The first days at home
A quiet room, the same food it was eating and no rushing. The first few days decide how long it takes to feel at home.
Get the house ready before it arrives
Check windows and balconies, the leading cause of serious accidents, and fit strong nets or screens before opening anything. Put away thread, hair ties, ribbon and chewable cables, lock up medicines (paracetamol and ibuprofen are highly toxic to cats) and get rid of lilies and other dangerous plants: with lilies, biting a single leaf or drinking the water from the vase is enough to damage the kidneys. Block gaps behind furniture and appliances where it could hide and not come out, and check the washing machine and dishwasher before switching them on.
A base room to start with
Cats are territorial and a whole new house overwhelms them. It is best to start with one quiet room with everything it needs: a litter tray in one corner, water and food well away from it, a scratching post, a bed and, above all, a hiding place, which can be a cardboard box on its side or the open carrier itself. Let it come out of the carrier when it is ready, without pulling it out. Spend time sitting on the floor with it, talking softly, without chasing it. Once it is eating, using the tray and approaching you with curiosity, open the door and let it explore the rest of the house at its own pace.
What it ate and what it used
Ask the shelter or breeder which food and which litter it was using, and stick with the same for at least the first two weeks: the stress of moving upsets the stomach enough already. If you want to change food, do it later and gradually. Eating little on the first day is normal, but a cat that goes more than 24 to 48 hours without eating needs a vet, because a long fast can damage its liver, especially if it is overweight. Keep an eye on peeing too: a male that goes into the tray, strains and produces nothing is an emergency.
The first vet visit
Within the first week, even if it seems healthy. Take the vaccination record or passport and the microchip number. The vet checks its weight, eyes, ears (ear mites are very common in kittens), mouth, heart and coat, completes the vaccine and worming schedule, tests for feline leukaemia and immunodeficiency virus if it has not been done and transfers the chip to your name if needed. Get it used to the carrier beforehand by leaving it open at home with one of its blankets inside: the visit will be much easier, today and for the next fifteen years.
If there is already another animal at home
The new cat stays in its room and the others do not see it at first. Swap scents first: a blanket from one in the other’s bed, rub one with a sock and leave it with the other. Then feed them on either side of the closed door, then with the door ajar or a mesh barrier, and finally in short, supervised sessions. With another cat this can take one to several weeks, and with a dog, longer. Going slowly is not wasting time: one bad first fight can cost months of tension.
A house checked before it arrives, a base room with a hiding place, the same food and litter, and a vet visit in the first week. If it stops eating, does not pee or stays hidden for days, get advice.
Educational content from Michipedia. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.