How long does it take for a cat to get used to a new home? An adult cat in a new home - how to help with adaptation? Meeting with a new tenant

Cats are very smart, but under stress they can get scared, hide, spoil things, as happens when moving to a new house or apartment. You can not punish them for this, but it would be better to help the pet adapt.

Using the right tactics, a person will be able to accustom a kitten or an adult animal to a new home. You need to take care of the tray, bed, toys and other cat "accessories" in advance that will help calm the animal.

pet stress

New housing for a pet will always be intimidating at first, which will affect the behavior of the animal. Cats will try to find a secluded corner and hide in it. In this way, it is easier for them to survive fear. If this happens, you do not need to forcefully pull the stubborn out. For a while, cats tend to sit back and sniff around, so it's best to leave them alone.

Cats are able to hide in a secluded place for up to two days, and also not to drink, not to eat, not to go to the toilet. There is no need to worry about this.

Next to the "shelter" you can put a tray and a bowl of water. The animal will gradually begin to get used to smells and understand that the "new world" is safe for him.

If a kitten appeared in the house

For a fluffy baby, recently separated from his mother, any housing is new. The world without the usual protection of an adult cat is overwhelming and frightening, so the kitten takes a long time to get used to the new. At this time, you should treat him carefully and affectionately.

You can't leave the baby alone. The first step is to build a toilet for him - a tray with filler. Then - in a certain place to put a plate for food. It is impossible that eating takes place next to the toilet. It is necessary to take care of a sleeping place, which can be a cozy and secluded corner, a house. The kitten should be warm and comfortable there.

The baby needs to be stroked, caressed. It is important to show him goodwill, then the animal will get used to the new home faster. No need to take the animal to your bed - this habit can become fixed. And to toilet train a kitten should be patient. If he made a "puddle", do not scold, but calmly put him in a tray, putting cotton wool moistened with animal urine in advance.

If you show a little patience, the kitten will quickly get used to a new place, begin to trust and give in return his caress.

Habituation for an adult cat

When changing the place of residence, in order to quickly adapt your pet to a new house or apartment, it is recommended to apply a number of simple measures:

  • arrange or lay out objects in the room, the smell of which is already familiar to animals: toys, a tray, furniture brought with them;
  • do not leave the cat (or cat) alone in a new place for a long time;
  • do not let the animal go outside so that the pet does not run away;
  • do not lure the animal out if it hides for a short time in a shelter, but simply wait a while;
  • show patience, kindness and care.

Cats remember smells, they will soon explore their new "world" and will behave in the usual way.

If the cat was taken from the street

The owner, who brought the animal from the street, should try to tame it and help it get used to the new habitat. You can adapt a cat to a new home, given some of the nuances. To begin with, it should be shown to the veterinarian in order to be cured of possible diseases.

In the house, a new pet needs to be given time to look around. Sometimes addiction occurs quickly, but often animals tend to hide. There is no need to disturb the cat, at this time it is useful to arrange his life: prepare a tray, a saucer, a scratching post, a cozy bed. The toilet must be placed in an accessible area so that the animal does not look for it throughout the house.

It is very difficult for people to part with their cats, and it is even more difficult for animals to survive such stress. But everything happens in life. If the owners leave the country or are physically unable to care for the animal, they hand it over to good hands. Of course, only responsible people do this. And irresponsible and heartless people can literally throw a pet out into the street.

But now we will talk about how to help the cat adapt to life in a new territory, with new people for her. An adult cat, which has long and firmly attached to its former place of residence, may become stubborn and try to return to the old house. Such cases are known - the cats ran away before the upcoming move, when the owners were packing.

But if the new owners follow the recommendations that are designed to help the cats endure this period normally, then everything will go fine, and the relationship between the animal and the person will be wonderful. But people need to show a lot of patience and kindness, because at first the beast will not show itself from the best side. The animal can be naughty or even hide, leaving only to eat. Cats do not like to be stroked by strangers, they will approach them only when they themselves want it. This is their difference from dogs, which are more friendly and trusting towards a person. Therefore, you do not need to forcibly take the cat to your lap, thus trying to tame it to yourself: in this way you will only scare away the four-legged one. In the event that the cat has known you for a long time, it will quickly get used to communicating with you and will not be very afraid.

But it's not just about you - the cat will be alarmed by an unfamiliar house. She needs time to slowly and carefully sniff all the corners, examine everything and maybe even try on the tooth. If she puts on a secluded corner in some closet, do not pull her out of there. By this you will show that you do not wish her harm, and she will not be afraid of you. Soon you will become friends.

