Boxes, Boxes Everywhere...And Not A Cat In Sight Ways To Make Moving Easier On Your Pets

It's that time again. My husband and I are getting ready to make a move, and already, boxes are beginning to transform the landscape of our current apartment. Old furniture is being taken out, and bags and boxes of new housewares are being tucked away for future use. All in all, life has a tumultuous overtone these days.

Unfortunately, that holds true for our three cats as well. They sense our anticipation -- and sometimes, amidst the chaos -- our agitation. And, like children (and some adults I know), they often act out. It's not even eight o'clock in the morning, and already I've had to break up two minor skirmishes. One cat is missing a tiny tuft of hair on his cheek, and I'm awakened a dozen times during the night because my beloved gray tiger is walking up and down my back.

Moving can be very stressful, and it's easy enough to overlook our four-legged friends during the process, but the bottom line is that they feel the stress too. Sometimes, they feel it even more, because they cannot understand what is happening.

Having been through this before with three cats, I've found that there are ways to make the process easier for both animals and the humans that they own.

Let the adventure begin...

Pets in general, and cats especially, are curious. Every new box that comes into your home will be an item of great interest for your pets, and it's easy to get irritated when you have to evacuate the furry occupants of each box before you can pack it up.

Let them explore. Let them climb in, sniff around, and peer in the boxes as you pack. It's sometimes inconvenient, but not that time-consuming that you can't give them a little leeway.

Where's my mousie...

Your pets will look for their beloved toys, so try to wait until just before the move to pack their belongings. It'll make your life easier along with theirs. If you've ever packed a cat's catnip mouse, then you surely know that they'll eat through steel just to get it back.

Dinner's at 5...

Pets like routines, and routines are often the last thing on our mind when we're in the middle of a big move. Sure, you might run out at 9:30 at night for a pizza without a second thought, but if your cat is used to dinner at 3:00, then at 3:01, if dinner is not served, your life of peace will come to a grinding halt. This is an undisputable fact.

Keeping to your pets' routine is probably the best -- and easiest -- thing you can do to make a move easier for pets. Routines comfort our animal friends, and sometimes they're a good reminder for us to take a small break.

If your dog gets his walk at 5:30, then take a break from packing to walk. It might be just as much a break for you as for them.

Moving day...

Moving day is always the hardest on all parties involved, and it can be traumatic on your pets.

My best recommendation is to keep your furry friends as far removed from the actual action as possible. Reserve a safe room for your pets. If you are moving on your own, then make sure that this is either the last -- or the first -- room that you empty. Then don't touch it while your pets are there. If you have a moving company coming, then place a large, legible sign on the door to this room saying "DO NOT OPEN: PETS INSIDE".

Don't take any chances when it comes to your animals. It's too easy to lose or injure an animal during a move.

Make sure they have enough food and water, and maybe some treats. Surround them with familiar items -- toys and a shirt or blanket with your scent on it will do fine.

Time to go...

Transporting your pets is probably the most difficult part. They'll be scared, and often, subsequently, difficult to deal with.

Have you ever tried to put an uncooperative cat in a cat carrier?

Don't force them. Pet carriers are the safest, easiest way to transport an animal -- except maybe for fish.

Keep something familiar in the cat carrier, and for a few days prior to the move, keep the carrier out and open, where your pet can check it out, and become comfortable with it. Put treats inside, so your pet will venture in.

Sometimes, if you have two small animals, it's better to put them in one carrier. Sometimes they feel safer together. There's something to be said for feline -- or canine -- moral support, I guess.

Your new home...and theirs...

When you've arrived at the new home, once again, reserve a room for your pets. Close the door, place a sign on it. Then just open up your pet carrier and let your small friend explore at his/her own pace. Don't force a cat or dog from it's carrier. My sweet Persian took almost four hours to emerge from her cat carrier during our last move. She was frightened, and the carrier felt familiar and safe.

Once the actual move has been completed, let your pets explore. They'll give the home a more thorough examination than the best insurance investigator. And pets do adapt pretty quickly. Pretty soon they'll own the place, and they'll be showing you around.

For outdoor cat owners...

A move can be especially tricky when your cat spends a great deal of time outdoors. Before the move, make sure to keep the cat inside for a few days. You wouldn't want to get to moving day only to find that your beloved Fluffy has gone on a three-day jaunt.

