Bringing a New Cat Home.
PREVENTING PROBLEMS
Congratulations, you've decided to adopt a cat! To ease integration into your home, take into consideration where your cat came from. Was she staying in a cage, 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?
Changing all of these factors in a cat's environment all at once can be very stressful. In order 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 situation slowly over time. With this method, you are initially trying to maintain their previous routine, while changing to your household routine gradually.
First, prepare to welcome your cat home by making sure you have these items on hand.
PREVENTING PROBLEMS
Congratulations, you've decided to adopt a cat! To ease integration into your home, take into consideration where your cat came from. Was she staying in a cage, 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?
Changing all of these factors in a cat's environment all at once can be very stressful. In order 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 situation slowly over time. With this method, you are initially trying to maintain their previous routine, while changing to your household routine gradually.
First, prepare to welcome your cat home by making sure you have these items on hand.
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Recognizing Signs of Stress in Your Cat. Your new cat will likely be stressed initially. Signs of stress can include decreased appetite, decreased grooming, hiding, lack of interest in attention or affection, and sleeping in unusual locations. A stress cat may be more quiet than usual, which can be difficult to notice. Very stressed cats are more likely to behave aggressively or fearfully. When adopting from The Rescue Crew, this will most likely your cat's fourth "home" in a fairly short period of time. Even though your home is much more comfortable than living on the streets or being confined in a shelter, change is stressful. Watch for signs of stress, and if you see them, make certain that they lessen over time. If your new cat's stress isn't slowly decreasing every day, please reach back out to us for assistance. |
Your Cat's Environment.
Many cats are fearful when introduced to their new home; Your home has different smells and noises than the shelter and the home where your cat lived before. Initially, confined your new cat to one room. A bedroom often works well for this. Make sure you regularly spend time in this room with your cat.
Provide them with multiple hiding placed. A cardboard box with holes cut in both sides and a blanket can be a great hiding place. Be certain to provide spots both on the ground as well as up high. When they are in their hiding place, do not disturb them; this should be a special place where they can have privacy. Also, place a scratching post or cat tree in the room.
Let your cat adjust to the room, and to you, at their own pace. Do not force a cat to stay near you. Instead, coax them to you by playing with an interactive toy or staying near their food bowl while they're eating. Once the cat realizes that you provide all the same good things that their previous owner did, they will warm quickly to you and accept your attention. Once your cat is comfortable walking around the room, expand their access to the entire house.
Your Cat's Diet.
Cats eat less when they are stressed, and sometimes stop eating altogether. It is extremely important to make sure that your cat is eating regularly (and adequate amounts) once you have brought them home. If possible, buy the same type of food that they were eating. If not eating, try mixing a little bit of a tastier food, such as canned cat food or baby food, into their meal.
After two days, or once they are eating regularly, slowly change them over to the diet that you would like to feed. Make sure you feed your cat high-quality food. On the first and second days, feed 25 percent of your diet and 75 percent of their previous diet, mixed together. On the third and fourth days, give them 50 percent of each. On the fifth and sixth days, switch to 75 percent of your diet and 25 percent of the prior diet. On the seventh day, feed them 100 percent of your preferred food. Changing your cat’s diet too rapidly can cause upset to their system (decreased appetite, vomiting, and/or diarrhea).
Decide whether you wish to feed your cat once daily, twice daily or free feed(which means leaving dry food out at all times). Some cats who are free fed may not properly control their food intake and become 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 enrichment tool.
Litter Box Habits.
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.
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.
Cat Toys.
There are many different toys that your cat might like to play with. Cats like novelty, so buy several different types of toys for her 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 your new cat is 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 is okay to bite or scratch you.
Many cats are fearful when introduced to their new home; Your home has different smells and noises than the shelter and the home where your cat lived before. Initially, confined your new cat to one room. A bedroom often works well for this. Make sure you regularly spend time in this room with your cat.
Provide them with multiple hiding placed. A cardboard box with holes cut in both sides and a blanket can be a great hiding place. Be certain to provide spots both on the ground as well as up high. When they are in their hiding place, do not disturb them; this should be a special place where they can have privacy. Also, place a scratching post or cat tree in the room.
Let your cat adjust to the room, and to you, at their own pace. Do not force a cat to stay near you. Instead, coax them to you by playing with an interactive toy or staying near their food bowl while they're eating. Once the cat realizes that you provide all the same good things that their previous owner did, they will warm quickly to you and accept your attention. Once your cat is comfortable walking around the room, expand their access to the entire house.
Your Cat's Diet.
Cats eat less when they are stressed, and sometimes stop eating altogether. It is extremely important to make sure that your cat is eating regularly (and adequate amounts) once you have brought them home. If possible, buy the same type of food that they were eating. If not eating, try mixing a little bit of a tastier food, such as canned cat food or baby food, into their meal.
After two days, or once they are eating regularly, slowly change them over to the diet that you would like to feed. Make sure you feed your cat high-quality food. On the first and second days, feed 25 percent of your diet and 75 percent of their previous diet, mixed together. On the third and fourth days, give them 50 percent of each. On the fifth and sixth days, switch to 75 percent of your diet and 25 percent of the prior diet. On the seventh day, feed them 100 percent of your preferred food. Changing your cat’s diet too rapidly can cause upset to their system (decreased appetite, vomiting, and/or diarrhea).
Decide whether you wish to feed your cat once daily, twice daily or free feed(which means leaving dry food out at all times). Some cats who are free fed may not properly control their food intake and become 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 enrichment tool.
Litter Box Habits.
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.
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.
Cat Toys.
There are many different toys that your cat might like to play with. Cats like novelty, so buy several different types of toys for her 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 your new cat is 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 is okay to bite or scratch you.
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3500 Vicksburg Lane N., #220, Plymouth, MN 55447-1334
(mailing address only)
3500 Vicksburg Lane N., #220, Plymouth, MN 55447-1334
(mailing address only)
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