Moving is an adventure for some and an experience others dread. No matter which category you fit into, moving with pets makes it more complex and adds to the stress of the situation. Veterinarian Dr. Carol Osborne calls relocation “the second-biggest stressor in a pet’s life after weaning,” so a real plan matters.
Hiring a professional moving service can help reduce the anxiousness of relocating with your furry family members. The team at Big Lake Movers handles homes across Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, and the rest of West Michigan, so you can focus on your pet while the boxes get loaded. Here are the tips for moving with pets in Michigan that actually cover what the title promises, including the Kent County and Ottawa County rules most blogs leave out.
1. Make a Plan for Moving with Pets in Michigan
Moving is already a complicated process, so adding pets into the mix can make it even more hectic. Like their human counterparts, cats and dogs experience high-stress levels during unknown and chaotic situations. The best way to keep them safe and minimize their anxiety is to have a plan in place for the move.
Sit down and develop a plan for how you will move your pet. It should include questions and answers like:
- How are you going to transport your pet?
- Where will your pet be before, during, and after the move?
- What will your pet’s living situation be like in the new home?
- How will your pet get exercise and meet new friends in the new neighborhood?
Your plan should be tailored to your pet’s specific needs so they can have a smooth transition from one home to another. For example, you’ll need separate strategies for young and senior animals.
Puppies and kittens require a lot of exercise and plenty of time to adjust to their new surroundings, while senior animals may need more time to adapt and may require a smaller space with fewer changes.
2. Schedule a Pre-Move Vet Visit
Book a checkup two to four weeks before moving day. This is the step most pet-move blogs skip, and it’s the one your veterinarian will tell you matters most. Use the visit to:
- Update vaccinations and request a printed copy of your pet’s medical records.
- Refill any prescriptions so you don’t run out during the move or while you wait for a new vet to take you on as a patient.
- Ask about motion-sickness medication or a calming supplement if your pet is anxious in the car.
- Get a vet recommendation in your new town, since new patient appointments in West Michigan often book out two to four weeks.
- Confirm rabies vaccination status, because Michigan dog licenses are tied to it.
If you are moving to Michigan from another state, ask your vet for an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI). The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development requires this document, completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian, for any dog imported into the state. The CVI must list the rabies vaccine date and expiration.
3. Pack With Your Pets in Mind
When you start to bring in boxes and packing materials, your pet will become curious and want to explore. That’s okay. Don’t stress them out more by trying to keep them out of the way.
Instead, create a space for them in one or two rooms and designate specific boxes that they can play with. Include a litter box and food/water dishes in their designated area if you have a cat. To make boxes feel routine instead of threatening, leave a few empty boxes out for several weeks before the move and drop a treat inside when your pet sniffs them.
When you get your pet used to having boxes and packing materials around, you can help avoid them becoming stressed out when the moving process begins. Pets thrive on routine, so feed, walk, and play with them at the same times you always do, even as your home fills with boxes. A tired pet is a calm pet, so add an extra walk on packing days when you can.
4. Condition the Carrier Before Moving Day
Most pet-move advice tells you to buy a carrier. The step that actually reduces stress is conditioning your pet to use it weeks before the move.
Set the open carrier in a room your pet already uses. Drop a soft blanket and a few treats inside and leave the door open so they explore at their own pace. Once they walk in willingly, close the door for short stretches. Then move to short car rides, starting at ten minutes and working up to twenty or thirty.
Choose a carrier that’s spacious enough for your pet to stand up, turn around, and lie down in. When moving with a pet, pack all their supplies together in one labeled bag so you can find them in the chaos:
- Food and treats for at least one week
- Bowls (collapsible if possible)
- Toys and a familiar blanket
- Bedding
- Litter box and litter for cats
- Medication and any prescriptions
- Printed vaccination records and your vet’s contact info
- A current photo in case they get lost
Label the bag clearly so it’s not buried in a moving truck.
