Knowing More About Cat Adoption Tips

Adopting a cat is an important decision.  Much more important than many think, unfortunately, and it should not be made lightly; you should reflect on the pros and cons.  Remember it is a new life that you will be in charge of.  You will be responsible for taking care of and making this cat happy.  Therefore it is a very important step.

And because of this, we would like you to ask yourself a series of questions before adopting a kitten.  You will see they are not very complicated to answer.  But above all, you must be honest.  Your and your future cat’s happiness will depend on your answers.

Are you ready For Cat Adoption? 

Let’s go:

• Are you ready to dedicate at least half an hour a day to care for it, feed it, clean it, love it, etc.?  For the next fifteen or twenty years?
• Are all those in your family environment or home in agreement and do they accept your decision to have a cat?  Remember, the cat is one more in the house, and all should want to have it.
• Is someone around you allergic to cats?
• Are you ready to pay the extra bills that a cat incurs: food, vet bills, etc.?
• Do you have enough space so that your new companion will feel comfortable in its new home?
• If you don’t want your cat to reproduce, are you prepared to sterilize it?  It is better to sterilize a cat than to later terminate its kittens, which, unfortunately, many people do.
• A cat can cause some damage in the house with its nails…are you prepared to accept them and love the cat unconditionally?
• Will the cat spend a great part of the day alone?  If this is the case, do you think the cat will be very sad and experience behavioral trauma?

We will repeat that you must be honest in your answers.  To clarify, with these we don’t want to convince you not to adopt a cat, but to make you conscious of the decision you are going to make, so that you have a good idea and do not regret it later.  There are too many cats that are abandoned by their owners to not think about these questions beforehand.

Before the Arrival

Prior preparations are important for a cat’s easy adaptation into its new environment.  Some days before its arrival, take a cloth full of the scent of its new house to where the cat is.  The cat will get used to this smell and once it comes to the house, you can put this cloth in its basket, which will help it to feel more at home. Try to bring the cat home at the beginning of the weekend or at the beginning of a time when you will be able to spend a lot of time with it.  This will facilitate its adaptation to the new place.

If you are going to adopt a new cat, that could leave the house, prepare a tag with its information and a reflective and stretchy collar.  Wait one or two weeks before allowing the cat out and once this time has passed, don’t force the cat to leave.  The cat will leave itself when it feels safe. Ask the person giving you the cat if they can give you the basket the cat used and the food it is used to eating to make the transition more bearable.  Prepare all the things the cat might need and check to make sure that there are not objects in the house that are dangerous for the cat.

Installing the Cat

The cat’s bed should be in a calm place, little frequented and far from where the cat sleeps. Once the cat has come to your house, try to avoid loud noises and leave it alone, free to roam the house, though you will only feel like petting and pampering it.  The cat should accustom itself to its new place.

Show it its basket…where it has water… The first days, limit its space to one or two rooms and, little by little, extend it so that it does not feel lost at first in too much space.

The Cat and Children

Your kids should keep in mind that the cat is not a toy and it needs quiet time to itself.  They should be patient and not want to pet it all at the same time, because the cat will get dizzy.  The cat needs calm and time. Show them how to touch and play with the cat without harming it.  Explain the cat’s development and needs to them.  This should be an enriching experience for them also.

The Cat and Other Animals

If you adopt an adult cat it is good to know if that cat has lived with other animals.  For example, if a cat has only lived with other dogs chasing it, it will be difficult for it to adapt to yours. It is important to make the cat’s introduction to other animals in the house quickly, at the beginning, as the other animals are part of the environment it will live in, so it should also meet them to be able to adapt to them.

If the cat doesn’t show much interest in the rodents or birds you might have in your house, don’t make an extra effort to introduce them.  The cat always retains that hunting instinct, so it would be wise to keep them far from the cat or in different rooms.

If you have other cats in the house, the introduction should be smooth and always controlled by you.  Try to do it in a neutral place (for example, far from where your first cat eats and sleeps).  Don’t force it or abandon the old cat for the new one, as this can cause jealously toward the new one.

The Cat and Dogs

The relationship between dogs and cats seems difficult, but there are many possibilities for both to live together if you follow a series of steps: