Settling Your Pet After an International Move: The First Two Weeks
The hard part of an international move is the logistics – the documents, the flights, the quarantine. But the part that takes the most patience is the adjustment period once you arrive. Your pet has been through a significant stress event, moved to an unfamiliar environment, and is processing all of it without knowing what is happening.
What to Expect: The First 48 Hours
Dogs may be:
- Hypervigilant and unable to settle
- Clingy and unwilling to leave your side
- Reluctant to eat (normal for up to 24 hours)
- Having disrupted sleep
- Toileting more or less frequently than usual
Cats may:
- Hide completely for the first day or two
- Refuse food
- Be silent or excessively vocal
- Show no interest in exploring
All of this is within normal range for a healthy animal that has just experienced a major disruption. Do not panic.
What Helps: The Basics
Familiar scent: Your pet’s own bedding from before the move should go with them – not washed. The familiar smell is genuinely reassuring in a new space.
Familiar food: Do not change diet during the move or in the first few weeks after. This removes one variable. Bring enough food from your previous country to last 2 to 4 weeks while you find equivalent products locally.
Consistent routine: Feed at the same times you always have. Walk at the same times. This consistency communicates safety to your pet faster than any other single intervention.
Quiet first days: Resist the urge to introduce neighbours, friends, and the new local community to your pet in the first week. Give them space to decompress.
Confined space initially: Particularly for cats, starting in one room before opening the whole house reduces the overwhelm of a completely new environment. Let the cat claim the first room before expanding access.
After Quarantine (Australia, New Zealand, Japan)
If your pet has spent 10 to 30 days in a quarantine facility, the adjustment period may be longer. They have been in a sterile, unfamiliar environment for weeks. Be patient:
- Do not expect immediate affectionate behaviour from a cat that has been in quarantine
- Dogs from quarantine may be over-excited and unsettled – structured walks and calm handling help
- Keep things very quiet for the first week after collection
When to Call the Vet
The issues above are normal adjustment responses. Call your vet for:
- No food or water for 24 hours
- Persistent vomiting or diarrhoea
- Respiratory difficulties
- Evidence of injury from the journey
- Neurological symptoms
- Any unusual discharge or wounds
It is worth registering with a local vet in your new country before your pet arrives, so you have a number to call. Do not wait until there is a problem to find a vet.
The 8-Week Horizon
Most dogs and cats are substantially settled within 8 weeks of an international move. By this point they understand the new home, the routine, and the key people in their environment. Some sensitive animals take longer – particularly cats, and particularly older animals.
Patience, consistency, and familiar smells are the most powerful tools you have.