Much depends on the nature of the animal. If earlier this cat lived in a house where guests often came, and met everyone, “talked” with everyone, then when moving to a new house, it will soon become just as sociable and courageous. She will play her favorite games with new acquaintances and “talk” with them in her own language. Well, if the cat is too independent and "wild", then it will take longer to get used to you. But anyway, sooner or later it will happen. New owners should be prepared in advance for the appearance of a cat in the house - you need to prepare a tray for it, put dishes for food and water. You may also need a scratching post so that the cat does not tear carpets and chairs. Give your cat a comfortable, soft place to rest, away from drafts. Ask the old owners what the cat is used to eating and try to buy or cook the same food for her - even though the diet will be her usual.

If there are other pets in the house, in addition to the newly arrived cat, the task of the owner becomes more complicated. After all, almost all pets can be "jealous", show curiosity or even aggression towards a newcomer. Therefore, even at the very beginning of the cat's stay in a new place, she will have a separate room, inaccessible to other animals - let her eat food, go to the toilet and rest there. The cat's curiosity and natural desire to explore the territory will eventually take their toll, and she herself will begin to leave the room.

Be prepared for inappropriate animal behavior. At first, the cat may rebel and go to the toilet not in the tray, but past it, hanging on the curtains or biting. Thus, they want to attract attention to themselves, because they feel so bad in an unfamiliar place. Here you can not do without angelic patience and true love for animals. Soon you will safely forget about these problems and in the face of a cat you will find a new devoted friend. She will change for the better and become obedient and affectionate. Even an adult cat will truly become attached to new owners in the same way that small kittens become attached to people.

If the cat of the previous owners often went for a walk on the street, then in the new house she will eventually ask for freedom. But she needs to get used to her new home first. This will take about two weeks or more. So that the cat does not go too far and quickly returns, let her go outside only when she is hungry. This way, she is more likely to hear your call and come running for lunch. In the future, she will get used to returning on time herself. Well, it’s even better if at first you accompany the cat on a walk. Sometimes it happens that a cat - especially a young one - adapts very easily and quickly when moving to a new home, and literally in a week behaves completely in a businesslike way, giving affection and joy to its new family.

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Meeting with a new tenant

It is not recommended to take a kitten if he is not yet one and a half months old. Firstly, it is not good to tear such a baby away from its mother. Secondly, it will be very difficult for you to take care of him (especially observe the feeding regimen and rules) and protect him from domestic dangers.

Going for a kitten, be sure to take a special carrier with you, in which it will be more convenient and safer to carry it. This is especially true for purebred cats. I know a case when a cattery breeder changed her mind about selling a kitten to new owners as soon as she saw that they came for him without a carrier and were going to carry him just in his bosom. “I can’t trust an animal to such careless people,” she said categorically. But even if you buy a kitten not from a cattery, but simply from acquaintances or from a grandmother in transit, this still does not mean that you should be careless about moving him to a new home.

When you bring a kitten home, do not pull it out of the carrier by force. Open it and wait for the moment when the baby becomes interested in something and leaves. If the cat hid - also do not try to pull it out by force. In the end, the curiosity of the baby will take its toll.

For the first two or three days, try to create a calm, stress-free environment for your pet. Do not arrange a festive feast in honor of the “new tenant” at home, do not invite all neighbors and friends to look at him. It is undesirable to turn on loud music at home, to talk in raised tones. Remember: the baby is already frightened, confused, confused by the fact that he ended up in an unfamiliar place with strangers. And then there is some fuss and hype around him!

Try to calm him down and convince him that the new house is comfortable and safe. Make it simple. For the first days, carry the kitten in your arms more (but not constantly and not with the whole family at once), stroke it, play with it. After all, he has just been separated from his mother, and yet he is still very small and needs her affection, love, protection ... Recall that in a family where everyone works, it is advisable for someone from the household to take a short vacation or at least a couple of days off for that the period until the animal will adapt to the new apartment.

Everything unfamiliar and unknown...

At first, the kitten may often meow (especially at night) or hide (for example, under the bed). He may even refuse to go to the toilet and eat almost nothing. This is normal behavior for a baby during the adjustment period. The main thing is that this state does not last too long. Usually, after two or three days, the kitten gets used to the new conditions and begins to behave the way it did before the move.

If you do not want your cat to sleep in bed with you, teach him to spend the night separately from the very first days. Get used to jumping into your bed as a baby - then you can’t wean it off. However, practice shows that in the case of cats, it is more difficult to distinguish between sleep zones than with dogs. In most cases, even the most principled owners in this matter sooner or later give in and allow the cats to lie with them.

In any case, at first it is better for a kitten to sleep alone - after all, it is still very small, and in a dream you can simply crush it. If, when taking a kitten away from its previous owners, you took his favorite toy, blanket or any other item that has the smell of his home, this is very good. Put this thing in a house or on a couch - in general, in the place where the baby sleeps. In the company of a favorite thing that smells like mom, he will feel more comfortable. If you don’t have such a thing, put a piece of fur, an old woolen sweater or a soft toy on the kitten - this will at least partially replace the mother’s warmth for the pet.

For the first day or two, it is advisable not to let the kitten wander around the entire apartment, but to keep it only in one room - where his toilet, bowls of food and water are temporarily located and where his house-couch is equipped. By observing how the animal adapts to the new environment, you yourself will be able to determine when it is time to expand these boundaries. And then everything will fall into place: he will eat in the kitchen, and relieve himself - where you put the cat tray. By the way, if you have a tray in the toilet, do not forget to keep the door ajar all the time so that the cat can freely enter there. Relatives and guests who come to your home will also have to be constantly warned about not slamming the door when leaving the toilet.

Caution first

Since you probably took care of the safety of the animal in your house in advance and removed all the things that could potentially poison him, sharp objects, and do not leave windows and doors open, you should not worry about a kitten walking freely around the apartment. But still, at first, do not lose sight of the baby for a long time: perhaps you did not take into account something - and he will need your help. After all, the curiosity of a kitten knows no limits!

If there are small children or other animals at home, be especially careful and allow them to interact with a small pet only under your supervision.

Feeding and education

As you know, a sharp change in diet and diet can adversely affect the well-being of any animal. Therefore, even if you do not want to feed your kitten the way the previous owners fed him, you still have to stick to the menu that he is used to at first. It is necessary to transfer the animal to a new food gradually and very carefully. But if you took a kitten in a cattery, it is still better to follow the recommendations on the menu that the breeder gave you. A professional will not advise bad.

When feeding a pet, affectionately repeat the word "eat" and call him by name. Also, when you call a kitten, at first avoid the common "kiss-kiss-kiss". Instead, say: “Barsik, come here!”, “Ginger, come to me!” or something like that - in general, the more often he hears his name, the faster he will get used to it.

Cats, although independent animals, are by no means stupid and, with good upbringing, are able to show miracles of obedience. Therefore, immediately establish rules for the pet's behavior. If it tries to scratch furniture, show with your whole appearance that you can’t do this, and from time to time bring the kitten to the scratching post. Jumped on the dining table or grabbed your leg - scold (but do not yell!), Hiss at the prankster, lightly sprinkle water on him from a spray bottle, or come up with some other method of punishment. Just don't hit the animal! Every time the pet is naughty, repeat the word “No” along with the punishment. Very soon, this “terrible” word alone will signal to the kitten that he is doing badly, and the need for punishment will disappear by itself. Gradually, the baby will understand what can and cannot be done in the new house. You just need to show a little patience.

Dear readers!

What the first day of a kitten's stay in the house looks like, perhaps, everyone who is familiar with cats at least remotely knows. On this day, the house is filled with joy from the fact that the family has replenished with one more family member, who is now destined to be everyone's favorite and center of attention, everyone's darling and object of care all his life. As a rule, newly minted owners cannot hide their jubilation, watching how a small fluffy ball walks around the back streets of their house, sniffing carefully.

By this time, the first meeting with the kitten, as well as his move to a new place of residence, are already behind him. In addition, on the very first day, the kitten, as a rule, manages to get acquainted with a new home for itself, at least in general terms, and smell everything and everyone. However, after all, the matter is not limited to one acquaintance, and the kitten often still behaves warily and is clearly nervous. So what should be done so that the kitten as soon as possible feels confident in himself and in the goodwill of his new owners and ceases to be 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 him. 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 an affectionate 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, in this regard, there may be one small problem. If the kitten has not yet figured out where his tray is and where he should relieve himself, then at night, when he wants to go to the toilet, he can, with the best of intentions, send her straight to bed, not far from where he sleeps.


However, regardless of whether the kitten will be put to sleep with his owner or not, if the owner is everywhere next to him, he will gradually realize that where his owner is completely harmless and soon the kitten will walk after his owner. Thus, the kitten will be able to get used to the new home much faster than when it is 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 the owner as if tied.

