How long does it take for a cat to get used to a new home? A new home and new owners for the cat. Meeting with the new tenant

Do you want positive and joyful emotions every day? Get yourself a furry miracle - a kitten. However, the owner must understand that he is responsible for the four-legged family member, because he will have to get used to the new home and make friends. How does a kitten adapt to its new home? What do you need to know? What measures should be taken to make the baby feel at ease? How long does the whole process take as the kitten gradually gets used to its new home? You will find answers to these and other questions below.

Preparing for the arrival of a baby in the house

To ensure that the kitten’s first day in the new home goes without a hitch, the whole family needs to be prepared. How to do it? Here are some tips.

It took our Fluffy a long time to get used to it. I got used to it right away. I showed him where his toilet was: I put the cat in the tray and buried the sand a little with his paw. He looked at me and walked out of there. He understood everything perfectly. The only thing that didn't make us happy was the meowing of our pet. All night he meows and meows, as if calling for his mother. I took him to my bed. He settled down at my head and after that he always slept in this place. If someone thinks that this is too much, then they can come up with their own methods to calm the kitten in a new home. Even now I say that Fluffy is my cat love for life.

• From personal experience they can say that when we adopted a fairly adult kitten (about 4-5 months), for the first two days I was next to my “son”. I so wanted a cat in our family, and this joyful event happened. In advance, we purchased a bowl with two compartments for food and water, a tray, filler, a scoop for cleaning the “toilet,” and several toys (a mouse, a fishing rod). That's basically all our purchases. We didn’t buy food or a scratching post (that was our mistake).
• If there are children in the new home (and most often this happens), then you need to explain to them the simplest rules of play and behavior with a kitten. You can also have a conversation with adults, especially if someone is against a furry, mustachioed, striped neighbor.
• So that the kitten does not get used to it for a long time, and the owner does not count how many days have passed since the move, you can buy several fun toys for cat fun.
• It is advisable to talk with all family members so that they do not disturb the baby, because how the kitten’s first days in the new home go depends on whether he will be able to adapt. Moving in itself is a serious psychological trauma. And if people leave him alone or, conversely, do not know how to stop being affectionate, then the adaptation will be delayed.
• For adaptation to be successful on the first day, you need to think about the baby’s safety: remove wires from the floor, hide chemicals and detergents away, raise souvenirs and trinkets to a height.
• How many days will adaptation take? It all depends on the character of the kitten. In some families, the pet meows for a week and does not understand where it is or what they are doing with it. In others, everything is accurate, but vice versa. 5 minutes after the excursion, the baby begins to run around the entire apartment and play with family members.

How to behave when a kitten first comes into the house?

Usually a kitten gets used to its new home and family fairly quickly. At the same time, he meows (but not always!) when he wants to attract the attention of his new owners.

• If there are children in the new home (and most often this happens), then you need to look at the relationship between the kitten and the younger members of the family. There is no need to allow children to treat the new arrival as a toy: pulling the tail, hugging him tightly, squeezing him endlessly is not allowed.
• To avoid any unpleasant surprises later, you should show the furry baby where his “dining room,” “restroom,” and “manicure salon” are located. This means that the kitten will become familiar with the environment in the new home and will go to the toilet where it is supposed to; He will eat and sharpen his claws where needed. This way you can accustom the “recruit” to order from the first days.
• If already on the first day the adaptation goes so well that the “recruit” lets loose without the supervision of the cat mother, then the owner needs to show his authority. The mother cat does this in the following way: she lifts the kitten slightly above the floor, biting the withers. In this place there is a bundle of nerves, when pinched, the kitten cannot move. Hanging in this state, the baby becomes literally “silky” and obedient. A person should take such actions. Observation from personal experience. Interestingly, in this hanging position the kitten looks like a Christmas tree toy. It spins and spins like a ball, and doesn’t even wiggle its paws. Hanging in the air, the furry baby doesn’t even meow, so as not to anger his mother.

• If the move occurs at a time when there are other animals in the apartment, you need to carefully ensure that they get to know each other. Most often, old-timers accept a “newcomer” into their company without any problems. And they subsequently become best friends.
• The furry baby gets used to it better and it doesn’t take long when at least one of the family members is next to him for several days.
• It is important to teach yourself and the whole family that a kitten is not a toy. If he has done some mischief, there is no need to throw him out into the street. If immediately after the appearance of a cat in the apartment, you have lost the desire to raise the animal, you need to hand it over to good hands or return it to the breeder. What is the pet’s fault if the owners did not prepare morally, psychologically and, possibly, financially for the appearance of a furry neighbor?

