• This is a Stressful Time for Everyone

Remember, coming into a new home will most likely be highly stressful for your new kitten or cat. Older cats may especially have a rough time.

A cat’s first and natural reaction to new surroundings is to run and hide. Setting up a "safe place" for your cat to hide and hang out will help to make her feel more secure and adjust to her new home a lot quicker.

Remember that adult cats are highly territorial. Kittens are less so, but it still helps to follow a few suggestions to help reduce the stress and ease the transition for your new family member.

Making a "Safe Place" for Your New Cat or Kitten

Setting up a safe place inside your home will help to ease the transition for your new kitten or cat. Just like when you bring home a new baby, you will need to have a place already set up for your cat, along with some essential cat supplies.

Set up a small room for your cat to have as his own territory for a little while. If you don’t have a spare room, a walk-in closet, or the bathroom will do fine. The room should be quiet and separate from other pets.

Be sure to have the essential cat supplies already set up for your cat. At an absolute minimum, you’ll need the following:

• cat litter box and litter box supplies
• cat food
• fresh water.

Be sure to keep the litter box as far as possible from the food and water.

If you have the space in your cat's safe area, you should also have the following:

• a cat scratching post
•  or other scratching alternative (such as a cardboard scratcher)
• some cat toys, and a
• cat bed.

The bed can be as simple as a folded up towel in the corner.

After your new cat is settled and ready to move in to the rest of her new home, you may want to consider additional cat supplies and cat furniture.

Introducing Your New Cat to Her "Safe Place"

When you first bring your new cat home, you should keep her in her cat carrier for a short time while you are in the room setting up or hanging out with your cat. After a little while, open the cat carrier. Don’t force your cat to come out. This will only cause more stress and slow down the process of making your cat feel comfortable and safe. Let her decide when she wants to come out. Some cats will remain in the carrier for hours. Don’t worry. This is normal for cats.

Eventually, a bit of comfort and some hunger will set in and your cat will come out to explore. Make sure there are food, water, and a litter box set up in your cat’s temporary and safe place.

Spend Time With Your New Cat in Her "Safe Place"

As often as you can, spend time visiting with your new cat in her safe space. (This is why it’s best to bring your new cat home when you know you’ll have time to spend with her. If you work during the week, bringing your cat home on a Saturday morning is a good idea.) Go into your cat’s safe place several times a day, but don’t force your attention on your cat. She’ll let you know when she’s ready.

It could take your new cat a day, a week, or even more to get used to her safe place and feel comfortable.

Your cat's comfort will depend on several things, such as her temperament, past experiences, or whether there are other animals in the house. Kittens often adjust quicker than full grown cats. Don’t worry and don’t force the issue. Let your cat or kitten set the pace.

Let her get comfortable in this smaller space before you open up the rest of your home to your new cat.

Time to Explore the Rest of Your Home!

Once your new cat seems comfortable in her safe space, it’s time to let her explore the world beyond. Open the door to your cat’s safe haven and let her come out and explore the rest of your home at her own pace.

Always keep the door to the safe haven open so your cat can retreat to this safe place when she needs to. Your cat will most likely appear hesitant and a bit of a scaredy cat at first. Don’t worry. This is normal.

Most cats will start to make small excursions under the cover of night. This will include rapid retreats back to the safe haven, so be sure to keep the door open and don’t let it shut by itself. When getting used to her new home, your cat should always be able to retreat to her safe place.

Be Patient with Your New Cat

Adapting to his new environment and establishing a new territory will take some time for your new cat. For some cats, it may be just a matter of days, for others, a matter of weeks or even months.

If there are other animals in the house, the adjustment process could take a bit longer, but don’t worry. Cats have a way of working out territorial issues.

Let your cat adjust to her new environment at her own pace and you will have a happier cat. With enough time, your cat will rightfully act like she owns the place!

What To Do If There Are Other Pets In Your Home

You'll have additional considerations if you're bringing your new cat home to a household that already has one or more cats, or a resident dog.

The First Six Weeks

Week 1: Tiny Food Processing Factories

Although during the first week of a kitten's life he will be concentrating on feeding and growth, (he will double his birth weight this week) other physical changes are taking place which will become more apparent soon, so hold onto your hat!

Week 2:

• Your kitten is continuing his growth at an astonishing rate, by at least 10 grams per day.
• His eyes will start to open and will be completely open at 9 to 14 days old. All kittens' eyes are blue, and will remain so for several weeks. Their vision will be blurred at first, and their pupils don't dilate and contract readily, so they should be protected from bright lights.
• The kitten's sense of smell is developing, and he will even hiss at unfamiliar odors, as the photo depicts. (Big ferocious kitten!)
• You may be able to determine the sex of the kittens by this time. Don't be too sure though; even veterinarians sometimes make mistakes this early.

Week 3:

• Ear canals will be completely open.
• Kittens can voluntarily eliminate now, as their digestive system is developing.
• They will start to socialize now, with each other, and with people, and will want to explore their surroundings a bit.

Week 4:

• Depth perception has developed.
• Sense of smell is fully developed.
• Baby teeth will start to show.
• Kittens are learning to walk without stumbling.
• They will interact more with their littermates, even to the point of forming "alliances" which may or may not be gender-based.

Week 5:

• Kittens may be introduced to canned kitten food at this time. Select a quality brand of canned kitten food with a named meat source as the first ingredient (chicken is good). Many breeders and rescuers will have been feeding this food to the mother cat, and the kittens will quickly accommodate to eating mom's food.
• Kittens can also learn litter box basics now. They need a smaller, separate box, one that will be easy to access and exit, with only an inch or two of litter.

As human babies experiment by tasting everything, so will kittens. Avoid their ingestion of harmful substances by using a natural litter such as one made from corn cobs, paper, or wood chips - NEVER clumping clay litter.

Week 6: Socializing

Socialization skills continue, and there is no doubt that these are lively, active, KITTENS who will grow up all too soon to be adult cats. They can run, pounce, and leap, and can entertain themselves and their human observers endlessly. Just as quickly they can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, (growing up is hard work), so take care not to let them tire.
Kittens will follow their mother cat's lead in socializing with humans. If she has a comfortable relationship with the humans in her life, so will her kittens. However, if kittens are not accustomed to human handling by six weeks, it will be a long, slow, process to train them later, and such a cat may never be a "lap cat."

For this reason, feral cat rescuers, if faced with a pregnant feral or a very young litter, will separate the litter from the mother (after spaying her) before six weeks for optimal results in socializing the kittens for new homes.

For our purposes, however, the litter of kittens we are tracking live with the mother cat in a family setting. Socializing a kitten at this age will make all the difference in the world to his personality and interaction with humans as adult cats.

Socializing Tip:

Kittens should learn at this age that hands are not for playing - hands are for holding, petting, and feeding. One of the best "toys" for teaching this lesson is a plastic drinking straw. You can drag it across the floor and watch the kitten chase it, then wiggle it a bit and allow him to pounce on it and "capture" it. The baby may proudly strut with his prize before settling down to bite on it. The plastic is nice and crunchy, and makes a good aid for teething, as well.

Well-socialized and completely weaned kittens may be ready for their new forever homes in just a couple of weeks. If you've been waiting for your kittens to be old enough to adopt, you'll probably be pretty excited by now.

Patience, though. Remember, "All good things come to those who wait."