How to Introduce Your Cat to a New Home

There are many old wives’ tales about how to get your cat to accept a new home. One of them is to rub butter on its paws and by the time he has licked it off, the place will be home to him.

Take no notice of this. The only thing that will happen if you do this is that your carpet will be ruined. But there are some other sensible suggestions to take heed of.

First, your cat will probably be feeling a little stressed out due to the move. Cats are very territorial creatures, so if you let your cat out of his carrier straight into your new home before you’ve even gotten settled in yourself, he is likely to take off and try to find his way back home.

He will certainly be frightened and attempt to escape as soon as possible, especially if strangers are lugging heavy furniture around and everything is in a state of disarray.

The best thing to do is keep your cat in the carrier until the movers are gone and everything is settled down and quiet. When you do let him out, confine him to one room and make sure his familiar things are in it with him.

This will be his food bowl, his litter tray, his bedding and his toys. Keep him in this room for a few days, or at least 24 hours. When you let him out of the room, make sure all the outer doors are closed so he cannot escape.

It’s a good idea to carry him around the house at first. This will give him reassurance that you are with him and he will feel safer being up high.

Once he has had a good look around his new home, let him down to the floor, making sure his food bowl and bedding are in their new position. See that he knows it’s all there. Allow him to look out the windows, but don’t allow him outside for several days.

When (if) you do let him go outside, keep an eye on him so that he become frightened and get lost. It’s a good idea to stay out with him at first. He will probably not want to go too far for a while.

Usually, cats make a beeline to some thick shrub that they can hide under until they’ve made sure there are no enemies around. This is what they would do if out in the wild. Make sure your cat knows where the door is so that he can go back inside if he feels the need to retreat.

It won’t be long before your cat gets used to his new territory and once you see him wiping his cheeks on the trees and bushes outside, you’ll know he is marking out his new territory.