Bringing Your New Kitty Home

Adoption is very exciting, but it can also be scary for a kitty. Give them some time to feel safe in their new home as well as with you.

Here are some things to know to help your new family member adjust more easily into your home:

• Do not allow your kitty loose in your home until they have had time to adjust to you and their new surroundings.
  • Set up a space with food, water and a litter box for the kitty in a small, enclosed room behind a closed door. This space should not be a high traffic area of your home. Try using a spare bathroom or bedroom. You will know when your kitty is adjusted because they will be eating, drinking, using the litter box and greeting you at the door.
• They may need 24-72 hours of decompression or more to adjust. All cats vary.
  • During this time, it is normal for them to hide and not eat, drink or use the litterbox much.
  • Allow the kitty to come to you. Do not pull the kitty out from their hiding space, as this will make you seem scary to the kitty. Reaching in and petting the kitty while they are hiding is also scary to them. You want to create a safe and predictable environment for your kitty. Right now, you are a stranger to your kitty; we don’t like hugs or kisses from strangers and neither does your kitty. If you go slowly and let the kitty come to you, they will feel safer and more confident wanting to be pet by you.
• If you are worried your kitty is hiding in an unsafe location, call our Adoption & Behavior team to find a fear-free way of moving your kitty safely.
• If after sufficient decompression time you are worried your kitty is not adjusting well, call our Adoption and Behavior team for more tips and tricks to help with the adjustment.
• If your kitty is going to the bathroom outside the litterbox, call our Adoption & Behavior team right away. A cat that goes to the bathroom outside the litterbox has a medical or behavioral issue. The behavioral reason is always a response to fear, anxiety or stress. This does not mean they are upset with you.
  • Accidents outside the litterbox are more likely to be resolved the sooner you contact our Adoption & Behavior team. Contacting us after the first accident is critical. This will ensure the cat does not continue to practice this behavior. When cats miss the litterbox, it’s rarely a fluke and will occur again if there’s not intervention.

Contacting the Adoption & Behavior Team

Our team is available Monday – Friday 11 am – 6 pm and Saturday and Sunday 11 am – 5 pm.

Call: 234-212-9843

Email: adoptions@summithumane.org

If a trainer is not available to speak to you that day, other members of our Adoption & Behavior team will provide some small tips and tricks to keep everyone comfortable until one of our trainers can contact you within the next 24-48 hours.