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.