Adopting a Kitten or Cat
How to provide safety, health and happiness for your new pet.
We often hear people say: "cats can take care of themselves..." or "cats have nine lives...". Having homed numerous cats and kittens over the years, and met many people who have told the often-tragic story of their previous pet, we think that such remarks show a rather irresponsible attitude. All too many cats have had very short lives, ended by accidents that could have been avoided.
Travelling with a cat
A sturdy carry basket is recommended
A safe journey is the start of the cat’s new life. It is essential that it has its own safe travelling basket made from wire or plastic for future trips to the vet. cats usually object to this type of confinement and turn into a howling bundle of misery but pay no attention - and please DO NOT open the basket during the trip to comfort it. The AA, in their leaflet Driving with Animals, say of cats in cars: "During a journey a cat should be confined in a proper carrying basket or cage - a cardboard box is not suitable.” We have known of friendly domestic cats that had clawed and bitten their way out of cardboard cat carriers within minutes. Taking a cat to the vet wrapped in a towel in your arms is not advisable. Cats can struggle free, cause accidents and be hit by other cars on the road if they should escape. An additional warning from the AA: do not leave cats in parked cars in hot weather without ventilation, and always park in the shade. We recommend however that animals are never left unattended in cars at all.
Settling in the new home
It is impossible to predict how a cat will behave on arrival: it can range from positively curious to apprehensive, fearful and upset, or even panicky: at the worst, aggressive if approached. Any of these reactions can apply for any cat or kitten, domestic or ex-feral, because all derive from the same wild ancestor, the African wild cat, and their original wild "pedigree" will surface when provoked. We therefore always advise starting the cat off in one closed room provided with food and litter tray for several days (or even weeks if necessary, in the case of nervous cats). Ideally this should be the living room, so that cat and people can get used to each other faster.
On arrival, we let the cat look out of its basket for a while to get used to the new sights, smells and noises. Since CAT77 always takes the cat to its new home, we use this time to check the place for hidden dangers like open floorboards, which are often concealed inside cupboards, behind kitchen units or in cubbyholes. These need to be covered securely before the cat is let out of the basket.
Don’t forget open chimneys
Apart from losing a new cat or kitten from the house all together, there is only one possibility worse than a cat under the floorboards: a cat up the chimney. To prevent this, either close the fireplace with a tightly fitted, solid piece of wood or hardboard or - much easier - stuff the flue entrance with a large black refuse sack stuffed with crumpled newspaper and secured firmly to cover the irresistible hole.
Windows and doors need to be checked (1/2" is enough space for a kitten or cat to attempt an escape) and the cat flap must not only be locked but also secured with strong tape.
Taking things slowly…
To calm the cat, we can stroke it for a while inside the basket; the new owner can join in gradually. If the cat is very nervous, we make sure the litter tray is near its hiding-place; cats are naturally clean and easily take to the litter tray provided it is within reach.
If we home an ex-feral cat or kitten, we sometimes recommend borrowing a kitten pen from us for the first few days in order to prevent it hiding away in a place of its choice where it cannot see people or be stroked. The playpen is a "hideout" with a purpose: the kitten feels secure but learns to socialise at the same time. This way the phase of panic and fear is cut short, and the desired bond is formed faster.
Once let out of its playpen the kitten should remain in the same room until it is fully confident and will come to its new owner; it can then be introduced to other rooms gradually. During this time the litter tray should stay in its original place while a second one is put in the spot finally intended for it - usually near the back door of the kitchen or conservatory. By gradually reducing the amount of cat litter in the first litter tray to a minimum, we encourage the kitten to choose the tray in the second and final location.
We strongly recommend that you always keep a litter tray for your cat, even when it is going outside. Since we only rehome to people who understand the dangers of allowing your cats out at night, a litter tray is essential.
Removing the indoor tray abruptly does not encourage the cat: it only makes it unhappy and confused and may cause the start of a dirty habit.
When can the new kitten be let into the garden?
When the cat is at ease and settled in every room of its new home and has bonded with their new owners, it can be carefully introduced to the outside.
The cat should have received both of its core vaccinations (cat 'flu, feline infectious enteritis and feline leukaemia are lethal viruses, and responsible cat owners will have their cats vaccinated and boostered regularly).
If the kitten is already over 3 months old at the time of adoption, it would be advisable not to let it out before it is neutered. Some female kittens can come into season as early as 4 months old. CAT77 rehomes all cats with their vaccinations complete and either neutered (if old enough) or with a neutering contract in place.
On a warm day the kitten can finally be let out through the back door - never the front - preferably at a time when the owner is at home all day. While the kitten explores the outside the door must be kept wide open so that it can rush back inside when it feels insecure. It is advisable to allow it many short outings under strict supervision, so that it does not venture too far too soon. Never allow it to stay outside when you have to go out.
Cat flaps
A young kitten can push a cat flap open long before it is ready to understand it and use it properly. Any cat flap must therefore be kept locked until the kitten is ready to go out; meanwhile other resident cats will need to be let in and out by hand. Once the kitten is allowed out, the cat flap can be taped up in the open position so that the kitten gets used to it, then release the flap and encourage the cat to pass through, teaching it how to push the flap open. Most cats pick this up very quickly.
The great outdoors
The garden
The garden should be as safe as possible, and gaps in the fence repaired before the kitten is let out. Fishponds can be dangerous and ideally need sloping sides or a shallow “shelf”. Large pots filled with earth and containing water plants can be submerged near the edge of the pond, their surface just below the water. These will act as steps for cats, hedgehogs or other small animals to escape. A covering of pondweed is particularly dangerous, as the cat can mistake it for a solid surface.
It is possible to completely cat proof your garden. This can be done to certain specifications by a good handyman, or you can get a commercial company to install bespoke cat fencing for you.
Dangers of the road
Almost every cat owner has in his time lost a cat to a traffic accident, and cats need to be discouraged as much as possible from going near the street. Even a "streetwise" cat will run across the road if it sees a bird even when a car is close: cats act on reflex, not reflection.
Keeping your cat in at night
At night cats do not recognise approaching headlights as a danger; drivers also tend to speed at night when roads are clear and may not even see the cat until it is too late. Cat thieves may operate at night; foxes may attack young, elderly or sick cats. Cats are active at dawn and dusk, as is your local wildlife. By keeping your cats in at night, you will help protect birds and small mammals from predation. Other cats can also be a real danger to our pets and unneutered tomcats, whether domestic or feral, will fight and bite at all times, but especially at night. They will attack neutered or unneutered cats of either sex or may pass on diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
© Cat Action Trust 1977