Moving Up The Property Ladder A Pet Hate For Cats And Dogs
14 years ago
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Posted
30th April, 2010 00h00
Moving house is considered to be one of the most stressful life events we can experience, however a new survey¹ has found that 65% of us consider a house move to be just as stressful, or even more stressful for our pet.
The survey, carried out on behalf of leading pet behaviour products Feliway and DAP, has observed that all the noise, confusion and upheaval – as well as the presence of removal men and their large vehicles, can cause even the calmest dogs or cats to panic.
Many a time has a brand new sofa been urine sprayed by unsettled cats after a house move – but unwanted behaviours can be overcome using natural methods.
“Moving house is a mentally challenging time for all concerned, but particularly for cats. After all, they will find themselves in unfamiliar territory with lots of strange smells, wondering what on earth has happened! This is something that can be extremely stressful for territorial animals like cats,” explains cat behaviour counsellor Vicky Halls.
Kim Turner moved 30 miles from Iver, Bucks, to a new home in Aylesbury last month, and was worried about how the move would affect her cat, Dylan. She says, “Dylan showed lots of signs he was stressed after the move. He started scratching the furniture and spraying urine on my new freshly painted walls. But with the help of my vet I was able to help him to settle and stop the erratic behaviour by giving him extra attention, keeping him indoors for a couple of weeks and using a plug-in pheromone infuser called Feliway.”
“Now the property market is picking up, pet owners who are moving house are encouraged to talk to their vets about how they can make the process as easy as possible for both their cats and dogs,” says Juliet Penaliggon, company vet at Ceva Animal Health. “Alternatively, talk to your local branch of Dogs Trust or Cats Protection. They have lots of experience using pheromone products DAP for dogs and Feliway for cats to help dogs and cats settle in new homes and would be pleased to give you further advice.”
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