rooms they patrol, the sound of the house. Start shifting boxes in, bring in strangers, open the front door every five minutes, and that sense of safety disappears fast.
According to the PDSA’s 2025 Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, there are 11.1 million dogs and 10.5 million cats in the UK. Most of them will go through a house move at some point. Common reactions include hiding, refusing food, excessive barking or vocalising, and uncharacteristic clinginess. None of these are inevitable. Most are avoidable with some preparation.
The Weeks Before: What to Sort in Advance
Update your pet’s microchip details as soon as you have your new address confirmed. Under UK law, dogs must be microchipped and registered from eight weeks old, and your records should show your current address at all times. It only takes a few minutes via the microchip company’s website and could make the difference if your dog or cat gets out during the move.
Check your pet’s vaccinations are up to date, especially if you plan to use a kennel or cattery on moving day. Book boarding early too. Spaces at good facilities fill up quickly during the busy summer moving season.
Bring moving boxes into the house a week or two before the move. Leave them around and let your pet explore at their own pace. Cats and dogs that have spent a fortnight investigating cardboard won’t be startled by it on move day. That alone removes one source of stress.
Think about whether bringing in professional packers makes sense for your move. A quicker packing process means fewer days of disruption and a calmer run-up to moving day for everyone in the house, including the four-legged members.
Move Day: Setting Up a Safe Space and Briefing Your Crew
Pick one room to be your pet’s base for the day. Clear it out before the removal team arrives. Set up a bed, fresh water, food, and a litter tray or favourite toy inside, and put a clear sign on the door. Make it obvious. Strangers coming and going need to know not to open that door.
Here’s something most pet guides skip entirely: tell your removal crew. When you book with Just Removals London, let us know you have a pet. On the day, show the crew lead which room the pet is in and whether your dog or cat is likely to bolt if a door opens accidentally. A briefed crew works around your pet. An unbriefed one doesn’t know what to avoid.
London moves add specific complications. The noise of a sofa being carried down a staircase in a flat with no lift, other residents passing through a shared entrance, or the constant rumble of traffic from a busy high street can all affect your pet more than a quieter suburban move would. The safe room matters even more here.
Avoid feeding your pet a full meal within two hours of travel. Small amounts of food throughout the day works better and is easier on their stomach if they’re feeling anxious.
Getting Your Pet to the New House
Wait until the removal team has finished at the old address and gone before moving your pet. The new house should be quiet when your animal arrives. Walking a cat carrier into an active removal in progress is not the right introduction.
The Highway Code is clear on this: pets must be safely restrained during car journeys. Use a crash-tested carrier for cats and small pets. Dogs need either a harness that clips to a seatbelt or a secured crate in the boot. An unrestrained animal in a moving vehicle is both a safety risk and a legal issue.
Plan rest stops for dogs on longer journeys. Cats travel better in solid, well-ventilated carriers with a piece of your worn clothing inside. That familiar scent settles them far more than you might expect.
Small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters need consistent temperatures and minimal noise during travel. Keep their carriers away from air vents, direct sunlight and speakers. Reptiles and birds are particularly sensitive to temperature changes. Ask your vet for specific travel advice before moving day if you have exotic animals.
Settling Your Pet Into the New Home
Set up one room at the new house before your pet arrives. Put beds, bowls and litter trays in similar positions to where they were in the old home. Your pet doesn’t need perfect. They need familiar.
Cats need the most time of all. Keep them indoors for at least two to three weeks after moving. Cats are highly territorial, and an outdoor cat let out too soon may not find its way back. When you do start letting them outside, leave something with a familiar scent near the door, such as your wellies or an old garden pot from the previous house, so they can pick up a known smell to guide them home.
Dogs settle faster when their routine stays consistent. Keep walk times and feeding times the same from day one. Walk new area routes on a lead for the first few days while your dog builds familiarity with the street layout and new smells.
Before letting any pet into the new garden, check the fencing thoroughly for gaps. Also look out for toxic plants. Foxglove, yew and rhododendron are dangerous to both dogs and cats and appear in many UK gardens.
Your house move checklist for London covers all the bigger tasks around the move itself. Your pet’s needs fit inside that plan, not alongside it as an afterthought.
What If Your Completion Date Slips?
London house moves often depend on chains. When a sale higher up the chain runs late, completion can slip by hours or by a full day. No pet guide ever addresses this, but it happens regularly in London’s property market.
If you’re in limbo with your belongings loaded and access to your new property delayed, your pet needs a calm, safe place to wait. Short-term storage is the answer for the furniture. Your pet should go to a trusted friend, family member or boarding facility for the night.
Just Removals London has handled completion-day delays before. If your moving date shifts, call the team. We can store your belongings overnight and redeliver everything the moment you have the keys.
Your pet will adjust. A house move is one day, and with the right preparation it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. A briefed removal crew, a quiet safe room, an updated microchip, and a consistent routine in the first week cover most of what your animal needs to feel at home again.
Ready to plan your move? Get a free fixed-price quote from Just Removals London or call us on 020 4525 2039.