Once you get to your new home, be sure to keep your cat inside for a few days until he or she knows with absolute certainty, that this is now home. Then and only then, let him or her out. It can save you a lot of heartache.

And should, by some chance, your cat turn up missing after this, be sure to check your old home.

My mother moved way across town a few years ago with her four cats. The cats rode in cat carriers the entire way. A few weeks later, one of the four, Beard, was missing.

A few days later, her old landlord called her to tell her that a cat looking suspiciously like Beard, was hanging around the house. Sure enough, having crossed two major roads, and many miles, Beard had found his way back to his old haunt.

Safety first...

Although your pets' comfort -- physically and emotionally -- is of utmost importance, their safety is vital, and should never be taken for granted.

Always look at things with safety in mind for you, and for your pets.

Are boxes piled precariously? They could fall on your pet. Make sure boxes are secure and not piled too high. A box dropped on your foot could hurt, but a box dropped on Kitty or Fido could cause serious injury.

Make sure pets are not underfoot. In the melee of a move, pets are likely to want to shadow you wherever you go. Though you might be grateful for kitty's company, you wouldn't want to step on her, so make sure she's safely out of harm's way.

Keep household chemicals away from your pets. Items that are normally safely out of your pet's reach are often left lying about during a move. Many chemicals and other inedibles are painfully enticing to a pooch or kitty, so make sure to leave these out of reach.

Know where your pets are at all times. It's easy for your furry friends to get lost in the move. That's why I recommend reserving a room -- even a small room such as the bathroom -- for your pets. It's the best way of assuring their safety.

And never, ever, open the door to their "safe" room while the door to your house is open. It only takes a second for your pet to be lost forever. Don't take that chance.

Move your pet securely. Don't carry them in your arms. A dog should be on a leash. Cats and other small animals should be in carriers. A frightened animal can easily get away from you no matter how securely you think you're holding them.

Finally, by all means, do not leave an animal loose in a car. Even if the animal is used to car rides, in the midst of a move, your pet is sure to be agitated, and can be a danger to him or herself as well as to you.

A final note...

Most importantly, talk to your pets. Your voice is their lifeline. Unlike a child, you can't explain to a pet what's happening. They'll be confused and frightened during the process of moving, and a soft, soothing tone will be most welcome to them.

Take a few moments here and there to sit with your pet, while you're packing, during the move, and again while you're unpacking. Pet them, talk to them, comfort them. The contact is the best thing you can do to assure a safe and comfortable move for your pets -- and stroking an animal is also great for your own frazzled nerves.

Don't worry. You can do it. A move with animals can be difficult and nervewracking, but far from impossible. And as with all things animal-related, if you are in doubt, ask your veterinarian. He or she can give you the best advice on best taking care of your animal in any circumstance.

Lisa Koosis is the owner of three cats and has had the distinct pleasure of moving with them several times. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums.

Mascots - The Killer Promotional Concept

Mascots are the unique dolls or puppets that help identify a sports team or a company. These carry the unique property of “Stickiness”. Your great customer support and product quality sticks only so long. You got to remind folks often that you are there alive and well waiting for the next business transaction. The cheapest and effective way is creating and promoting a mascot for your company. Television Ads could have this mascot as the central theme or as an add-on. These typically tend to stick to the audience than your product or company name. This is both good and bad; a good mascot tends to make the customers take ownership of the mascot. Meaning they like to display and talk about it to others, a copycat cheap mascot brings in the wrath of the customer. So make a good Mascot for your company or team.

The tough part is the initial concept creation, a concept that will make the Mascot a hit rather than a road-kill. There are professionals who can help you with this. Your advertisement company may have a few experts in-house as well. So the next time you sit in the promotional discussion board, bring this topic to the forum. You will be amazed how much your colleagues, agents, employees and customers like being associated with some good Mascot. This is a powerful branding strategy, have you seen the GEICO ads or the Disney shops. They associate themselves with powerful characters which serve as mascots for their companies. They are the killer ad concepts.

