In approximately 3 hours I will be acquiring a cat.
My parents are selling their house and moving to an apartment in the next week or so, and can’t take the beastie with them, so I volunteered. She’s about 15 years old but pretty spry. She knows my smell and is friendly when I come over, but I haven’t lived with her in several years.
My parents’ house is two stories; I live in a studio apartment. Between the change in the size of the place and her age, I’m a wee bit concerned about getting her settled. We’re bringing her bed and her dish and her tinkly relaxation fountain and even some of her old litter to put in her new box. However, if anyone else has any other suggestions, or has been in a similar situation, or knows of a good website to look at, please let me know. She is a sweetie of a cat, and I want to make this as easy on her (and me!) as possible.
What is her favorite Treat? Provide much of it.
Does she like Catnip? Is so it can help a stressed out cat.
Is she more your mom’s or Dad’s cat? If she is particularly attached to either provide some unwashed article of clothing as a potential cat bed part.
If I think of more, I’ll pop in later.
Go to a pet store and purchase some Feliway (either the spray bottle or the room diffuser). It mimics a cat’s cheek pheromones, and can work very well to calm cats who are in new or stressful situations.
That was definitely the plan. Definitely not going to push her.
I’m worried because now there’s no “upstairs” or “downstairs”. Downstairs is where the food and box were. Food should be fairly easy to find; will the box be easy to find too? (I mean, it is to me, but I’m 5’5" and a lot younger than she is and I live here.)
Confine her to one room for the first couple days, to allow her to adapt gradually. Over the next week or so, introduce her to more of the house as she becomes more comfortable. Make sure the room you start her in has a place for her to hide and feel safe. Obviously, you would keep the food, water and litterbox in there, as well, until she has the run of the house. She’s going to hide anyway, most likely, and letting her explore the house little by little on her own terms will be less stressful for her.
All excellent advice here, I have nothing to add. I just wanted to say I love the thread title. It gave me the worst case of giggle fits I’ve had in a long while. I keep imagining a strange race of part cat, part people. Cat People! And when you aquire a cat, you must invoke them!
Kitty meowed like crazy all the way in the car, but quieted quite a bit once inside.
So I filled the litter box and then opened the carrier door.
Kitty stepped out, sniffed, and immediately walked around and started “sharpening her face” on everything in here. Like I said, I think the fact that she knew my smell helped a lot.
I showed her her box and her food, and then my friend and I went out for a couple of drinks. When we came home she was happy as a clam and out and wandering around, being a total love.
Yay! (As long as she doesn’t forget where her box is!)
I banish thee, Cat People, unto the foulest pit! (Hell, if you invoke you have to banish, right?)
Oh, and you’re required to read this webcomic, as I was informed by a friend of mine when my room mates and I ended up house sitting two cats for a ladyfriend: http://www.twolumps.net/
Yeah, everything everyone else said here - give her time, she’ll be fine. 15 is old to ask a cat to adapt to a new space, but the fact that it’s smaller I think will work FOR you instead of against you.
Cats tend to explore their boundaries slowly, so the fact that she can know her new digs faster will be a good thing.
And, shame on you for starting a cat thread without a picture or seven!
When I took on a friend’s eleven year old cat I did pretty much as the advice here has said. Vladimir didn’t know me, but he’s a people cat and was at home right away.
The difference was that I already had a cat of my own, not much younger than Vladimir. We kept them apart the first night, then let them out together for a while, to stalk around each other. They’re great friends now.
She’s currently curled up on my lap, trying to type with her nose. I think she’ll be fine. She’s been following me around constantly, and slept at the foot of the bed except for the times she’d get bored and walk over my head.
Sorry about the lack of pictures, but the only digital camera I have is on my phone and I have no webhosting.
Dumb Friends League has the best page of pet advice that I know of on the Internet. They’re definitely worth checking out whenever you’ve got questions about your pets. Glad she’s settling in so well!
I had to leave her alone for 8+ hours today, since I had to work. I came home - no messes, no fussing, no passive/aggressive behavior. And I know she knows where the box is, because she’s using it now.
I think this was the most pain free cat settlement possible.
