Knowing what to expect when bringing your new cat home will make the transition from rescue or shelter to your home easier and help you create a strong bond with them. This process could require a lot of efforts (from both sides!), so let us give you some tips.
Give Your Cat Space
Give your newly adopted adult cat time to settle in at their own pace. New adult cats might hide out for a few days as they acclimate. Make sure they have easily accessible food and water in the room that they decide is their new safe space. You can build trust and help them settle in by spending some time just sitting quietly near that area and letting them approach you on their own time. Even though it can be normal for a newly adopted cat to hide for a few days while they acclimate to their new home, it’s critically important to ensure that they’re still eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom.
Make Them Feel at Home
Set up your home with enough litter boxes so a new cat has options for where they can go — one litter box for each cat in your home, plus one. Provide lots of interactive toys for them to play with, and putting out lots of scratch posts will go a long way in saving your furniture from their claws. Cats enjoy having vertical places to climb and perch. Give them a cat tree or set up comfortable places for them to relax throughout your home.
Visit the Veterinarian
Ideally, visit your veterinarian within a week of bringing your cat home. Your veterinarian can help you determine when your cat will need booster vaccines and what flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal parasite control will work best for your cat and their lifestyle.
Keep an Eye on Their Health
Watch your adult cat for any symptoms of common illnesses that spread easily in a shelter environment. For example, upper respiratory infections can be quite common in cats coming from a shelter or rescue environment. It’s important to keep their eyes and nostrils clean and clear of discharge and keep them warm and hydrated in the face of a URI. If their “cold” isn’t getting better after a day or two, or if it’s getting worse at any point, it’s time for a call and visit to your vet.
Knowing what to expect when bringing your new cat home will make the transition from rescue or shelter to your home easier and help you create a strong bond with them.