Your new cat: Why are the first 24 hours so important?

The cage was small, but the people were nice and Tiger felt safe. He was regularly fed, petted and groomed. Still, he wasn’t home. Tiger had been ‘home’ and still had vague memories of the woman who had cared for him and the other cats who lived with her.

Then he had been brought to this place, and he had been here so long that he had almost forgotten ‘home’ and the woman.

However, there was restlessness here, and Tiger felt it. Something was about to happen. Something bad.

Then two humans entered. They put him in a cage with them. He jumped into the woman’s lap. They put him in a dark place that hit him and pushed. He heard strange and terrifying noises. He howled, and a male voice responded with noises he couldn’t make out.

Then there was light. AND TERROR!

A small hand reached out and tried to grab it. There were people he didn’t know; they all approached him. There was another cat that arched and spat.

So, horror of horrors…

There was a dog!

Tiger fled. He fled down a long hallway and bolted through the first open door he found. He hid in the darkest place he could find… between soft and hard things he didn’t recognize. He heard voices. He heard the dog bark and shuddered. He heard the high-pitched voice of the child and the voice of a woman… which were easier to bear.

He crouched low and remained as invisible and silent as possible.

rush adoption

Animal shelter staff greet people looking for new pets with joy and suspicion. People walk between the cages, looking at each cat, and the staff hope to select a cat that has been there a long time.

But they know what people are looking for; They are looking for kittens, not adult cats.

If there are no kittens, customers sometimes reluctantly choose an adult cat as a “consolation prize,” pay adoption fees, and take it with them…

Only to return the cat two or three days later.

“I’m sorry, but this cat just didn’t work out. We couldn’t fit him into the family.”

Prayed…

“This cat is too wild. We need something tamer, something that fits.”

“What happened?” The staff member asks.

“The cat ran away and hid. It took us three days to find it, and when we finally did, we had to chase it all over the house before we caught it. We need something tamer, something that fits better.”

So go the sad stories of returnees… but wait, it can be worse for cats adopted in other ways.

“The landlord won’t let me stay with her, could you take her in?”

People who adopt stray dogs, or a friend’s cat, often don’t realize the full scope of things they need to do for their new cat:

o Prepare your home to receive your cat

o Take care of your cat’s medical needs.

o Make sure your other cats are protected from diseases

o Take care of your cat’s physical needs.

o Properly introduce your cat to fellow residents, children, and other pets.

And perhaps most important:

o Prepare for a good relationship with your new cat.

People who have never had cats before don’t really realize what a cat is: a highly intelligent and independent animal that needs love and affection every day, but it is not a dog.

Cats bond with people, just like dogs, but they don’t always bond with the person who adopted them. They will choose who they like, much to the dismay of the person who “picked” them in the hope of having acquired a new friend.

This is a very good reason why the first 24 hours are so important. It is during this period that your cat will decide who he wants to bond with.

Unless you know what you’re doing, it may not be with you.

Weather

A cat needs to spend time with her. One of the big mistakes busy people make is not realizing that they have busy schedules that don’t allow them to spend enough time with their newly adopted cat.

Ultimately, this could cause your cat to run away. If you don’t have time to spend with your cat, he won’t choose your house as his “den”. He’ll be off in search of another, and soon you could be reporting a “lost cat.”

Or, to your dismay, you’ll discover that the cat you thought would make a loving companion has bonded with another member of your household…someone who had time to spend.

Money

Many people do not count the cost of having a pet. In their excitement about adopting a cat, they forget that they don’t have the budget to support it. Belatedly, they discover they don’t have the cash on hand to buy their new feline’s basic needs or provide her with the medical care she’s sure to need.

Many people avoid pet health insurance, not realizing that the same things that happen to people happen to cats, and can cost large sums of money to cure. This can result in the loss of your beloved pet because the price to save it is “too high.”

Medical Needs

Some people who adopt feral cats or cats from friends don’t realize the full scope of medical care their new cat needs:

o A complete physical exam

o A complete vaccination regimen

o Spaying or neutering

In particular, that cute kitty you brought home from a friend’s litter will need a long series of vaccinations (along with boosters) spread out over a period of a couple of years. You can’t do it all in one day.

Failing to do this will almost certainly spell tragedy down the road. I know. I did not give the vaccinations to one of my kittens. I made him an outdoor cat and he died of feline leukemia. The story definitely had a very sad ending…

Your cat’s physical needs

When your cat leaves the carrier for the first time, will it be equipped with the essentials?

Or will you find out you need these things later… and bring them in one at a time, after your cat has pooped in the corner, started scratching the furniture, or started some other unauthorized behavior that you’re not up for? prepared? (And keep in mind that a cat is a very obsessed animal… once he starts doing something, it’s very hard to change.)

Making sure you have what you need to welcome your new cat is vital…and you should have the basics on hand before you bring your cat home.

first presentations

So when your cat first gets out of her carrier, will everyone in your household attack her at once? And when she does, will she run away in terror, trying to find the safest, darkest corner she can find?

Or will you introduce her gradually… to try to reduce the trauma as much as possible so she can adjust and feel at home in her new situation?

Your technique for doing that can be a deciding factor in whether or not your cat adjusts to your home right away, the next day or the next month, or if she leaves the house altogether.

the days to follow

Do you know how to care for your new cat in the days to come, assuming you’ve handled your first few introductions well? Do you know about allergies, special foods, bathing, grooming, hairballs, urination, training and teaching without scaring or alienating him, and a host of other situations that cat owners deal with on a daily basis? Do you know the dangers involved in letting it become an outdoor cat?

To be prepared

As you’ve often heard, “grooming is the key to success,” and nowhere does that apply more appropriately than in cat ownership. If you are prepared, your adoption will probably go smoothly.

I say probably because every cat is different. Even with the best preparation by a knowledgeable owner, a cat may want to hide for a while. And if you find out that’s the case…

You need to know what to do.

The key

That’s why I wrote my book, “Your Cat’s First 24 Hours”, http://www.yourcatsecrets.com, to give you everything you need to know and have, not just to prepare for your new cat and introduce her to her to your house, but to understand it and take care of it in the following days.

I have to say it again: preparation… and knowledge… is the key. When you decide to adopt, I hope you don’t do it in a hurry.

I hope you do it with knowledge and understanding.