• It is advisable to think about relocating your pet in advance. It is better if this event takes place before the weekend, when the whole family can help the baby adapt.
• A cute kitten in a new home is a joyful event. Therefore, the baby needs to be surrounded with attention and care. You need to talk in advance with the breeder or former owner about what the pet ate and what hours it was fed.
• It is advisable to purchase the same filler as at your previous place of residence. In short, in the new home many things (in terms of habits) should be similar to the previous home: the same food, filler, toys (if possible).
• It is necessary to teach your pet on the first day that eating from the table is a bad habit, and so is begging.
• For adaptation to go well, you need to purchase a scratching post. Of course, it may be expensive, but this product will save furniture and other objects from the attacks of long and sharp claws.
• Nails need to be trimmed weekly. In order for adaptation to this unpleasant procedure to be successful, you need to pet the kitten; a new house has its own rules and must be followed, and how many days the whole process will take depends on the relationship between the owner and the younger family member.
• Adaptation includes not only the process of getting used to a new place, but also to a name. In order for your pet to respond to its name, you need to call it by name every time when food is poured into a plate.
• The process of getting used to it will take a very long time if you physically punish your baby from the first days. In order to accustom your pet to order and point out when he is wrong, just spray him with a spray bottle, lightly flick his ears, or roll up a newspaper (or thin magazine).

It is important to know not only how many hours or weeks a kitten gets used to its family, people, and new home; It is important to give care and attention, and then the baby will feel at ease.

Probably everyone who is even remotely familiar with cats knows what the first day of a kitten’s stay in the house looks like. On this day, the house is filled with joy from the fact that the family has been replenished with another family member, who is now destined to be everyone’s favorite and center of attention, everyone’s favorite and the object of care throughout his life. As a rule, new owners cannot hide their glee as they watch a small fluffy ball walk through the nooks and crannies of their home, sniffing carefully.

By this point, the first meeting with the kitten, as well as its move to a new place of residence, are already behind us. In addition, on the very first day, the kitten, as a rule, manages to get to know its new home, at least in general terms, and smell everything and everyone. However, the matter is not limited to one acquaintance, and the kitten often still behaves warily and is clearly nervous. So what should you do so that the kitten as soon as possible feels confident in himself and in the goodwill of his new owners and stops being afraid?

First of all, it is worth saying that one of the best ways to adapt a kitten to new living conditions is direct contact with it. If the owner has the opportunity to be near the kitten constantly for two or, even better, three days, then he should take advantage of this opportunity and constantly be close to the kitten.

If the kitten does not resist, you should constantly stroke it, scratch it behind the ear and talk to it in a gentle and calm voice - cats love this very much. You can try to put the kitten to sleep next to you - he will appreciate it. True, one small problem may arise in this regard. If the kitten has not yet figured out where his litter box is and where he should relieve himself, then at night, when he wants to go to the toilet, he can, with the best intentions, relieve it directly in the bed, not far from the place where he sleeps.

However, regardless of whether the kitten is put to sleep with its owner or not, if the owner is everywhere next to him, he will gradually understand that where his owner is is completely harmless and soon the kitten will walk around after his owner. Thus, the kitten will be able to get used to its new home much faster than if it were left to its own devices. However, if he follows his owner everywhere, it is important to remain vigilant so as not to inadvertently crush the kitten, which will follow its owner as if tied.

Many owners mistakenly believe that in order for the kitten to adapt to new conditions as quickly as possible, on the contrary, it should be left alone for a long time. However, this is not at all true. Most likely, the kitten will simply go to bed and fall asleep, not waking up until its new owner arrives. But with this development of events, he will not really get used to either his owner or his new home.

Therefore, if you need to win over a kitten, then you need to spend (at least in the first days) all your free time with it, and before each feeding, pet it and talk to it affectionately. And only after that give him food. Thanks to this, the animal will be able to learn that only affection promotes friendly relations between him and the owner, and is the shortest path to the cat’s favorite pastime - food.

It would be helpful to place toys around the house. Moving from one toy to another, the kitten will automatically explore the space and gradually cease to be afraid of being in a new home.

Owners should accustom the kitten to the presence in its life of a variety of sudden or loud sounds, which are present to one degree or another in the life of every modern person. It could be a loud TV, radio or something else. Of course, this does not mean at all that you need to shoot firecrackers (cats never get used to such sounds and they are very harmful to the cat’s hearing), but some loud sounds should still be present in a small volume. About two days after the kitten appears in the house and becomes a full-fledged resident, you should start turning on the TV at a volume that is comfortable for the owners, and no longer embarrass yourself with the sounds or try to muffle them.

It must be said that the sooner the kitten gets the opportunity to get used to loud sounds, the stronger its nervous system will be and the better it will function.

In order for the kitten to adapt to the new environment as best as possible and get used to all members of the new family, it is necessary that each of them does not cause him any disturbance. Therefore, residents should pay attention to the kitten as often as possible, play with it and stroke it: only in such an atmosphere can the kitten quickly get used to its new home and new family.

It wouldn't hurt to introduce the kitten to strangers. The only thing you should take care of in this case is that the total number of new people does not exceed two or three people per day.

As for walking outside, it is not advisable to go out there with such a small kitten. But it’s better to go out onto the balcony, getting used to the noise of the street, every day and several times.

An adult cat in a new home - how to help with adaptation?

