The decision to welcome a new cat into your home and family is an exciting and rewarding one, but there are some particular things you need to know.
Cats are. by nature, wondrous, curious, and scared-y creatures, so kitty-proofing your home will be more difficult than with a dog.
First, Get To Know Your Cat
After it’s been re-homed, any cat will need a period to adapt to its new surroundings. At first, it may seem reluctant to wander around and it will try to find a safe space.
It’s very important to allow her access to areas where she can hide safely and unbothered by other cats, dogs, or children. This period can last for a few hours or even days.
It’s perfectly normal, depending on the cat’s personality. A shyer cat tends to hide a lot more after re-homing. All it needs are time and patience.
The cat will come out eventually when it feels safe. Cats can stay hungry for longer periods, so tricking them to come out using food won’t help much.
Just leave her alone, provide fresh water and food, and keep a quiet environment. You can make this period smoother with the help of catnip. This will make the kitty slightly euphoric, helping her to relax more easily.
During this transition phase, you will learn a few things about your new cat’s personality, behavior, and preferences.
Teach Your Family and Pets How to Interact With The New Cat
It’s also important to teach your other family members how to properly interact with your new pet. If you just adopted an adult cat, things may take more time, especially if it’s been abused or mistreated in the past.
It may act shy or aggressive, but it only needs time to accommodate to its new environment.
The entire family should observe the cat’s behavior. It’s particularly important to teach small children how to interact with the new cat, respect its boundaries, and give it the space it needs. My toddler always knows to never chase our cat for example, if she’s not in the mood to cuddle.
Because cats get easily scared, translating into transitory, unintentional aggressivity, young children must be taught to approach the cat calmly, avoiding sudden movement and contact at first. The cat must make the first step. It will probably sniff the baby, and rub its face onto him. This is the sign that contact is allowed.
If you have multiple cats and you’ve just adopted another one, you must remember that cats are territorial creatures and, when in distress, need a safe place to hide. So, make sure the new feline has a place where it can shield from the other animals. It will come out to meet the other guys when it’s ready.
To avoid accidents, especially if you own dogs, you must introduce them gradually. Scared cats will consider they’re under attack and won’t hesitate to respond (aggressively) back to a dog that moves too fast toward it.
Set Up Designated Areas
The next step after the cat has roamed around to get to know the house is to present its feeding area and litter box. It will quickly learn and remember where these are.
These two must be set at a distance, for sanitary purposes and because cats won’t eat where they poop. We recommend using separate rooms, such as the kitchen or a quiet hallway for the feeding area and the bathroom for the litter box.
Use separate bowls for water and food and separate dishes for wet & dry food. If you own multiple cats, remember every cat needs its own bowl and litter box.
The separated litter box is important if you are a busy person and don’t have the opportunity to clean the litter every time the cat uses it. Cats love cleanliness and hygiene, so they won’t use a dirty “toilet”, especially if it’s not their own “dirt”.
It’s important to teach your kids not to disturb the kitty while it’s eating or sleeping, because it may get scared or even aggressive. Cats may sleep up to 18 hours a day and stressed cats tend to do it uninterrupted.
If you prefer, you may buy a cat bed for your feline friend. But kitty beds and cat trees are appreciated only by some cats. My own three cats sleep in my bed and won’t touch their cat tree. It’s up to you how to tackle this.
Kitty-proofing the house
Whether we’re talking about a kitten or an adult cat, the proofing steps are somewhat identical. The first thing you have to do is make sure the space is safe.
Give the cat time to explore its surroundings, but make sure there are no loose electrical cords and no toxic plants or substances a cat may touch or ingest.
Cats are particularly attracted to house plants and, because they can climb on almost any surface or object, it’s best to move those in areas where the cat can’t go into or even give them away. Be careful, as most household plants are toxic for cats (very large lists of plants as you’ll notice).
Windows will attract your feline companion, so to prevent any accidents, you can install a window-safe net made from wire, or dabble with a DIY option. An important aspect you must remember is never leaving windows open so the cat can’t get caught in the moving parts. Use an inside net if possible.
For Europeans, where windows tilt backward in a semi-open position, you might think that’s a safe option. It’s usually not as most cats just “fit” and actually try to escape or jump through the smallest places.
If you have a courtyard, decide if you’d like your cat to roam outside on its own, or in an enclosed catio. It’s up to your preference, but this needs to be done slowly.
If you will allow your cat outside, this must be done gradually and only after the cat gets accustomed to the inside of the house. Otherwise, it may get scared and try to run away. And there’s no fence high enough to retain a scared, nervous cat.
Acclimating to the indoors must last a few weeks, so the cat understands this is its new home and it can find safe places to hide here, if in danger.
Ensure fertilizers and other chemical substances used in the garden are far from the cat’s reach. If you use these sometimes, don’t allow the animal to go outside during that process. It can intoxicate itself because it could touch or step into the chemicals and lick its coat and paws.
Rodent traps and fly traps must also be removed before allowing the animal outside.
Other things cats are attracted to are pills and small objects that they can bump around with their paws or even ingest. So, any toys, or objects smaller than your thumbnail must be well hidden.
Over the years, at my practice, I had to remove small pennies, paper clips, and even needles from many cat stomachs and intestines. My own cats will eat paper and plastic wrappers if my kids leave them lying around the house.
Preparing Your Cat For Traveling
As I’ve mentioned before, cats are territorial creatures and don’t appreciate being moved around. Some owners trained their cats to walk on leash outside, just like a dog.
We strongly recommend taking the cat out only if it’s necessary. For example for a routine vet check-up. You will need a cat carrier, that can come in various shapes, sizes, and designs. It must fit your cat to stand and sit.
If you plan on leaving for a vacation, we recommend leaving the cat at home, where it feels secure. You may try finding a cat sitter or even leave the cat alone. With enough food and fresh water, it’ll do just fine.
