How to Help New Cats Adjust to Your Home

Welcoming a new cat into your family is exciting, but it can be a big adjustment for your furry friend. Some cats may be anxious or nervous being in a new environment, so it’s important to make an effort to help them adjust to their new home.

Make the transition easier for your cat and follow these tips to help them feel welcome!

Maintain a Consistent Routine

An important part of helping your cat adjust to you and your home is maintaining a consistent routine. For the first few weeks try to stick to the same schedule for feeding, exercise, and play. If your cat is shy and needs a lot of time alone, try to visit them around the same time each day to bond and help them relax. This also means confining your cat to one area of your home for the first few days or weeks.

Allowing your cat to freely explore your house all at once can be overwhelming, and may lead to them hiding in small spaces where you can’t find them. Let them transition into it and gradually introduce them to new rooms when they’re ready. When showing your cat new areas in your home, make sure your windows and doors are closed and keep a close eye on them.

Give Them Space

Entering a new home can be confusing, and cats need time to properly adjust to their new surroundings. When you first bring them home, try not to overwhelm them with too much attention if they seem frightened or uncomfortable. Especially if your cat is shy, they may take weeks to fully adapt to your home and may hide under furniture or throughout the house. Don’t take this behavior personally, and just be there to support your new cat as they get used to you and your home.

Give them some alone time when needed, but also be affectionate when they warm up to you. Depending on how social your cat is, don’t have too many visitors within the first few weeks as this may scare them or stress them out. Be patient with your new kitty and build up trust to ensure they feel comfortable in your home.

Create a Welcoming Environment

Before you bring your new cat home, make sure to cat-proof your home and have a welcoming environment prepared for them. Create a quiet, enclosed area without much traffic where your cat doesn’t feel threatened. This is even more important if your cat is anxious, as this gives them an area in your house they can feel comfortable in as they get familiar with their new environment.

For some owners, this may mean dedicating a new room for your cat, but this isn’t completely necessary. You can also use a guest bedroom, office, or laundry room, but make sure these areas are relatively quiet. However, if you don’t have extra space to spare, it might be worth doing some minor home renovations and additions to free up more room for your cat.

If you’re tight on space, consider removing a portion of your wall underneath your stairs for a cat nook, or remodel an existing room to fit their needs with a hidden litter box or cat tower. You should also consider your cat’s outdoor stimulation. While some cats are strictly indoor cats, it’s still important for them to experience the outdoors, but in a safe, contained environment. To allow your cat to get some outdoor exercise, it may be worth installing a cat patio or a larger enclosed area for them to explore.

Incorporating your cat’s well-being and lifestyle into your home’s design can help them adjust much more quickly to their new environment. While these additions can get pricey, they’re a worthwhile investment as they can help boost the resale value of your home and can come in handy should you get more cats. Yes, getting a new pet can be expensive, but luckily there are many financing options available to help fund these updates. If you’re a homeowner, you can take advantage of your home’s equity for these projects and can even deduct the interest for home improvements.

No matter what space you use, make sure food and water is easily accessible in this area, and ensure you have a litter box, bed, scratching posts, and interactive toys available too. You should also put something with your scent on it in the room to help your cat get more used to you.

At The Cat’s Inn, we offer customizable commercial cat townhouses! Our commercial cat shelters are safe, comfortable, and outfitted to meet the needs of multiple cats at a time.

Contact us today for more information about our cat townhouses, condos, and towers!