5. Plan Where Your Pet Will Stay on Moving Day
If you’re wondering how to move with a pet on moving day or during a long-distance relocation, you have three solid options. Big Lake Movers handles homes across Kent County, Ottawa County, and Allegan County, and we see all three work.
Boarding kennels
These locations offer a safe and comfortable place for your pet to stay, but they can be expensive. Their safety should still be a top priority during the move. Your veterinarian might offer boarding services in-house. Check with them first because you and your pet might be more comfortable with care from a familiar face.
When boarding your cat or dog in Michigan, they’ll need to be up to date on rabies plus boarding-specific vaccines like Bordetella (kennel cough) and DHPP. Ask your vet at least two weeks ahead so you can fit in any boosters.
Friends or Family
If you have friends or family members who are pet-friendly and close to your new location, they can be an excellent option. Plan ahead, since they may not be available last minute. This is often the most comforting option for the pet because the environment is familiar.
Pet-sitting
If you don’t want to leave your pet at a boarding kennel and you don’t have family close by, a pet-sitter is a good middle ground. The Humane Society of West Michigan and most local vet clinics keep referral lists. With this option, your pet stays in their own home and gets regular visits from a sitter while you load the truck.
6. Make Your New Michigan Home Pet-Proof Before You Move In
One of the most important things to consider when moving with pets is whether your new home is pet-friendly. Walk through it with these checks before the pet sets a paw inside:
- A designated quiet space for your pet’s bed, bowls, and litter box.
- A fenced yard or a safe area for dogs to relieve themselves, get fresh air, and play.
- Pools, hot tubs, busy streets, and unfamiliar dogs in the neighborhood marked as off-limits.
- Easy access to food and water in a low-traffic spot.
Also, sweep the home’s interior and make sure everything is sealed. Cover or zip-tie loose electric cords. Remove poisonous plants like lilies, sago palms, and rhododendrons. Tuck away small objects, rodent baits left by the previous owner, and any antifreeze in the garage. Check the fence line for gaps, because vets warn that dogs in unfamiliar yards are more likely to dig or jump than they are at home.
It’s important to remember that not every pet will be comfortable in every new environment. Take the time to get to know your new home and see how your pet adjusts. If they’re having a hard time, speak with your veterinarian about what you can do to help them feel more comfortable.
7. Manage Moving Day Itself
One of the most important tips for moving with a pet comes on moving day. With all the excitement and chaos, it’s easy to forget about your pet. Make sure you take time to walk and play with them in the morning, since the burned-off energy will keep them calm later.
Confine them to one quiet room with the door closed, or arrange for them to stay with a sitter or kennel until the truck pulls away. The front door is going to be open for hours, and a stressed pet running into an unfamiliar street is the last thing anyone needs. Put their bed, water, and a worn t-shirt of yours in the room. Turn on a TV or low music to mask the noise of the residential moving crew carrying boxes.
Once you arrive at the new home, set up a single quiet room first, before any other unpacking. This becomes your pet’s “soft landing” zone with their bed, water, food, litter box, and a few toys close by.
8. Travel Safely by Car or Plane
If you’re moving with a pet and driving to your new home, safety beats comfort every time.
Secure their crate or carrier in the back seat with a seat belt threaded through the handle. Pets that travel in a harness instead of a crate need a crash-tested harness clipped to a seat belt buckle, not just a leash clip. Never let a pet roam free in the car. The American Humane Society and ASPCA both flag this as a leading cause of pet injury in moves.
Take a break every two to three hours for water, a leashed potty stop, and a stretch. Keep a current photo and updated tags on your pet at every stop, because rest areas are where most travel pets go missing. Never leave a pet alone in a parked car, even with the windows cracked. Interior temperatures can climb past 100°F in under ten minutes on a 70°F Michigan summer day.
For a cross-country move with a long plane ride, you need to plan months in advance:
- Find a pet-friendly airline. Not all carry animals, and policies change frequently.
- Buy a carrier that meets that airline’s specifications. Most require the pet to stand up and turn around inside.
- Get a health certificate from your veterinarian within the timeframe the airline requires (usually 10 days).
- Bring printed proof of rabies and other vaccinations.
- Arrive at the airport at least two hours early for pet check-in.
If your pet is highly anxious, ask the vet about a sedative weeks in advance, not the day before. Some sedatives are unsafe at altitude, so this conversation matters.
9. Update ID Tags and the Microchip Registry
Even if your pet is usually indoor-only, identification matters more during a move than at any other time. Update three things before moving day:
- The collar tag with your new address and current phone number.
- The microchip registry (call the chip company or update online, since chips are useless if the registered address is wrong).
- Your pet’s profile on any apps like Petco Love Lost or local lost-pet groups.
Microchipping is the backup that finds your pet when the collar comes off. Most West Michigan vet clinics, the Humane Society of West Michigan, and Kent County Animal Shelter offer microchipping for under $50.
10. Get a Michigan Dog License Within 30 Days
This is the step every other “moving with pets in Michigan” article leaves out. Michigan state law requires a dog license for every dog four months or older, and new residents have 30 days from move-in to license their dog in their new county. The license is tied to your dog’s rabies vaccination, and the rabies certificate must be signed by a licensed veterinarian.
Where to license your dog by service area:
- Kent County (Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Cascade, Rockford, Ada, East Grand Rapids, Lowell): Kent County Treasurer, online or in person.
- Ottawa County (Holland, Allendale, Zeeland, Hudsonville): Ottawa County Treasurer at 12220 Fillmore Street, West Olive.
- Allegan County (Allegan, parts of Holland city): Allegan County Treasurer’s Office.
- Kalamazoo County: Kalamazoo County Treasurer.
Bring the rabies certificate, proof of spay or neuter (which discounts the fee), and a check or card. Fees in Kent and Ottawa County run roughly $12 for a one-year altered dog license up to $78 for a three-year intact license. Cats are not required to be licensed in any of these counties, though Ottawa County offers an optional cat license for lost-pet recovery.
11. Keep Them on Their Normal Diet
Moving can be a stressful time for pets. To help minimize stress, keep them on their normal diet as much as possible. A sudden food change on top of an environment change is a quick path to vomiting and diarrhea, and you do not want to be cleaning that up in a half-unpacked house.
Buy enough of your current food to last through the move plus two extra weeks. Watch for signs of dehydration or appetite loss, both of which are normal for the first day or two but should ease quickly.
12. Help Your Pet Adjust Over the First Few Weeks
The first 48 hours set the tone. Veterinary chains like VCA and Vetster recommend confining your pet to one room for the first day, then letting them explore room by room over the next week.
For cats: keep them indoors only for at least two to four weeks before any outdoor access, even if they were outdoor cats at the old home. Their territorial instincts will pull them back toward the previous house, and cats have been found weeks later trying to walk back to a former neighborhood.
For dogs: walk them on a short leash for the first week, even in a fenced yard. New environments bring out fence-jumping and digging behaviors that never showed up at the old place. Re-establish their feeding, walking, and bedtime schedule on day one.
Your pet may hide, stop eating for a day, or have an accident in the house during the first week. This is normal. If unusual behavior continues past two weeks, call the new vet you set up in tip #2.
13. Have Fun With It
The best way to help your pet adjust to their new home is to make the transition feel positive. Take them on lots of walks in the new neighborhood, play with them as much as your unpacking schedule allows, and let them sniff their way through new spots. West Michigan has plenty of pet-friendly destinations to explore once you’re settled, including dog beaches along Lake Michigan, the trails at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, and the dog-friendly patios in Holland and Saugatuck.
Moving with a pet can be stressful, but with these tips, it can also be a fresh start for both of you.
Contact Big Lake Movers
The professional movers at Big Lake Movers handle residential moves, apartment moves, and long-distance relocations across Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, and the surrounding counties. We work with pet owners every week and know how to time the truck arrival around your kennel drop-off, your vet appointment, or your sitter’s schedule.
Call us today or request a free quote online and tell us about your pet when you book. We will plan around them.
