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The UK has a reputation as a nation of animal lovers, yet new research carried out on behalf of leading pet behavior products Feliway and DAP, has found that a quarter of Britons have given their pet away when moving house, rather than taking the animal with them.

But are we being cruel to be kind? When asked what pet owners thought was the most stressful event for a pet, moving house topped the poll with 65% believing that the experience is equally or more stressful for their pet than it is for them. Therefore, pet owners may be sparing their pets the stress of a house move by giving them away.

Perhaps surprisingly, 25 percent of men consider the house moving experience to be more stressful for their pet than for them, compared with just 18% of women. Could it be that men are more in touch with their pets’ feelings – or simply that women bear the brunt of stress during a house move!

The research also highlighted that moving house is one the key reasons for pets to end up in a rescue home with nearly 5% admitting to giving up their cat to a shelter and 1.6% simply leaving the animal in the neighborhood when they move.

Pet Behaviour Counsellor Vicky Halls explains, “A house move can be a stressful experience, especially for cats. As territorial animals they find coping with a new environment particularly difficult and often show stress-related behaviours like urine spraying and scratch marking. While I would never advocate abandoning a cat, it may be that rehoming the animal in the area is the kindest thing to do and will avoid problems for both the cat and owner later on.”

However, Juliet Penaliggon, company vet from Ceva Animal Health, manufacturer of Feliway and DAP adds, “Pet owners who are aware of the stress that these changes can potentially cause to their animals, can help their pets adapt to challenging situations at any key stages of their life. I would encourage worried owners to ask their vet for advice before the move and investigate using products like Feliway and DAP to help the animal settle in the new home.”

Feliway is a natural pheromone-based product which can help reduce or prevent stress-related urine, vertical scratch marking and other stress-related behavioral or medical problems in cats. DAP is a safe and convenient way proven to prevent and minimize stress related behavioral problems, by helping dogs adapting to challenging situations at any key stages of their life.