Coquitlam movers discuss whether you should wait for lost pets to return home before you move

We’ve heard amazing stories about pets who found their way home after being lost. It can be months or even years after. And the distance can be incredibly far.

Sometimes, it’s worth waiting for your pet to return home before you move. However, what do you do if you really have to move, and time is running out?

Our Coquitlam movers discuss whether or not you should wait for lost pets to return home before moving.

Before you wait to move, do whatever you can to find your pet

We realize this section may be a bit obvious, but you should be looking for your pet. Posters and calling out their name on the street probably won’t be enough.

According to this site, cats and dogs, for instance, display particular behaviours when they are lost. Those behaviours can depend on their personality, and, in the case of cats, whether or not they are indoor or outdoor cats. When they don’t return home, something is usually out of the norm. They could be injured and hiding, or scared. You’ll need to look under porches and in hiding spots to find them.

The BC SPCA also has advice for finding your pet. While some folks who find lost pets bring them to shelters, some may take them in to their homes, thinking they are strays.

There are websites and Facebook pages to help you find missing pets nowadays too.

Consider the likelihood of your pets returning home before you delay moving

If you’re moving in or out of Coquitlam, consider how likely it is that your pet will return home before you delay moving. This means being aware of not only your pet, but your neighbourhood. Most pets do come home (especially cats), or are found after being lost. So if it’s been a while, you may wantto question whether it’s worth putting off your move (though we know it’s hard!).

Ask yourself:

Does your pet have a clear ID, such as a collar, a tatoo or a microchip? If they do, it’s likely that someone who finds your pet will return them. If it’s been a while, you may want to consider that your pet can be gone for good. Or, they are taking a hiatus from home life, which is sad to think about.

Has your pet been neutered? If not, this can be cause for them to go far outside their usual ‘zone.’ If they’ve gone too far, they may be lost. How lost? That’s hard to tell. But animals are known to find their way home through scent or other means.

Is your neighbourhood the ‘pet stealing’ kind of neighbourhood? While expensive pets like purebreds are more likely to be stolen for their value, it’s not common that pets with IDs get stolen. However, the site we linked to above has this page (about cats) to list things that could have happened toyour pet. It does mention that if neighbours have a particular disdain for your pet, they could kidnap it to get rid of it.

Do you live near a transport area? One of the possibilities could be that your pet has hopped on a train or truck, and gone cross country! That can make it impossible for them to return home.

Did your pet go missing while it was travelling with you? If you were on the road while they went missing, it can be harder for them to find their way home, which means it can take a bit longer.

While all of the above could explain why your pet has been gone too long, remember there are stories of animals that come home years after the fact.

Also, there is a science behind how animals find their way home. This is real stuff! So they could return. The tough job is finding out how likely it is that they will, or if it’s a lost cause that you should move on from. As the article linked to in this paragraph states,

“A dog or cat that finds its way halfway across the state makes news; the uncounted others that stay lost do not. What’s more, some cases of remarkable returns may turn out to be matters of mistaken identity.”

Here is a forum full of personal stories about lost cats who come home, or are found months or years after they go missing.

Some last resources to find your pet before hiring Coquitlam movers

We get it: you don’t want to have to call the moving company until you’re sure it’s safe to give up on your pet. It’s emotional and hard.

As a last resort, you can try hiring a pet detective. Yes, these are real, and not just from a movie.

This article explains more about it.

You can also try cameras and traps to find your pet. And, this thread of comments has owners telling what they do to get pets to return home, like putting out a t-shirt that smells like their owner, so they can find their way back.

Should you wait for lost pets to return home before moving? It depends on your situation!

As we’ve learned above, whether or not your pet is likely to return home before you move will depend on the factors involved in how, or where, they went missing. While some pets do return home like miracles, it may not always be the case with your pet.

Of course, we haven’t mentioned pets like rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets, which also go missing. It happens with turtles, pet birds and snakes too! But they have similar finding techniques (or miracle stories!).

If your pet was special, we understand how hard it can be to move before they come home. If your home’s new occupants do see the pet come home,you can ask them to notify you.

Otherwise, consider the likely scenario that your pet has either been adopted by a new family (in which case they’re safe and fed), or is gone for good (very sadly).

See our related articles:

• Pets & Relocation Moving in Vancouver
• Coquitlam movers explore ideas on how to move pet birds and bird collections
• Our how-to guide on moving an aquarium to your new home

Call Ferguson Moving & Storage in Coquitlam BC

If you are moving to Coquitlam BC and looking for a good moving & storage company that you can trust, give Ferguson Moving and Storage a call at 604-922-2212 or request a quote online through our website!