The worst thing about this now is the waiting. Before we can arrange to bring our cat home we have to pass a home inspection to make sure we are safe. We need to put our house in order. It’s like preparing to welcome a small child. Put the chemicals away, tidy away loose wires. So many things we need to sort out. We have started to think about the first few days. The internet is full of useful cat friendly advice.
- Cats are territorial, and coming into a new home leaves them feeling really uneasy. Thinking of it from their viewpoint there is all that new unexplored space, and if you think there may be monsters under the bed imagine what the poor putty tat thinks may lurk there. We have to provide a small area to call her own for the first few days. There is a spare bathroom but its a bit small or the dining room which would be comfy for us as well.
- We want to sort out all the basic cat amenities, such as food, water and a litter box – I can feel a shopping trip coming on but we need to know from the shelter exactly what she likes to eat. No one wants to go to a home only to find they hate the food. Lunch to go is a must with food and water bowls. (Cats are just as picky as human beings so it needs to be far enough away from the litter box not to spoil her appetite).
- The litter box again needs to be the same familiar brand so it smells the same and placed in her room where she can use it undisturbed. After all, no one peers at me on the loo, and it will give her confidence that will help with litter box anxiety.
- Cats love to get away from it all in small places, and we are going to provide one for our new cat as her own little safe haven. And an additional bonus – all those lovely goodies will come in a cardboard box . A cardboard box is cat heaven . We are also going to buy a covered cat bed. Perfect for a small nervous kitty.
- Cat etiquette requires that she can see the door to the room from her hidey hole, so she won’t be startled by any member of the family making an unexpected entrance to say hello.
- A cat’s claws need to be worn down, and they do this by scratching on things. We will buy her a scratching post to save our sofa.
- Making it smell like home. We can encourage our cat to use the post by sprinkling it with catnip
- We need to look at our house with a cat’s eye for climbing and exploring. Its time to take things off top of the kitchen cabinets and shelves just in case, and make sure there’s nothing on display that could be knocked off.
I also need to do something constructive while we wait. Just as well there is a lot of shopping required.
Lucky Black Fireplace Cat 