Many owners mistakenly believe that in order for a 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 the case at all. Most likely, the kitten will simply go to bed and fall asleep, not waking up until the arrival of his new owner. But with such a development of events, he really will not get used to either his master or the new housing.


Therefore, if you need to arrange a kitten for yourself, then you need to spend (at least in the first days) all your free time with him, and before each feeding, stroke him and talk to him affectionately. And only after that pour 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 useful to arrange toys throughout 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.


The owners should accustom the kitten to the presence in his 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 can be a loud TV, radio or something else. Of course, this does not mean at all that you need to fire crackers (cats never get used to such sounds and they are very harmful to cat 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 tenant, you should start turning on the TV at the volume that is comfortable for the owners, and no longer embarrass yourself in the sounds and try to muffle them.

I must say 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 well as possible and get used to all the 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 will the kitten be able to quickly get used to a new home and a new family.

It will not be superfluous to introduce the kitten to strangers. The only thing to 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 on the street, it is undesirable to go out there with such a small kitten. But to go out onto the balcony, getting used to the noise of the street, it is better every day and several times.

How to accustom a cat to a new home is of interest to those owners who have an adult animal or move with their pet. You can't just move a cat and expect it to handle the change without stress. Like people, not only adult cats, but even a kitten, do not immediately get used to a new place of life; and due to the fact that they cannot understand what caused the resettlement, adaptation is much more difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to help the pet and accustom him to change. Mistakes by the owner at the stage of getting used to a new home can cause the animal to fall into a long-term depression, which is dangerous for its physical health. The experience gained by lovers of four-legged pets will help to accustom a cat to a new home.

Mistakes in teaching

It is easier to accustom a kitten to a new place of residence than an adult animal. A number of common mistakes leads to the fact that getting used to a new place in a cat is very difficult and difficult. For an animal, many little things that seem insignificant to a person turn out to be important during this period.

The main mistakes that prevent a cat from being accustomed to a new home are::

  • ignoring the cat - after moving, she needs the maximum amount of attention so that she does not experience fear of loneliness, hiding in corners;
  • getting rid of old things familiar to the animal - having lost them, the cat is very confused;
  • introducing new animals at the same time as the cat moves to a new home - first you need to accustom your pet to it and only after that introduce new ones. The exceptions are cases when it is required to save the life of a four-legged animal, which has to be urgently introduced into the family;
  • punishing a cat for misbehavior - often a cat gets lost in a new place and cannot immediately remember where his tray is or where the scratching post hangs. The owner should not punish an animal that experiences severe stress after moving, but it is necessary to calmly accustom it to changes. To do this, you just need to remind the cat where his toilet or scratching post is, taking him to them when the need is noticed. The cat gets used to everything new gradually. Soon the pet will remember everything;
  • strangers in the house in the next 3-5 days after the cat's relocation - for an animal, even a very sociable one, the presence of strangers in the house becomes an additional shock and prevents the owners from accustoming it to a new home. Therefore, it is necessary to try at first to provide the pet with a calm environment.

Tricks of accustoming

To make it easier for a cat to survive the move, you should not completely destroy its world. A new home for an adult cat should have items that are already familiar to the pet. The animal will be easier to accustom to the changed conditions of life if the owner keeps his old things:

  1. bedding;
  2. house;
  3. scratching post;
  4. toys;
  5. bowls;
  6. tray.

Most likely, when moving, there will be a desire to change them, since rarely these old items look attractive. However, for the animal they are very important, and when moving they must be taken with you. Finding your belongings on the first day in a new home helps your pet get used to it faster. When the cat settles down in a new place, there will be no problems with replacing them with others.

Many cats try to hide when moving and are not ready to start developing the territory of their new place of residence for a long time. For the speedy elimination of such a problem, fragrant delicacies should be laid out in the apartment in different places. Even the most wary pet won't be able to resist going in search of a treat while exploring their new home. Having examined it and making sure that there is no danger, the cat will get used to it much faster.

The adaptation period will be much longer if, in addition to the house, the cat has changed its owner and must also get used to a new person. In such a situation, in order to accustom it, one must accurately learn from the previous owner about the habits of the animal and try to satisfy them. If a pet is drawn to people and wants to be petted, one cannot ignore his desires and refuse attention to a four-legged friend. When an animal, on the contrary, seeks to remain alone, one should not impose its society on it. Gradually, realizing that they love him, the cat will begin to make contact himself.

In order for a cat to easily endure moving to a new place and get used to another house, first of all, she needs the love of her owners.

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