Bringing Your New Cat Home

What do I need to buy?

  • Cat litter, litter box, litter scooper.
  • Scratching post, cats have a need to scratch & enjoy scratching. Providing your cat with it's own scratching post will reduce the chances of your cat using your furniture or carpet.
  • Food/water bowls: Cat carrier for those trips to the vet.
  • Toys
  • Cat food: A premium quality brand is the best, and select one for the appropriate age of your cat.

What should my cat eat?

It is best to stick with the food your cat has been eating in its previous home. If you want to change to another brand, do so gradually so you don't cause a tummy upset.  There are many premium brands of food on the market.  We recommend a high quality grain-free diet.  Do not give your cat cow’s milk – it can cause an upset stomach and diarrhea. Instead, provide your cat with a bowl of clean, fresh tap water.

How do I help my cat adjust to their new home?

Your cat may be unsettled for a few days from the stress of changing households. So it is up to you to help ease the cat's transition into their new home.

Once your new cat arrives home, confine your cat to one room with a litter tray, food, water & a comfortable bed & give him/her some time to become familiar with their surroundings. Cats are fastidiously clean animals & it is necessary to make sure the food & water bowls need to be kept as far away from the litter tray as possible. After a few days & when the cat is well settled, you can gradually increase the area your cat can explore.

Some ways to make the cat settle in quicker include:

  • Put a ticking clock in the cat's bed.
  • Give the cat a hot water bottle. Make sure it isn't too hot, and wrap it in a blanket.
  • Your cat may be reluctant to eat, you can encourage it to take food by slightly warming it in the microwave. Make sure before you give the warmed food to the kitten that you give it a stir to ensure there are no hot spots in the food.

 

Cat-Proofing Your Home

The first thing you need to do is place yourself physically down at the level of a cat, by sitting or even lying on the floor. Look up and around at all the interesting things to play with. From this vantage point you can make a list of hazards and breakables that you will need to deal with.

Kittens are curious little tykes and love to explore nooks and crannies. Here are tips for making sure they don't find 'toys' that can harm them.

  1. Look around your house first, at high shelves and low cupboards and hidden nooks. Do you see things that kitty might break, or harmful substances she might ingest?

  2. If you're into needlework, keep your supplies in a closed container. Needles and thread might appear to be fine playthings, but can be fatal if your kitten swallows them. Kittens playing with balls of yarn may make delightful pictures, but put the yarn away right after the photo session.

  3. Fold and secure your window blinds cord out of kitty's reach. If she gets tangled up in it, she could strangle.

  4. Kittens are wonderful little packrats. If you don't want to find your floors littered with garbage, invest in covered wastebaskets and kitchen garbage containers.

  5. Always keep the door to your clothes dryer closed, and double-check inside before using it. Cats like to find dark, warm places to sleep, and the results could be tragic.

  6. Keep the floor clean of stray rubber bands, ribbon and twine. All are hazardous when ingested by a kitten.

  7. Keep cupboard doors and dresser drawers securely closed. Cats can find all kinds of mischief inside, and can be injured if you close a drawer and the kitten is behind it. Use child-safe fasteners for kitchen cabinets.

  8. Cloth drapes are better left out of reach of your furry 'curtain-climber'. Tie them up securely until your kitten is trained to a scratching post.

  9. Keep your toilet lid down at all times, lest kitty fall in or drink from it.

  10. Do not keep your kitten in the garage, and always keep the doors closed. Anti-freeze is very tasty to animals, and is just one of the common poisonous substances found in garages.

  11. Cover electric cords, such as the tangle from your computer, with covers sold for that purpose.

  12. There are a number of household plants poisonous to cats. Ensure any plants you have in your house are safe for cats to eat.

  13. Remove all breakable valuables from high shelves and store them in a cabinet with a door.

  14. Use animal-safe insect repellant. Commercial roach and ant poison will kill cats if ingested.

  15. The real secret to kitten-proofing is to look at your home through the eyes of a cat. Find everything that looks like a fun toy, and if it's something harmful, get rid of it or make it safe.

  16. Bitter Apple or lemon-scented sprays are both great for marking areas you want to be off-limits. Cats hate the taste and/or scent of them.

Source: http://cats.about.com/cs/kittencare/ht/kittenproof.htm