There are situations in life when it is difficult to pass by an animal and not give it help. Unfortunately, not only small kittens, but also adult animals have to move to a new home. It often happens that owners, for some reason, can no longer keep a cat, especially for older people whose age-related health problems do not allow them to pay proper attention to their pet.

Sometimes the animal is taken in by relatives, and sometimes by caring strangers. But an adult cat is an animal with an established character, with its own habits, which do not always easily and painlessly endure moving and getting used to a new home. Moreover, cats generally tend to become attached to their place of residence. There are many cases where a cat stubbornly did not want to leave the house. Some cats run away from home if they are planning to move. And a new place of residence is always very stressful for them. An adult animal that finds itself in such a situation must be helped to adapt to its new home.

There are several important rules, following which will help an adult cat adapt to a new home. First, you will have to be patient in order to calmly endure all the whims of the new tenant. Cats generally tend to keep their distance, and even with strangers. It is not for nothing that there is a humorous saying that the cat is the only animal that has domesticated itself. Therefore, if an adult cat comes to you for the first time, you should not overdo it with communication, and even more so - forcibly pick it up and squeeze it. If the cat doesn't mind, you can pet it a little.

It is necessary for the animal to calmly explore the territory that is new to it and look into all corners without fear. A new settler can hide in a secluded place and sit there for a long time. In this case, there is no need to pull him out of the shelter. Let the animal calm down and get used to new smells and sounds.

Of course, it all depends on the character of the cat. If a cat has an affectionate, purring disposition, then it will be easier for him to get used to a new habitat and a new owner. And if the cat is wild and has lived its entire life on the street, then it will be much more difficult for him to adapt.

The main thing is to immediately provide the cat with a tray and bowls of food, and show him where they are. If the cat is trained to the litter box, then he will immediately understand what is what and there will be no problems. You shouldn’t forget about the scratching post if you don’t want your upholstered furniture to turn into rags.

It is more difficult if there are other animals in the new home. The cat will have to get used to not only the new place, but also the new neighbors. Therefore, at first, if possible, it is better to place an adult cat in a separate room, where it will be free from the annoying curiosity of other pets. It is better for both the tray and bowls of food to be in the same room where the new resident’s adaptation is taking place. Although, of course, not everyone will agree to the presence of a cat litter box in the room (especially if it is the master bedroom).

But, as mentioned earlier, you need to be prepared for anything. Cats in a new place may at first go not to the litter box, but generally wherever they want, show aggression, tear up wallpaper and generally do worse things, just to show everyone how unhappy they are with what is happening and to draw attention to their misfortune.

Only sincere love for animals can help here. As practice shows, over time, even the most capricious cat and the most stubborn cat, if they are treated with affection and patiently taught to behave well, change for the better and fit perfectly into their new home.

And an adult animal can become attached to its new owners just as sincerely as a small kitten. Sometimes such “residents” turn out to be much more affectionate and obedient than the original feline inhabitants of the house. Sometimes the fears when an adult cat moves to a new home turn out to be completely unfounded and within a few days the animal feels and behaves as if it had lived here its entire adult life.

The new tenant requires attention and affection. In the first days he will be bored and uncomfortable. How quickly the kitten gets used to its new home depends on you. Your task is to help your pet get rid of fear, quickly get used to it and teach it to behave correctly in your home.

Kitten in a new home: how to prepare

Prepare the necessary things for your pet in advance: a litter tray, litter, bowls for food and drink, a bed, a scratching post, brushes and a first aid kit.

How many days the kitten will get used to its new home depends on proper organization.

Before adopting a pet, do the following preparations:

• Remove wires, cleaning supplies, trash bins, and small objects that he might swallow from the room. Hide everything that poses a danger to the baby.
• When the kitten gets comfortable, he explores the space and climbs onto the windowsill. Therefore, put a mosquito net over the window for safety.
• Ask about the diet, food and cat litter used by the previous owner.
• Organize your baby’s personal permanent place: a lounger, trays with food and water. Place them in the corner.
• Take your pet home before the weekend or during the holidays. This way he will be surrounded by care.

Such an organization will make the pet feel safe.

How to accustom a kitten to a new home

While the baby adapts, he meows pitifully. The kitten gets bored and sad for 2-3 days. It will take him no more than a week to fully get used to his new home. To prevent the kitten from feeling lonely in a new place, help him adapt.

As soon as you arrive at the house, place the pet carrier in the room. Don't force it out. The kitten will look around and, when it becomes bolder, will come out on its own. Over time, open the room doors and give him access to other rooms. During the first days, keep small children and animals that live in the house away from your baby. If there is already a cat in the house, wipe it with a piece of cloth. Then rub your little pet with it. In this case, the old tenant will treat the newcomer friendly.

If your kitten gets lost and can't find the litter box in his new home, use a special spray to attract his attention.

To make the kitten feel that he is in a friendly atmosphere, carry him in your arms, pet him often and play with him. This way he will receive positive emotions. Call him by his name when you feed him or pet him. If the kitten misbehaves, do not punish it physically. It’s enough to say loudly: “Ugh!” or spray with water from a spray bottle to stop aggressive behavior.