Welcome Home to Your New Cat

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Congratulations: You’ve decided to adopt a cat!  To ease integration into your home, take into consideration where your cat came from.  Were they staying in a cage, in a room, or in a foster home?  Were there other cats living with them or were they alone?  Was the environment noisy or quiet?  How often did they eat and where did they sleep?

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Changing all of these factors in their environment all at once can be very stressful.  To integrate your new cat into your house and life as smoothly as possible, you must be able to recognize the signs of stress while changing their living situation slowly over time.  Signs of stress can include decreased appetite, decreased grooming, hiding, lack of interest in attention or affection, and sleeping in unusual locations.  Very stressed cats are more likely to behave aggressively or fearfully.

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If you’ve adopted a cat from a shelter, this is most likely your cat’s third “home” in a fairly short time period.  Even though your house is probably much more comfortable than the shelter where they came from, change is difficult for pets.

 

Here are some ways that you can help your cat adjust to living in your home:

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Your Cat's Environment

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Many cats are fearful when introduced to their new home; being moved from a small enclosure to an apartment or house is a big change.  Your home also has different smells and noises than the shelter and the home where your cat lived before.  Initially, confine your new cat to one room.  Your bedroom or the living room often works well for this.  Make sure that you provide your new cat with food, water, and a litter box (see below), and that you regularly spend time in this room with them, so that they are not alone.

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Provide them with multiple hiding places.  A cardboard box with holes cut in both sides (so they can go in and out each side) and a blanket placed in the bottom can be a great hiding place.  Be certain to provide them with hiding places on the ground, as well as up high.  When they are in her hiding place, do not disturb them.  Their hiding places should be their special places, where they can have privacy if desired.

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Place a scratching post or cat tree in their room.  Place their scent on the cat tree by gently stroking their cheeks with a towel, and then rubbing the scratching post with the towel.  This will transfer their scent onto the scratching post, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will use it.

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Let your cat adjust to the room, and to you.  Do not force them to stay near you if you wish to pet them.  Instead, coax them to you by playing with an interactive toy or staying near their food bowl while they are eating.  Once they realizes that this stranger (you) provides all the same good things that their previous person did (and maybe even more), they will warm quickly to you and accept your attention.

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After three days, or once your cat is comfortably walking around and living in this room, expand their access to the entire house.  For some cats, it may take several weeks before they are comfortable in their room and can be allowed access to the whole house.

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Diet

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Cats eat less when they are stressed, and sometimes stop eating altogether.  It's extremely important to make sure that your cat is eating regularly (and adequate amounts) once you have brought him home.  If possible, buy the same type of food that the shelter used.  If they are not eating, try mixing a little bit of a tastier food, such as canned cat food or baby food, into their meal.

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After two days, or once they are eating regularly, slowly change them over to the diet that you would like to feed them (if different from what they got at the shelter).  Make sure you feed your cat high-quality food.  On the first and second days, feed them 25% of your diet and 75% of the shelter’s diet, mixed together.  On the third and fourth days, give them 50% of each.  On the fifth and sixth days, switch to 75% of your diet and 25% of the shelter’s diet.  On the seventh day, feed them 100% of your preferred diet.  Changing your cat’s diet too rapidly can cause upset to their system (decreased appetite, vomiting, and/or diarrhea).  If this happens, call your veterinarian.

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Decide whether you wish to feed your cat once daily, twice daily or free choice (which means leaving dry food out at all times).  Many cats who are fed free choice do not properly control their food intake and tend to be overweight, which predisposes them to health problems.  For most cats, twice-daily feeding is ideal.  You can also put some of your cat’s daily ration into a food-dispensing toy.  Food-dispensing toys are a fun way for your cat to “hunt” for their food, and are a great way to enrich their life.  Do not start using a food-dispensing toy until your cat has completely settled into your home, after about two to three weeks.

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Litter Box

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Provide your cat with an uncovered, clean litter box.  Covered litter boxes can trap odors inside the box, which is nice for you, but not for your cat.  Cats are often quite fastidious; they are sensitive to the smell of urine and feces, as well as deodorizers.  Reducing the smell inside and around the litter box can be very important for them.  Scoop out the litter box once daily, and empty it completely to clean it every two weeks.  When you clean the litter box, use a mild soap, not strong- smelling detergents or ammonia.

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The most common reason that cats are brought to shelters is litter box problems.  Following the above recommendations can make the difference between a cat who is house-trained and a cat who isn’t.  Remember that if you do not like the smell of the litter box, your cat probably doesn’t either; keep it clean and you’ll have a happy cat.

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Toys

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There are many different toys that your cat might like to play with.  Cats like novelty, so buy several different types of toys for them and try them out.  Play with the toys with your cat; do not set them out and expect them to play with them on their own.  If they are not interested in them for the first few days, give them time, and try different toys.  Do not play with your cat with your hands.  Using your hands as a toy teaches your cat that it's ok to bite or scratch you.

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Indoors vs Outdoors

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One of the big decisions cat owners must make is whether to allow their cat outside.  There are many risks outdoors that can shorten your cat’s life span.  They could be hit by a car, poisoned, attacked by a dog, or infected with an incurable virus.  However, many cats really enjoy being outdoors and miss the stimulation of the natural world if they are kept inside all the time.

 There are several different ways that you can allow your cat to enjoy the outdoors without the risk.  You can install perches on windowsills around the house so that your cat can sit at the window, watch the outdoors, and enjoy the sunlight.  With patience, you can teach your cat to walk with a harness or leash, and then you can take them outdoors for walks.

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Another option is to build an outdoor enclosure (often called a cattery or catio) for your cat.  Prefab catteries and cattery building plans are available online by searching for “cat enclosures.” At www.cdpets.com for example, you can buy a prefab cattery.  Another popular way to give your cat the freedom of the outdoors is with Cat Fence-In (www.catfencein.com), a product that makes it impossible for cats to climb over regular backyard fencing.

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Remember...

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The key to successful integration of your new cat into your home is being aware of the signs of stress, and making sure that they remain minimal.  Change their environment slowly.  Remember that although these recommendations work for most cats, they will not work for every cat.  If your cat is showing signs of stress and is not improving, please contact your veterinarian.