People who are new to the branding field don’t understand the entire Mascot concept. They just choose one animal and then paint them in a different color and claim a job done. Some of them even don’t take the time to check if it is registered by another company or not. More so often it fails than it succeeds as they have not grabbed the concept and they are just trying to create something that is “Cool”. Mascots should mean something as I said earlier people tend to associate your team or company with that Mascot. A Bull mascot for stock companies rock, if it was some new person they would have designed a red ostrich which would completely mean differently. This needs a lot of brainstorming and research in which animal or character fits your company’s long term branding strategy.

Once an initial concept is done and approved then next part is identifying the best manufacturing company who can produce these mascots at preset sizes in bulk or on demand for you. You can look at the resource list at end of article for some help. The company you choose should have the right resources to do good customization for you. Don’t settle for imitation puppets with a different logo on top. This typically doesn’t go well. Uniqueness in style, color, texture, font, quality and the overall appearance matters. Well of course budget is the king and you can try to squeeze in the best qualities inside your tight budget. Once you have these worked out you are all set to give them off for free to your brand ambassadors – your existing customers. These keep reminding them of your company. Don’t miss the free repeat sales.

You can find more resources for mascots in puppetuniverse.com. Author does freelancing for many companies and can be reached in the no fee free freelance website freelancefree.com.

Down and Ducky

When the guy at the carnival told my son that ducks made fantastic pets, I wanted to shoot him. We had just moved to over an acre of land, and since my son was being home schooled, it did seem like a good idea to introduce him to another life form besides dogs and cats. I forgot that mothers usually end up taking care of pets.

To this day, I wonder if it would have been as much fun to have only one duck. That carnival guy talked us into buying two ducks so they could keep each other company. We didn't know we were buying a male and female, though, nor that ducks often breed as much as rabbits. That we learned much later.

It was fun having those ducks around. The male duck promptly bonded with our dogs and after we had a bunch of baby ducks running around the property, we changed his name to "Daddy Guard Duck." The female was just "Mamma Duck."

Each morning at the crack of dawn, our ducks appeared on the back porch. We never did know where they slept. But they appeared bright and early each morning, quacking, pooping, and knocking at our sliding door. That's right, the ducks knocked at the door to let us know it was time for them to eat.

Someone had shared that dry dog food was good for ducks, so we would grind some up each morning in our blender. As we took it to the middle of the yard, the ducks followed us quacking all the while.

After eating, both ducks headed for the small wading pool we had placed in the yard. The male simply jumped in and jumped out. That was the extent of his bathing or swimming. The female loved water, though, and spent hours and hours splashing in the small pool.

Meanwhile, the male played with our dogs. (They were all small dogs - the result of a YorkiePoo and Shi-Tzu mating.) Sometimes Daddy Guard Duck chased the dogs; sometimes they chased him. But when the mailman or UPS driver or some other delivery van appeared on our cul-de-sac, each of them - dogs and Daddy Guard Duck - ran to the fence to bark and quack. That's how the duck got his name. He was just as good as our dogs at alerting us to strangers on or near the property.

When Mamma was sitting on eggs, Daddy did his duty. He sat on the eggs while Mamma took her bath each morning. If she took too long - everyday, in Daddy Guard Duck's opinion - he would quack and quack, getting louder and louder as she ignored him.

Then when the babies arrived, Daddy really played his role well. He guarded his babies and wouldn't let the dogs even in sniffing distance. Once they were a bit grown, Daddy set out to teach his sons how to guard and left the raising of the daughters to Mamma.

We really couldn't keep eighteen ducks on our acre of property, so we took the babies to a farmer down the road who promised to allow the ducks to roam his yard and huge pond. He was true to his promise. When a second batch of baby ducks were grown, they followed the first ones to our farmer friend’s homestead. And, eventually, that same farmer took Mamma and Daddy to live on his property as well. Our family was better for having the experience of raising a few (dozen) ducks.

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And then, some years later, my sister's husband brought home a duck for his family to love. He honestly thought that my sister would let that duck live in the river in back of their home.

It was cold when that baby duck came to live with them, and my sister insisted that the duck take up residence in the master bathroom. It has been about two years now, and that duck, while he likes to go outside, still sleeps in the bathroom. He's definitely a house duck, and not a river duck. And he is none too happy when someone wants to shower or otherwise use his bathroom. As boisterous as he is, I have to wonder if he is related to our old Daddy Guard Duck.

Marilyn Mackenzie has been writing about home, family, faith and nature for over 40 years. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums.