Cat Care & Advice – Preparing Your Home For A New Cat
Preparing Your Home For A New Cat
Moving from the shelter to their new home is an unsettling experience for a cat. They have often already had a stressful transition from their previous home to the shelter, so it is important to ensure their journey to their new home is as stress free as possible.
Cats feel safe in a space that they are familiar with, that has all the resources they need, that smells like them, and that has a predictable routine. Moving to a new place, with new people and a different routine is therefore stressful, and it takes a few days for them to start to adjust to the change and up to a few weeks for them to settle fully into their new home. Be prepared for your cat to seem unsettled at first, but following our tips below can help your cat adjust quickly to their forever home.
Setting up their “Safe Room”
When settling in it is advisable to keep the cat in one quiet room for the first few days (longer if you have a particularly shy/timid cat). You should provide everything they will need during this time: food; litter tray; water; safe hidey spaces such as a cardboard box/igloo bed, some toys and some scratch posts. The room layout is important, water bowls, litter trays and food should be as far away from each other as possible, but easy to access. Please have this set up and ready before the day you visit the shelter, so the cat has a safe place ready and waiting for when you get them home.
How to interact with your new kitty
It is important to take everything at the cats’ pace and give them the choice and control in all interactions, especially when first settling them in and getting acquainted. The 3 second rule along with the CAT acronym is a great tip for ensuring you interact appropriately with the cat while they get to know you.
C – Did I give the cat a CHOICE about whether or not it wanted to interact with me?
A – Am I paying ATTENTION and looking out for any subtle signs that the cat is uncomfortable?
T – Where am I TOUCHING the cat and does the cat want me to keep touching?
The 3 Second Rule, And How To Use It
- Allow the cat to approach you, rather than approaching them
- If they approach and want contact, stroke the cats’ cheeks and chin first, this is where the best scent glands are. Some cats like being stroked down their back, but some may get overstimulated by this. If in doubt, stick to the face, cheeks and chin.
- When a cat has moved forward to initiate contact with your softly closed hand and appears to want this to continue, you can then start to touch and rub the cat gently around the cheeks and chin.
- Do this for 3 seconds and then remove your hand a little to see if the cat comes forward again for more contact
- Keep doing this (touch for three seconds and then stop) until the cat stops asking for more
- You will notice that the session ends positively for the cat, as you gave them the choice and control throughout the interaction, building a bond of trust between you both
It is a good idea to get all visitors to your house to follow these rules when interacting with the cat.
When should my cat be allowed outside?
If rehoming an adult cat that will be going outdoors, we advise keeping them inside for the first 4 weeks (minimum). They need time to settle into their new home, so that the cat feels it is a safe space for them to return to. They also need time to make a mental map of the outdoors by looking through windows around the house. If you allow a cat outside (or it escapes too soon) you risk them getting confused and becoming lost.
If at the four week point, they are still feeling a little nervous or jumpy in the home, wait a bit longer until they feel confident. They must feel like their home is the safe place that they return to after a venture outside.
Take care with doors and windows during the first 4 weeks. Windows should not be open in rooms the cat has access to, they can squeeze out of a smaller gap then you might expect. Even windows that open at the top should be kept closed, as cats can and will jump up a long distance onto a small lip. Be mindful of windows in other rooms such as the bathroom too. Cats will smell the fresh air and make their way to it!
Kittens must be kept strictly indoors for the first 6-8 months.
What do I do when I bring my cat home?
When you get your new cat home, take them straight to their “Safe Room”, place the carrier down near their food, etc, open the carrier door (or take it off if possible) then be quiet and wait. Make sure everyone at home knows to be very quiet and not to crowd the kitty. There’s no need to force them to come out of the carrier if they don’t want to. You can just sit in the room with them, talk to them quietly and possibly offer them a few treats. If they still don’t want to come out, that’s normal so you shouldn’t worry.
At this point the cat needs to decompress and sort through the changes that are occurring. You can leave them to their own devices in their safe room and let them explore in their own time. They may not come out until overnight when the house is quiet. It is normal for some cats to hide away for a few days and even not to eat or toilet for the first 24-48 hours.
However, some cats are completely the opposite and feel right at home as soon as they get to their new abode. If they do want to come out of the carrier straight away, they will often not be very interested in being touched, so give them space. They will likely be more interested in exploring the room, sniffing everything, perhaps rubbing their cheeks on items, and then finding a nice hiding spot to settle down in. Over the next few days as they settle in they should become more interested in having fusses, and possibly even playing.
When possible we like to send cats to their new homes with a blanket that smells like them in their carrier. This helps them feel more secure and may mean the carrier feels like a safe space for them, so for the first few days they may choose to sleep in their carrier or run back to it when feeling nervous, so leave it in their room.
When can my cat leave the “Safe Room”?
Having a “Safe Room” ensures that the cat is not overwhelmed by all the space in your home. A whole new house can be quite daunting to a cat if they’re allowed access to it all at once. This could put back the initial settling in period and result in a stressed, fearful cat that just wants to hide. It is much more beneficial for them to experience each part of the home a little at a time.
Once they begin to find their feet (possibly after a few days – sooner with some cats, longer with others), you can allow them access to other rooms in the home one at a time. Please make sure any holes are blocked up, whether this is a chimney/fireplace floo, or a loose floorboard or skirting panel, as cats can and will squeeze themselves through any small gap, and may then get themselves stuck.
How do I keep my cat indoors for the first 4 weeks?
Have a plan in place to keep your new cat from getting out of the home too soon. Make sure every member of the household understands what to do and how important it is that the cat isn’t able to escape.
This could be:
- Making an airlock system so that you go through two doors before you get to the cat;
- Or it could be that the kitty stays in a separate room while you’re out (Just bear in mind that kitty may get stressed if confined to one room all day);
- Or if this isn’t possible, everyone will need to be extra cautious when entering and exiting the home.
My cat isn’t settling and it’s been 2 weeks, what should I do?
Give us a call (0114 2724441), or drop us an email (info@sheffieldcats.org.uk) to ask for some advice. Often it is just that one or two things can be put in place for the cat such as a calming diffuser such as Feliway, better hidey spots, a quieter and less invasive environment, or more likely, the cat just needs more time.
All cats adjust and settle into their new environment in their own time. We can’t and shouldn’t try to rush them, but should remain patient and understanding. And remember, if you’re feeling stressed or impatient, your cat can sense this and react negatively. So stay calm, stay positive and remain patient, they will come around!