Introducing a New Cat into the Home
By Lim Harris
Cats are creatures of habit, and do not take easily to changes in their life. When bringing a new cat into your home, you cannot simply dump them in the living room and hope they adjust. A house is a big envionment that they will to get used to, and having access to the whole house from the get go, will be far too overwhelming for them to handle. It is important to understand the way a cat works, and take the appropriate steps to ensure your new faimly member adjusts as quickly and easily as possible.
Confinement
When bringing a new cat into the home, she must first be confined to a spare room with all of her nessecities, including a litterbox, food and water bowls, a place to hide and sleep, as well as a cat tree and toys. This must be a room that does not have a lot of foot traffic, and children and pets cannot enter or access. This room will be your cat’s safe space in the first week of her new home. Allowing your cat to adjust to a single room instead of a whole house will ensure she does not become overwhelmed and defensive or aggressive due to stress. Cats are very territorial, and giving your cat a small piece of the house to be her exculsive territory will reduce her stress and allow her to acclimate more easily to the new environment.
Introducing Your Cat to the House
Once your cat has become accustomed to her room, she is ready to start exploring the house beyond. Your cat should be given 5 to 10 minutes of supervised exploration around the house. She may not want to come out of her room or into certain areas, this is normal. Your cat needs to be allowed to go at her own pace to ensure she is comfortable. Try letting your cat out of her room at times when there is little activity going on in the house, make the environment as calm and non threatining as possible. If you have children or other pets, please make sure they are in another room.
Interactions
It is important during this period of time to be patient and encouraging. Do what you can to avoid stepping over the boundaries of your cat. Do not invade their space unnecessarily, poke your head into their hiding spots, manhandle or carry your cat against their will. Take your time and avoid reinforcing negative behaviour.
Food and play time are great for providing your cat with positive experiences. Offer treats to help your cat associate certain behaviours and interactions as rewarding and positive. Encourage your cat to interact with you through play time using toys such as feather wands to help you avoid invading their space.
Fearful Behaviours
A stressed cat will do certain things that are undesirable, such as scratching or destroying furniture, and urinating outside their litter box. These are normal ways a cat communicates distress, and while they may be frustrating, remember not to take them personally. A cat that acts this way is not badly behaved, but is simply acting according to their nature.
While punishment may be ineffective, there are ways to circumvent these issues.
Materials such as cling wrap, double sided tape, and foil can be placed atop furniture and surfaces to discourage your cat from scratching. This method will only work however if you provide adequit alternatives like a scratching post. If your cat refuses to use a scratching post, it may be because it is too small or in an udesirable place. Put scratching alternatives infront of furniture and supply cat nip or treats to encourage use.
If your cat is urine marking, and they are speyed, it is a result of stress. Once your cat feels more secure in there environment, the urine marking will go away on it own.
It your cat continues to urinate outside the litter box, and you are sure it is not a result of stress or a health condition, the problem may lie with the litter box itself. Ensure your cat can easily access the litter box by placing it in areas your cat frequents, and removing the lid (if it has one). Swaping out the litter box with a different one, and changing the type of litter you use may also help. A dirty litter box is a common cause of stress for indoor cats, therefore, scooping the litter box must be done once per day. Changing the litter and cleaning the litter box must be done at least once every three days.
As a rule of thumb, it is best to provide at least two litter boxes per cat within your household.
Take It Slow
Always have your cat’s best interest in mind. Take it slow and make sure you understand what your cat is trying to communicate with you. This is not only a change in her location, but in her life aswell. Doing all you can to make sure your cat’s transition is as stress free as possible will lay the foundation for a happy and healthy relationship for the rest of her life.