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SETTLING YOUR NEW ANIMAL IN

What to expect when you take your animal home
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Cats like routine.

One of the most traumatic events for a cat is moving house, but some cope better than others.


​It is quite likely that your cat has had a lot of upheaval over the last few weeks. He may have been fending for himself on the streets for a period of time and concerned members of the public have spotted and kindly helped him.

 

  • He has been captured by strangers,

  • Transported to a vet, to be prodded, poked and treated.

  • Transported again - to us to be health checked and given a pen where he will live until he finds his new home.

  • Meeting lots of different members of staff/volunteers to be cleaned/fed etc.

  • Going to the vets to be neutered, again in a carrier/travelling.

  • Then they finally get to go to their new home, but this is such a lot of upset for any cat, worse for sensitive souls.​

So what can you do?

You will have spent time with your chosen cat here at the animal centre and we will always pass on any information we have learned about them to you, but often the cat we have in the cattery - (an unnatural setting), is not the same as the cat you have at home once settled in. It's not an exact science but these are animals with their own free will and often their confidence improves a lot when they go home.


​When you take your new cat home, put them in a single room with everything they might need, food, water, litter, bed, toys, scratch post. If you have more than one new cat, make sure to have a litter tray per cat. Just leave them be to get their bearings, this will then be the base they go from and will likely return to this place when they want to feel safe and reassured. They need to learn about you, your family and your other pets. It's a lot for them to take in, and they don't yet know if you are friend or foe, so time is of the essence.


​When they have settled down a little after a few hours, spend some quiet time with them soothing them, gentle, quiet and slow, perhaps offer some high value food but don't worry if they don't want it yet. Don't expect too much too soon, it can be a slow process. Due to the types of animals we help, some from very stressful backgrounds, some can take weeks or even months to learn to trust us humans again. But just make sure you are there, reassuring, solid and reliable - that's what they need. 

Please don't give up on them

​It might seem like nothing is happening and they are not improving, but you will be making a difference, it's all part of the process of fixing broken animals. Returning an animal like this to us can be very detrimental to their welfare so please only take on a very scared animal if you are prepared to commit to them, and be there every step of the way. Most will improve immeasurably, but sometimes, they will never fully trust us, and that's OK.
 
​​​It's very exciting taking a new cat home and you (or the children) will want to see them sitting on your lap, purring and playing. If this happens you are very lucky. Most cats will want to go somewhere quiet and safe. They will then often fit into the tiniest spaces you would swear would never fit a cat in, but they will watch the world from afar, taking it all in. Let them, and don't try to get them out. As the days pass by, they will become braver and learn to relax and trust.

When can they go outside?

We recommend keeping a new cat in for about 4-6 weeks, but this is largely dependent of the cat in question. A regular friendly cat with no issues will want to go out sooner rather than later, but we recommend no earlier that 2 weeks. This will give them some time to get to know where they live, who their new family are. 

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