Adoption Advice

Preparing Your Home

Prepare a quiet room, which initially will be the cat’s own safe space.

Check it for potential hazards (poisonous plants such as lilies for example, cables or other small items on the floor, which they might chew).

Keep windows shut, unless they are the sort which can be latched in an almost closed position.

Put their litter tray (or two trays if you are adopting a pair of cats) in a corner away from the door, as cats using their toilet feel very vulnerable. Enclosed trays are ideal, as they make a cat feel secure and they also stop litter being flicked around the room. Place their food and water bowls away from each other and well away from litter trays.

Put the intended bed (although cats have a habit of choosing their own sleeping places, of course!) away from obvious human footfall. Where possible, have another place in the room for the cat to hide (under a bed, a sofa or a cardboard box). They love high places, as they feel safe there, so a blanket or towel on a chair or table will provide a nice retreat for a nap.

Get a scratching post. Cats naturally mark their territory and sharpen claws by scratching and they may well take a fancy to your furniture otherwise! Scratching also helps them have a good stretch and trims claws naturally. Place a couple of toys in the room (but don’t leave any out with strings attached, as these should only ever be used when cats are being supervised).

If you already have other pets in your household, please ask us for specific advice on the best way to introduce the newcomer.

The Big Day – Arrival Chez-Vous

Remember the first Golden Rule: Cats need to be securely confined to the home until it is firmly cemented into their minds that this is indeed home. In other words, you have to make your home like Alcatraz – utterly escape proof. Houdini had nothing on cats: they will soon find open doors, open windows, open chimney stacks and flimsy cat flaps (even if you lock them!). Reinforce any existing cat flap with heavy duty tape to make it impregnable. It’s surprising how clever cats can be at manipulating or vandalising locked cat flaps!

Much of your challenge is to impress upon all the other residents in your home (especially children), the need to observe security above all else. The stress caused by a new cat escaping is enormous for you, the cat and for us here at the charity. In many cases these poor cats are never ever seen again. They are lost, frightened, hungry and fall back on a miserable life as a stray. Their fate is in your hands.

Take the cat into their room and put the carrier box down, so that there is a wall behind. This way, they can feel sure that there is no danger behind them and can see what is happening in front. Put a blanket over the carrier, without covering the door, so that they can see the outside. After a few quiet minutes, open the carrier door and let them amble out and then keep the door of the safe room closed for the first few hours to let him chill out. Put a chair or something against the outside of the door to remind you and other family members that the cat is lurking on the other side!

For the first 24 hours, the cat should be left to its own devices, as it is important that this becomes a calm period of adjustment. Obviously, cats differ considerably and some might want to explore the house much earlier than others. Others might hide for a while. After the first 2-3 days, when you leave home, open all the internal doors, so that they can explore everywhere at their own pace while you are away. It will bring peace of mind to know that there are no dangers outside of their safe room.

Be very careful, though, that all windows are securely fastened and the cat won’t have direct access to the door, through which you will re-enter your home. If they suddenly leap outside when you open that door, you have a big problem on your hands!

Feed wet food 3-4 times a day in small amounts. Try to give the wet food at the same time every day, as routines help them to feel safe, but be careful with the routines that you establish. If you feed wet food the first few mornings at 6am, they will be asking for breakfast at 6am on Saturdays and Sundays too! Therefore, it is important that they always have dry food available, so you won’t be woken up during the night.

Remember, cats are thoroughly baffled, as to why they have been suddenly transported to this strange new place and who these new people are. It is no surprise that they may feel scared, so don’t worry if they don’t show much interest in food initially. If they start making deposits outside of the litter tray be patient, as this might be the symptom of a physical or behavioural condition requiring our advice.

If cats have had a good relationship with humans, they will come to smell you and to rub their body against yours. They are just leaving pheromones on you as a scent, so they can feel safe around you. Please, do not move when they are doing this, as it is a very special moment for a cat.

Avoid having visitors during the first week, as cats like quiet spaces and routines to feel safe. If you have visitors during that time, maybe close the door of the safe room, so the cat can relax alone while you are with your friends.

Bear in mind that different cats progress at very different speeds. The general rule, though, is to let the cat take the initiative and set the pace.

Allowing Your Cat Outside

It won’t be long before your cat will be itching to go out and see the Great Outdoors, but we cannot stress enough the importance of being patient here. It is essential they have time to thoroughly familiarise themselves with their indoor territory, its smells, noises and people – and to build a relationship with you.

For cats, their owner is also their home, therefore it is important they feel completely safe with you before they are allowed outside. Before you are planning to let them out, start training them to come back to you when you call them and tease them with cat treats. This will help you to get hold of them when they are outside. Go to different places in your home, shake a packet of cat treats, call their name, and give a treat when they find you.

It is only when you are very confident that your cat has established a solid bond with you and your home, that you can even consider letting them out. This should be at least a fortnight, but longer in many cases. If your cat has been used to life as a stray or is particularly shy, it could take longer – more than a month even.

Start by letting them out with you on a quiet, dry day when you are going to be home for the whole day. Take the litter tray with you in the garden and place small amounts of used litter in the corners of your garden. This will help them to find the way back if they venture away from your property.

Some owners might prefer to play it even more cautiously by getting a cat lead and harness and familiarising the cat with it in that period between the cat’s arrival and their first outing into the garden. Allowing the cat out with you on the lead for a few minutes at a time will enable the cat to get used to the immediate area around your property. That might be quite reassuring for when that magic moment comes and they are given “freedom”.

Do not worry too much if your cat hops over the fence, but after half an hour or so, go outside and call them by shaking the packet of cat treats. If they don’t come back, just repeat this action for the rest of the day every 30-60 minutes. Cats are very adaptable animals, don’t panic right away!

These brief Guidelines may be a mixture of the obvious and the not so obvious, but they are well and truly tried and tested. However, don’t hesitate to contact us if you want further clarification and advice. We are always here to make sure that this a rewarding experience for both you and your new cat.

Email: [email protected] 

Phone: 07354 442937