Thursday, June 20, 2013

MOVING BOXES, PACKING PAPER AND TAPE...OH MY!

The other day I posted about how we finally found the perfect house, so now it's that dreaded time. Time to pack everything up, hope it fits in a truck, hope it fits in a storage unit and hope none of it breaks. I may only have a studio apartment but I somehow crammed a ton of stuff in it. Luckily my friend is here to help me, she is a packing pro! It's been interesting to see how the pets have reacted so differently. Kaya is just cool Kaya. She is somewhat curious but mostly just happy to hang out, chew on her bone and wonder why are not out doing something more fun.


Gina is beside herself. It is kitty heaven. Packing paper to shred, boxes to jump in and stacks of boxes to climb.


And Norman was completely traumatized. If I had known it would be so hard on him I would have planned to have him stay with my pet sitters for a while. First he was scared of the pile of flattened boxes and he hid in the yard with his tail between his legs. I moved the boxes to the kitchen so he couldn't see them and then I had to carry him inside and put him on the bed. He sat there, frozen in one position, for hours until I got into bed with him and he was able to hide behind me and fall asleep.


He was okay for the next couple days when the boxes were already packed and stacked in the kitchen. But the day we moved everything into storage was another bad day for him. The exit from my apartment is through the yard and though he is well trained to not go through the gate when open, I worried that he would go out in fear so I put him in the bathroom with his dog bed, water and a bone. After a while I checked on him and he was still so freaked out so I put Kaya in there with him. I would check on them periodically and Norman was always sitting there wide-eyed while Kaya was chomping happily on the bone. Poor Norman!


We still had to stick around for another day after that and Norman remained out of sorts at home though he was thrilled to go on an outing with Motlie. On the last day when we were putting the last of the things in my car, he had really had enough. Good thing we were leaving that place behind! He was still acting like a worry wart in the car so we stopped at the park on the way to Tahoe. He had a good romp and definitely helped lift his spirits.


I imagine moving in will be a lot easier on him. I can put him in the backyard while we're moving things around and he adapts easily to new places. I think a huge part of the problem this time was that he was already on bad terms with the apartment for weeks because the closet door came off its hinges and fell over a few times. He had been weary of it ever since, along with the bathroom door beside it just because of its close proximity. Since my apartment was just one room it pretty much made the whole place scarey. He would only eat in the far corner of the kitchen, out of eyesight of the evil closet door. He is such a sensitive guy but that's part of what I love about him:)


I know a lot of our blog friends have moved recently, how did your pets handle the move?

Related Posts:
A House is a House for Me
Adventures with Motlie
Kaya & Norman Do Lake Tahoe
I am Hiring a New Assistant...

26 comments:

  1. We're going through it now too. NO fun! Good luck.

    Piggy kisses,
    Katie and Coccolino the mini pig

    ReplyDelete
  2. Norman reminds me of Ray so often. Ray has never moved (yet) but when we moved here, we put the kitties in crates then let them out in a bathroom until everything was mostly unpacked. Our cats were blythely unconcerned with any of the move.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My older cats Max and Sam are old pros at moving, but Zeke was abandoned when his previous owner moved, so he freaks out! I got a new couch two years ago, and just the sight of the movers made him hide under the bed for 9 hours. No amount of coaxing could get him out. I haven't had to move for real yet, but I do worry how it will go. Good luck with your move!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, cats are so sensitive. My childhood cat hid under my bed for 2 weeks when we moved once:(

      Delete
  4. Poor Norman!! I liked in a one-bedroom apartment before moving into my house. I was trying to think what I did with Tess -- I can't remember!!

    I do think having a a few extra days to allow the pooches to get used to the house is good - before leaving for an extended period of time (say, to go to work). Tess had a hard time (and still does) with being in a strange place.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We're moving soon, so we'll see how it goes. During college, I had to keep my door closed while packing to go back to school and sneak my bag out to the car. Otherwise, our dog would ask to go outside, then lay by the car and refuse to move. It was better when my sister went off to school because our parents would "take Daisy to college" whenever they drove her back or picked her up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My dog gets anxious when we pack, because he wonders where we're going and I assume he doesn't want to get left behind. We haven't moved in about five years, and that went pretty well. He adjusted to our new place easily. I gave him lots of exercise the week leading up to the move. I was also able to take him for walks in the new neighborhood prior to actually moving so he was somewhat familiar with the area.

    Sounds like you are very busy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, crazy busy but in a good way! Luckily I think moving in will be a lot easier!

      Delete
  7. Aw, Norman is all worried just like Koira gets. Koira doesn't even like it when I do a deep clean (like moving furniture to vacuum) or rearrange things in the house. She hates it when we move.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Norman was afraid on the mattress standing on end in the hallway...such a hard life:(

      Delete
  8. Oh poor Norman, I hope he has a better time adjusting to the move in than the move out.

    We're in the process of getting our house ready to put on the market and there have been a lot of things moving around and so far Boomer and Dottie have been OK. I'm more concerned about how they will handle going from a house with a really large yard to an apartment with just a balcony...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! That will be tough, I am so glad we are moving somewhere with a yard!

      Delete
  9. Aw, poor Norman :( It will be totally worth it buddy! You are going to LOVE your new house!!

    And those picture of Gina in the boxes are way too cute :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, I keep telling him but he doesn't seem to get it:/

      Delete
  10. Turk and Rufus don't handle moving well either. Have you tried Rescue Remedy or a Thundershirt as a bandaid while you are in the moving process? Maybe that would help calm him down a little.

    Emily @ Our Waldo Bungie
    www.ourwaldobungie.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm always amused at how cats always seem to enjoy jumping on top of or into boxes whenever there's one lying around. I hope Gina didn't cause too much trouble while you were packing up your stuff. Speaking of which, how is that coming along? Make sure to keep extra boxes handy just in case your cat rips into one. Thanks for sharing! -Clay @ World Packaging Co

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Clay! We're all packed up and no cats were left inside boxes...haha. Gina has her own personal collection though spread throughout the house!

      Delete
  12. Its so nice to hear your pets story.I like your pets pics and move safe. Bubble Wrap Rolls

    ReplyDelete
  13. Our pets also adjust to their new environment after moving. Let them move freely on the new place to make them feel at home. While you're unpacking stuff, your pets are enjoying their new surroundings. Anyway, did you move in with your car only or with the help of contractors? I hope the move was successful regardless. :)

    #LegacyTSI.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yeah, put him, or them actually, in the backyard. As much as you love them, you surely wouldn't want them around when you pack and unpack your stuff. That's the most dreaded part of moving, isn't it? The thought of moving to a new environment is exciting, but having to pack your stuff, haul them and unpack again is just dreadful. Jose @ HaulAwayMD.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality. This is very nice one and gives indepth information. Thanks for this nice article.
    boxes for moving

    ReplyDelete

  16. تكثر عمليات نقل العفش بالرياض و بالمملكة داخل المدن وخارجها نظرا ً لكثرة تنقل المواطنين بين الوظائف أو لرغبتهم في تغيير المسكن لذلك يبحث الجميع عن أفضل شركة نقل عفش داخل الرياض أو شركة نقل عفش خارج الرياض إذا كان هذا عملائنا ما تبحثون عنه نحن نقدم لكم أرقي الخدمات وبأفضل الأسعار:
    شركة نقل اثاث بالدمام
    شركة نقل اثاث بالمدينة
    شركة نقل اثاث بالطائف
    شركة نقل عفش جدة

    ReplyDelete