Essential Tips for New Cat Owners
If you’re getting ready to welcome a new cat into your home, then congratulations! You’re making a purr-fect choice. Now, keep reading for essential cat care tips for new pet owners.
Prepare Your Home
Adjusting in those early days of bringing home a new pet can be a bit easier if you have supplies on hand before adoption day. Start with purchasing a carrier for a safe car ride home, and then make sure you have:
- Bedding
- Food and water dishes
- Food and treats (if you can, purchase the same food as the shelter or rescue group has been feeding)
- Litter box, litter, and scoop
- Toys, perches, and scratching posts
- A breakaway collar and ID tag
- Household cleaner (expect an accident or two as your cat gets settled in—and honestly throughout life!)
Some Additional Cat Feeding Tips
If you ultimately want to feed your new cat or kitten a different food than the shelter provided, make the switch gradually. You can usually ask for at least a small amount of their food at adoption so that you can introduce the new food over time. As you transition, each meal should look something like this:
- 25% new food plus 75% old food for about 3 days
- 50% new food plus 50% old food for about 3 days
- 75% new food plus 25% old food for about 3 days
- 100% new food going forward
This guide will help you switch diets with reduced likelihood of GI distress.
To maintain ideal body condition, don’t forget to factor in treats as part of the overall diet. A very active and playful kitty can generally have a few more treats each day than a relaxed, cool cat.
Make Your First Veterinary Appointment
Even if you adopt a cat that is already vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped, you will want to begin a doctor-patient relationship, plus have an exam to get baseline health data. Whether you’re aware of conditions or concerns in your cat’s medical history on adoption day or you don’t have any previous records at all, a new pet exam can help you manage what you know about and uncover what you don’t. Such information is vital, and it’s best to learn what you can right away.
Your veterinary team can also help you identify any special grooming services your cat might need. For example, if your new cat has longer hair, are you prepared to prevent tangles and matting? Or, would it be best if you set up standing appointments with a professional groomer? You can also request demonstrations for nail trimming and teeth brushing, both of which are part of an important at-home care routine. Take this opportunity to ask any and all questions you have about how to care for your new cat or kitten!
Update Your Phone
While you’re booking that initial veterinary appointment, look for the nearest pet emergency hospitals, too. While we at Sacramento Cat Hospital can provide both routine and urgent care, you should know who to call and where to go if your cat gets injured or very sick outside of our business hours. Save those emergency numbers in your contacts, and bookmark their websites as well.
Also, save the phone numbers and websites for the Pet Poison Helpline and ASPCA Animal Poison Control. If you ever have concerns about something your kitty ingested, you can call either of those services 24/7/365 (note that fees may apply). Experts can guide you through potential poisoning emergencies, and they can provide information to either your regular or emergency veterinary team as they plan treatment.
The best new cat owner advice we can give you is to be as prepared as possible by following these first-time cat owner tips. You can add Sacramento Cat Hospital (916) 488-4161 to your contacts, too. We can’t wait to congratulate you on the new feline addition to your family!