5 Tips For First Time Cat Owners

Start your year by adopting a cat or kitten! it’s important to prepare ahead of time. When you're a new cat owner, you only want the best for your fur baby. Every first-time cat owner checklist should include cat scratchers, extra litter boxes, and lots of playtime. Here are 5 great tips that all new cat owners should know.

1. Prepare a safe space

Your cat will be a little shy at first, so try to make your home as welcoming as possible. It's perfectly normal if your cat feels nervous and hides from you. Cats don't generally like change, and she may need time to get used to all the new smells and sounds in your home.

2. Give them all-natural food

Cats thrive on high quality food. Give them the right food specifically for their age to provide them the nutrients their body needs.

3. Set up scratching posts

Put a new scratching post inside their safe room. Scratching is a natural and comforting behavior for cats. It’s also important that the scratching post is new and has not been used by other cats.

4. Equip their safe space with their essentials

Place food and water on one side of the room and an open (unenclosed) litter box on the other side. Shyer cats may not eat much during the first 24 to 48 hours and may experience temporary diarrhea from stress. If your cat has not eaten in 48 hours, try some extra tasty treats such as canned tuna or salmon.

5. Spend time with your new pet

Spend lots of time playing with your new cat. This keeps her brain engaged and helps her develop good socialization skills. Get her to chase a feather wand around the house or put a treat in your hand and encourage your cat to chase you up and down the hall.