Bringing a Cat Home for the First Time

Bringing a cat home for the first time can be nerve-wracking for both you and your new family member!

But there are things you can do to help your cat settle in and get comfortable in its new home.

Setting up a safe space at home

Before you bring your cat home, you need to set up a space for it. Cats are wary of new and unfamiliar places, so it’s best confine them to one room initially. A bathroom or laundry is ideal, but any room will work as long as you can close the door.

You’ll need the following things in the room:

• A litter tray with a good layer of litter – try to use one the cat is already familiar with. if you're getting a cat from an animal shelter like the RSPCA, ask them what litter they use.
• A food and water bowl – placed well away from the litter tray.
• A scratching post or cat tree. Cats like to be able to get up high, and they need something to scratch on to deter them from using the furniture.
• A comfortable bed.
• A few toys.

It’s important to let everyone in the family know that the cat is to be restricted to that room only for the first week or so, so the door needs to stay shut.

Bringing your cat home

Take your cat straight to the room when you arrive. Open the carry crate, then leave the cat to exit when it’s ready. Leave plenty of water, and some familiar food. As with the litter, ask the shelter or wherever you're getting the cat from what kind of food it's used to. Spend time with the cat, one-on-one, but wait for it to come to you.

If you have small children and other animals, try to quarantine the new cat for at least the first couple of days, so it has time to adjust to its new space.

Once you see that it’s happy in its own room, you can allow short visits with other family members, and let other pets sniff at the bottom of the closed door. It can be useful to rub all animals with the same rug or cloth to transfer scents, to start familiarising them with each other prior to making contact.

Introductions to other cats in the household should be done slowly and cautiously, with supervision. Until you see that they have adjusted to each other and are happy in each other’s company, don’t leave them alone in the house in the same space.

Once they have got over the initial strangeness, they will settle into a relationship. It may never be close, or they could become the best of mates.

Managing your cat's anxiety

It’s not always easy for an adult cat to adjust to a new home. If it’s a rescue, it’s possible that there is trauma that the cat has suffered prior to being in a shelter, and you may have anxiety issues to deal with.

With an anxious cat, plan to take the introduction to your home very slowly. Stretch out that isolation period if the cat is clearly spooked by new people and other animals.

Spend quiet time with it, but don’t expect it to be cosy with you straight away. Show the cat that you’re not threatening by just getting on with a quite activity like reading. Cats are curious. At some point, it will want to check you out.

More extreme anxiety can manifest in different behaviours. The cat may urinate or defecate outside the litter tray. Try changing the litter - it may the cat doesn't like the one you're using. Cover or remove any vulnerable furniture items to prevent scratching until the cat settles in.

Pheromone products can be useful. These come as a spray or a plug in, and dispense calming pheromones into the air. They can help de-stress an anxious cat, but if problems persist, see your vet.

Acclimatising an adult cat to a new home is often quite challenging. But it’s also very rewarding when they do settle, and you can see that they’re happy and at home.