3 Steps to Welcome an Adopted Cat to Your Home

Think safe rooms, 3 P's, and slow introductions to other pets.

“Mom, why does Anna have seven kittens in her dorm bathroom?” Mia casually asked while passing through the kitchen, eyes glued to the glowing screen cupped in her hand. “What!” I stammered, quickly grabbing Mia’s phone to confirm that she was truly looking at a video of her sister. With voice rising from unchecked adrenalin, I shouted into the now dialed phone, “Anna, you asked if you could rescue two kittens. Why are there seven?”

“Mom, we went back to rescue the two but five more showed up. We couldn’t leave them in the cold with no food or shelter.” My good friend, Loree, often cautioned, “Teach them to care, but be ready when they do!” Anna and Mia got to work sharing “our” kitten conundrum on social media. Two willing friends soon pledged care for four kittens. The remaining three came home to live temporarily (I hoped) with us.

Step 1: Prepare a Safe Room for Cats and Kittens

Mia and I turned Anna’s empty bedroom into a “safe” room - a secure place, a sanctuary, where the kittens could hide, explore and play while getting used to the sounds, smells, and activities of our home and resident pets. The safe room was equally important to us as it provided a way to contain the kittens’ activity and mess where we could observe their eating, drinking and litter box activities while monitoring their mental and physical health.

Because we had kittens, no less curious than toddlers but a lot more nimble and able to climb, we unplugged every cord from the walls, tied up the strings of the window shades, removed the fabric window coverings, shut the windows and took out the screens, childproofed the electrical sockets, and stored out of sight everything that could be tipped or pushed over – lamps, books, items on top of the dresser and night stand.

We nestled boxes lined with towels under chairs to create comfortable hiding places and laid fleece blankets across the dresser to give the little fur balls a higher vantage point for observing us and the world outside the window. A litter box nested in a larger shallow storage container was placed on one side of the room. Food and water in another shallow storage container was placed on the other. Across the floor, we tossed an abundance of newly washed cat toys and small stuffed animals.

Step 2: Let the Three Ps Work Their Magic: Patience, Play, Petting

The most important next step was patience. No matter how excited we were, we had to give our new companions time to adjust to their predicament on their own. Our curious kittens, however, had no reservations. We’d walk in the room and the party would start!

That quick acceptance, however, did not always rise to the surface when we fostered older, less socialized kittens and disoriented adult cats. Foster cat, Loki, nicknamed “Look Up Loki” always hid in the farthest corner of the highest surface. Angus curled into a ball under the furniture, glossy eyes following my feet as I moved about the room. When we had those slow-to-adjust cats, it took every ounce of restraint to keep our hands to ourselves. To a scared cat, unrequested “reassurance” in the form of a chin scratch or head pat could be interpreted as a threat.

To build trust in unsettled cats, we’d sit quietly in the safe room, reading, watching movies, taking pictures, posting tidbits on social media. We’d wait for each cat to find courage to budge our hands or legs. When they did, we’d pet them gently, then stop. Cats ready for more would ask for more. To the cats who were chronic hiders, we’d offer treats, throw a toy, or wave a ribbon wand. Curiosity would eventually override fear.

Step 3: Slowly Introduce New Cats to Resident Pets

We found it’s best to leave new cats and kittens in the safe room at least three days* (this asterisk is important, so read below before you think three days is your number) to get used to the sounds and smells of our home. When our new companions were eating well, and no longer hiding when we entered the room, we’d let them explore the rest of our home – a process more like an intricate dance than a single step.

We’d put our resident pets in a secure room and close all windows and exterior doors. We’d open the door to the safe room and let the new cat venture past the door on her own, never forcing her out. We’d trail her like a hawk, watching her closely to monitor her whereabouts. A loud sound could send her fleeing for safety. We’d want to know where she went to ensure we could get her back to the safe room before the other pets were allowed to roam.

After letting the new cat explore the house for a few days, we’d switch things up. We’d put the new cat in a bathroom or bedroom then let our resident pets explore her safe room. When it seemed like the cats on each side of the doors were growing comfortable with each other, we’d begin the face-to-face introduction of new cat to resident pets, always supervised and with toys to divert attention.

I carry a large bath towel during the process. If tension rises and I sense an altercation ensuing, I drop the opened towel onto one of the animals to interrupt the exchange and remove them from the situation. I return the new cat to the safe room. It may take several tries and lots of positive play and encouragement before new and resident pets begin to relax around each other.

Additional Tips for Welcoming a New Cat to Your Home

*It is mentioned above that it’s wise to keep a new cat in a safe room for at least three days. Three is an arbitrary number. One of the most important reasons for waiting before introducing a new cat to your home, your family, or resident pets has to do with health. Be sure a veterinarian has examined your new cat and has given him a clean bill of health, or at least the medications needed to get there. You don’t want to transfer – to pets or to people - unwanted pests like fleas, ticks, ringworm and intestinal worms or communicable diseases such as feline leukemia (deadly) or feline immunodeficiency virus, FIV (not deadly but needs monitoring).

Crookston, Stormy and Squirrel, the three little kittens in Anna’s bedroom with goopy eyes and runny noses, were treated for upper respiratory infections before being allowed to visit the rest of our house.

When Anna brought home abandoned kitten, Herbie, I introduced him to a litter of seven kittens we were already fostering, believing their spunkiness would provide him a little cheer. The day after the play date, Herbie began to shed his hair. Within four days he was bald like a mole rat from an aggressive case of ringworm. Not one whisker or downy tummy fuzz remained. Guess who got the chore of dipping eight kittens – Herbie to get rid of ringworm, seven kittens to prevent ringworm after exposure - into a rotten egg smelling, Sulphur bath for two weeks?! (I confess, Mia and her friend, Jon, did most of the kitten bathing and wrangling while I did the bathroom cleaning and mounds of laundry.)

If you learn one thing from reading, learn from my lesson – resist the urge to introduce your new cat to other animals in your home until you are absolutely sure they are healthy! A bedroom with a closed door and without other animals can be the perfect safe room. Cats often explore at night when humans are asleep. It gives them time to get used to their new environment on their terms but in a contained space and with a human around.

A bathroom can also work as a safe room. Be sure toilet lids are closed and cleaning supplies are out of reach. You may want to remove the toilet paper and place in a secure spot. Kittens and cats love to swat at dangling paper and watch the roll unfurl! I use the same safe room set up for older cats as I do kittens. Curious adult cats will tip things over, chew on cords and plastic, or put their paws into small spaces to test their new environment.

Scared adult cats may climb up drapery and claw through window screens, seeking an escape route. I once watched foster cat Koko lunge at the window of his second- floor safe room in an attempt to catch a fluttering moth. Had the window been open, his 15 pounds of feline frenzy could have pushed the screen out the window frame, sending him to the ground below.

To keep scared cats from bolting through the safe room door when I open it, I tape a knee-high piece of cardboard across the opening, providing just enough of a deterrent. A spray bottle filled with water is a great tool to have on hand. The spritzing sound and unexpected shower may provide enough surprise to buy you a few moments of time.

Be Patient. Be Cautious. Be Playful. Have Fun.

The slow process of introducing a cat or kitten to your home can seem underwhelming and daunting, zapping all the excitement of having a new pet. When you feel frustrated, put yourself in your cat’s paws. Imagine how you’d feel if you suddenly found yourself in a new home with unfamiliar food, people, sounds and smells and no proven place to seek safety. By proceeding with patience and caution, you are laying the foundation to a trusting relationship.  One that can lead to a lifetime of reward.

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

Mahatma Gandhi