How to Make a Cat Feel Comfortable in a New Home
Kitten season is here and if you are looking to adopt a kitten or cat in San Diego, here are just a few tips and pieces of information to help your new cat feel comfortable in their new home!
How Long Does it Take a Cat to Adjust to a New Home?
Bringing a new cat or kitten to your home is an exciting experience. However, cats and kittens may take some time getting used to their new surroundings. Depending on the cat, sometimes it will take more time for them to settle down completely and start to show off different parts of their personality.
The typical time frame to expect for a cat to acclimate to their new home is a few weeks or more. For more shy and introverted cats, you can expect them to take longer to become fully comfortable depending on their background and previous experiences in other homes.
Here are some things to consider while making your new feline friend feel right at home:
1. Driving Home
Before you adopt a new cat or kitten, you must consider how you will transport a new cat or kitten home. Most cat owners will invest in a cat carrier which they can use for future vet visits as well. These carriers come with hard sides or soft sides. There will be several styles and options to choose from at your local pet store, or you can ask the rescue or shelter you are adopting from if they provide a carrier for you when you adopt.
Make sure that the carrier is the proper size depending on how large your cat or kitten is. A good rule of thumb is that the cat should be able to turn around completely within the carrier for them to be most comfortable.
2. Safe Room
It is important to create a safe space for the cat to stay in before exploring the rest of the home. When choosing a space for your cat to be introduced, it is key that the space is indoors, has a secure door, has secure windows and has no hazardous materials. You should ensure the cat has access to food and water and places for the cat to hide to encourage enrichment.
When you first bring the cat home, it is best to introduce them to different parts of the house a little at a time to ensure that you can prepare to prevent any potential risks or accidents that may occur.
3. Sleeping Arrangements
Each cat is different when it comes to their preferred sleeping arrangements. You may want to try giving your new cat a few options when they arrive at your home, such as: a typical cat bed, a cardboard box, an enclosed cat bed, a pet kennel or a cat tree with hiding spots.
Over time, you may discover the cat’s preferences when it comes to sleeping and be able to offer more options to them, such as a variety of enclosed cat beds or different sized cat beds. Additionally, you may need to figure out how to prevent the cats from disturbing your sleeping arrangements by either keeping them in a specific room or limiting their access to your personal bedroom. Many cat owners could tell you stories upon stories about their felines waking them up at all hours of the night with a myriad of wake-up methods.
4. Cat Toys
People may try to entice the cat with treats or toys to show the cat that they are trustworthy and a positive individual. It is important to keep an eye on the cat’s physical body language and audible behavior while meeting new people so that you can prevent any accidents between the two.
5. Introduction to Other Animals & Kids
Introducing your new cat to other pets is a delicate task. To start, you should identify a safe space to put your new pet by itself while you begin to acclimate it to the surroundings. Before actually having your original and new pets meet face to face, it is recommended that you make them aware of each other’s’ scents before a direct interaction. For example, you can take a bed from the original pet and place it in the room that your new pet is in.
After a few days, it is recommended to take steps to introduce your new pet to your original pets, face to face, but in short and supervised interactions. If you notice things are going well, you can continue to increase the amount of time the pets interact with each other until you are fully comfortable they will be fine unsupervised.
If you have difficulty getting new pets to get along with your original pets, you may need to consult with a trainer or take a few steps back to get them more comfortable with each other.
If you have roommates, partners or children that your new cat needs to get familiar with, it is important to take things slow and at the pace of the cat’s wishes. It is advised that you let the new cat or kitten approach people on their own terms and not be forced to interact with anyone in particular.
Bring a Cat Home from Helen Woodward Animal Center!
Being a cat owner is a truly magical experience and we hope that you find your happily fur-ever after with us at the Center. Meet all of our adoptable felines on our cat adoption page and be sure to check out our other helpful services for cat owners like our cat boarding and pet grooming.
