Your cat's first day at home: what to do and what not to do
The first day has a big influence on how a cat settles into its new home. You do not need to do anything grand: almost all of it comes down to having everything ready, giving it a quiet place and letting the cat set the pace. Here is how.
Before it arrives
Get everything ready before the day it arrives. Choose a quiet room with a door that closes for the first few days: a spare bedroom, a study. Put a litter tray in it with the same litter it was using, food, water away from the litter tray, a bed, a hiding place such as a cardboard box with a hole in it or the carrier itself left open, and a scratching post. Check the whole house: netting on windows and balconies, toxic plants out of reach, especially lilies, cables protected, string and hair ties put away, the washing machine and dishwasher kept shut. Have a vet already chosen. And ask the rescue or the breeder which food it eats, so you do not change it suddenly.
The journey home
A cat should always travel in a carrier, ideally a rigid one rather than fabric, and properly closed. Never loose in the car or in your arms, however calm it seems: a frightened cat can escape in a second when a door opens. Put a towel or blanket inside that smells of it, if you can, and cover the carrier with a cloth so it feels more sheltered. Talk calmly, avoid loud music and sharp braking, and do not open the carrier during the journey. If it cries, that is normal: it is having a hard time, but it will pass once it reaches somewhere quiet.
Arrival: straight to its room
When you get home, go straight to the room you have prepared, close the door, put the carrier on the floor and open it. Do not pull the cat out: let it come out when it wants to, even if that takes an hour. Sit on the floor, speak softly and do not try to pick it up or stroke it unless it comes to you. Many cats come out, sniff around a little and hide under the bed or in the hiding place: that is normal. Show it where the litter tray is only if it comes out, without forcing it. And do not invite visitors or show the cat off to the family on the first day: the fewer people and the less noise, the better.
If it hides, let it
A cat that hides for the first few days is not a cat that does not like you or that will turn out unfriendly: it is a cat adapting to an unfamiliar place in the only way it knows. Do not drag it out of its hiding place, do not move the furniture to find it and do not chase it. Check that it eats, drinks and uses the litter tray, even if only at night when nobody is around. Spend time in the room, reading or on your phone, without asking anything of it. Offer it tasty food or play with a wand toy near its hiding place. Little by little it will come out. Some cats take hours, others days, and the shyest ones a week or so.
What to keep an eye on
There is one thing that cannot wait: that it eats and pees. A cat that eats nothing at all for twenty-four to forty-eight hours needs to see the vet, because cats that stop eating can develop fatty liver, which is dangerous. And a cat, especially a male, that goes into the litter tray and does not pee, or only passes drops, may have a urinary blockage, which is an emergency. It is normal for it to eat little on the first day or to do its business at night; what is not normal is for it to eat nothing for two days or not to pee. If that happens, go to the vet without waiting.
Widening its territory, step by step
Once the cat moves around its room confidently, eats, plays and comes up to you, you can open the door and let it explore the rest of the house at its own pace, leaving the door to its room open, as that room should stay its refuge. Some cats are ready after two days, others after two weeks. If there are other animals in the house, this step is different: introductions have to be gradual, with scent swapping and contact through a barrier before they meet. And if the house is large, you can open it up one room at a time. The key is that it can always go back to its safe place.
The most common mistakes
Letting it loose in the whole house from the first minute, which overwhelms it and makes it hide in impossible places. Dragging it out of its hiding place. Introducing it all at once to the resident cat or dog. Welcoming it with visitors, excited children and noise. Changing its food and litter on the first day. Bathing it as soon as it arrives. Leaving windows open, even for a moment: newly arrived cats often try to escape. And expecting it to behave like a cat that has lived in the house for years. Each of these mistakes makes settling in take longer; avoiding them shortens it enormously.
The first few weeks
During the first few weeks, keep to routines: meals at set times, play every day, a clean litter tray. Take the cat to the vet for a check-up within the first days or weeks, even if it has already been checked, so it has a medical record and the clinic gets to know you. Check that the microchip is registered in your name. If you need to change its food, do it gradually, mixing the two for a week or more. And get to know it: what kind of stroking it likes, where it likes to sleep, what games it enjoys. A cat's trust is won with patience, but once it gives it, it is for good.
First contact with the family
Once the cat explores with confidence, it is time for it to meet the whole family, but one person at a time and calmly. Each person should sit on the floor, hold out a still hand for it to sniff and let the cat be the one to approach. A treat or a few minutes of play with a wand toy helps it link each person with something good. With children, explain the rules beforehand: no picking it up, no chasing it, no shouting near it. Visitors from outside the household are best left until the cat has been there a week or two and moves around easily. And never force it to stay in your arms: a cat that can always leave comes back sooner.
If it comes from the street or is very fearful
If the cat is very shy, has come from the street or has had bad experiences, everything goes more slowly. It may spend weeks hiding and come out only at night. Keep the room as its refuge for longer, visit it often without forcing contact, talk to it calmly and offer it tasty food while you are there. Feline pheromone diffusers can help some cats a little. If after several weeks it is still not eating well, never comes out or shows a lot of fear, talk to your vet, who can refer you to a behaviour specialist. Patience nearly always pays off.
A quiet room with everything ready, the journey in a carrier, open it and let the cat come out when it wants, and never force contact. Make sure it eats and pees: if it does not eat for two days or does not pee, go to the vet. Widen its territory little by little, and let the cat set the pace.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.