Bringing home a new cat, wherever it might have come from, can be a difficult period of adjustment, both for your cat and your family. Small children are often less attuned to this acclimation process, and therefore are sometimes less patient with your new cat’s need for space, privacy and time to familiarize itself. Make sure you read our guide on adopting a cat beforehand, and read here to learn ways to acclimate your new cat to your kids.
Slowly Introduce Your Children To Your Cat
A new environment on its own is enough to cause a cat some distress, but when that environment is filled with strange new people, and even more so when those people are very active and very, very close to ground-level, it can be all the more anxious for your new cat. Besides simply allocating some private, cat-friendly space in which your new cat can seek refuge, you can also prepare your children for the kitty’s arrival. You don’t want to unleash a roomful of hyperactive children on an already unsettled cat, just as you wouldn’t want to unleash a roomful of hyperactive cats on a small child in an unfamiliar environment. So, help your kids understand that the cat will need some time, privacy and space in order to feel truly at home in its new house. Keep them from grabbing at the cat and tell them that it’s best to let the cat come to them, rather than vice versa, for the first few days to one week following the cat’s arrival.
Make Sure That Your Cat Has a Space All its Own
Nothing can make the time pass by any faster, but the space and privacy that the cat will long for upon being brought into an unfamiliar environment can be facilitated with proactive and creative thinking. Your new cat has a lot of new terrain to explore and get used to, and this can be overwhelming and distressing if it’s introduced all at once. The best way to ease your cat into its new environment is by establishing a special space designated for your cat. This can be a bathroom, small bedroom or even just a homemade pen that offers your cat some confinement as well as refuge.
Kitty Play Zone And Other Toys
While you can create a specifically cat-designated area from scratch, you could also consider something like the Kitty Play Zone from Automated Pet Care. It’s an ideal cat refuge that allows your cat to enjoy peace and privacy, houses its food and water bowls and also gives your children a canvas on which they can express their own creativity. It happens to serve one very specific purpose, as far as your new cat’s acclimation process is concerned, but also doubles as a fun, entertaining project for your little rascals. You can offer your new cat some toys, catnip or other comforting items in its Kitty Play Zone as an incentive to utilize this space, but, ultimately, you new cat will require some time, space and seclusion before it feels entirely comfortable in its new environment and with its new family. Farewell for now, feline folks!
