Four Pets, Four Reactions to Stress

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

09 Jan 2009 02:26 PM

Moving is stressful for humans AND pets. It's been interesting to watch how the animals react as my roommates and I go through the moving process.

I have two dogs: Moose (a shepherd mix) and Lally (a boxer mix). They have two cats: Kachiko (a snowshoe Siamese) and Shiro (a big grey fellow). Each of the animals has reacted differently to the disruption in the routine.

Shiro has earned his nickname: "chicken boo". The move has sent him into hiding -- he spent his first day in the new apartment squished into the corner of the closet. Slowly he's come out of hiding and explored the new place, but he still spends most of his time in the closet. He's also being very fussy about food -- another common stress reaction in pets.

Lally is demonstrating more separation anxiety than usual. I haven't even moved yet, but she knows that something is going on. When I try to leave the house for work or to bring things over to the new apartment, she sits and shakes. When I'm around the apartment, I'm rarely out of her sight. She's been more insistent about sleeping on the bed -- and keeping Moose off the bed.

Kachiko has been far more affectionate than usual since the move. Some animals do face stressful situations by clinging to their owners, rather than hiding! She's generally more outgoing than her brother is, but for the last week she's been ultra-friendly.

As far as stress goes, I think Moose is the least disturbed by the change in routine. He's a pretty easygoing dog when it comes to human stuff. Having a party? No problem. Meeting strangers? He loves it. Going to a new house? As long as there's something soft for him, he's happy.

Stressful times bring out personality changes in all of us. I remember reading a quote that says something like "our true selves come out in times of stress". If that's the case, we're seeing the true selves of the pets during the move! Though I'd rather believe that stress amplifies certain traits... and the pets will all settle in and go back to their usual selves.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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