I heard it through the catnip vine you just brought a new cat home! Now that we’re here, you’re wondering how to make a cat feel comfortable in a new home. Take it from me, Milo Fwancis (Jeff’s cat), we’ve got a fantastic list of tips for any budding kitty owner!
How to Get a Cat Used to a New Home
If you want to know how to get a cat used to a new home, you’ve come to the right place. Follow the simple principles below, and your introductions will be a breeze!
Calm, Peaceful Environment
My fellow cats like things in our neat little environment to be tidy and calm. We don’t like loud noises one bit, changes are uncomfortable, and we aren’t sure what to do about other animals at first.
For our sake, try your best to maintain a calm, peaceful living environment. The stereotypical library setting is absolutely ideal, so we can focus on our naps. When it’s playtime, and we want your attention, we won’t hesitate to let you know!
Gradual Animal Introductions
How do you make a cat feel comfortable in a new home with other animals? The answer lies in slow, careful introductions. We don’t like to share our living spaces with just anyone! Immediately immersing a new cat in a home among several other possible predatory or competitive animals (cats, dogs) isn’t the way to go.
Let us get used to our new, calm environment first, before you slowly supervise introductions.
Well Placed Scratching Post
We love to sharpen our nails after a nice nap! It’s a good idea to set up a scratching post near our favorite relaxing spot. (My personal favorite is the ScratchLadder!) Cat’s like to be able to scratch in popular, trafficked spots, so one for each room we like to spend time in would be even better! If you’re looking for a general rule of thumb, placing a post next to valuable or delicate fabrics that we tend to spend time near is a good idea.
How to Make a Cat Feel Loved
How do you make a cat feel loved in a new home? You provide lots of attention, of course! As long as you don’t overwhelm us, and always allow us to come and go as we please, you’ll build a relationship together that will last forever!
Plenty of Attention
Believe me, when we cats wants attention, we will let you know! If we approach slowly, rub against you, or begin purring, make your cat feel loved by offering your devotion!
Grooming Behaviors
Grooming behaviors, like licking their ears or fur, signifies your cat feels comfortable. Many humans think lowly blinking while sharing focus also signals a cat’s devotion! While you don’t have to lick your cat, paying attention during these times will help make a cat feel loved.
Toys and Playtime
We cats are predatory animals and love to play with toys that mimic small prey, darting back and forth! Focus on these types of toys to capture your little one’s attention. We don’t like to feel bored and always want fun new cat toys when we feel playful, so don’t skimp out on the variety!
How to Make a Cat Feel Safe
Safe Room
A ‘safe room’ is a great way to make any new cat feel comfortable in a new home! This is a quiet room, perhaps with a nice, safe perch overlooking the outdoors, that we can escape to if things get to be too stressful. Cats like to be able to relax in a safe, calm environment!
Hiding Place
You can’t make a cat feel comfortable in a new home without a place to hide! Things will be new and strange for your little one, and he might just want an escape from it. This ties in with the ‘safe room’ suggestion above; a room devoted to your little one.
Make sure your new cat has a hiding place he ‘thinks’ you don’t know about. Make sure to know of all potential hiding spaces, because we will probably try to hide away if things become too hectic and you don’t want to worry when you can’t find us!
Small Children & New Cat
Small kids love us (obviously), which is great! Most of the time, we love the attention. On the other hand, those little humans might not know when to leave us alone and tend to automatically think the ‘adorable kitty loves being physically handled,’ when we just want to be left alone.
Supervise interactions between your kids and the new cat. Limit the exposure at first, unless the cat physically approaches your children. The last thing you want is a stressed kitty scratching your child, making parental supervision especially important.
Homes for Cats Needed
Homeless or shelter cats in need are probably the most difficult idea for any cat lover. Believe it or not, there are millions of homeless animals that enter shelters in the United States alone each year, an estimated 3.2 million of those are cats. In fact, before Jeff found me, I was included in this statistic!
The stereotypical ‘kitten mill’ commercial breeding is still very much legal in the US, which ultimately leads to a larger pet population than the American pet industry has a demand. A huge portion of the countless kittens bred annually have no homes and become strays, shelter animals, or worse.
There is an enormous need for adoptive cat homes, and you can help! We’ve put together a small list of bullet points that would help support homeless cats below:
★ Consider adoption, rather than purchasing from a breeder.
★ Do your part to help the overpopulation crisis by spaying or neutering!
★ Never order cats off the internet, and don’t buy from pet stores.
★ Ask your local animal shelter about fostering until forever homes can be found!
How to Make a Cat Feel Comfortable in a New Home
If you’re wondering how to make a cat feel comfortable in a new home, simply follow the fantastic tips above. We have plenty of other fantastic cat care articles here, so you’ll be a pet parent pro in no time!