Your cat's first day at home

Adopting a cat is an emotional moment but it's also very stressful for the cat. Cats are territorial and changes of environment easily overwhelm them. This guide helps you make the transition as smooth as possible.

Minimal setup before it arrives

Prepare before you go to collect it:

• Litter tray: 40×30 cm minimum · uncovered for the first few days · quality litter (silica, clumping bentonite). One tray per cat + one extra.
• Food and water: ceramic or stainless-steel bowls (not plastic — it causes feline acne). Away from the litter tray (at least 1 metre). A water fountain is optional but recommended.
• Hideaway: a cardboard box with a clean blanket, an open carrier, a tucked-away corner. It must be able to hide when it needs to.
• Scratching post: vertical (at least 70 cm tall) or ceiling-height. Without one, it will scratch your sofa.
• Toys: small balls, feather wands, a mouse toy with catnip. Start gently the first few days.
• The same food as at the rescue: ask the rescue for the brand it currently eats. Change it gradually over 7-10 days.

Reasonable initial cost: £70-£130 (the most expensive items are a good scratching post and a large litter tray).

The moment of arrival

Take the cat straight to the chosen isolation room. Open the carrier and step back without touching it. Let it come out when it wants. Talk in a soft voice. Don't invite family/friends to see it on the first day — just you and your immediate household.

For the first 4-12 hours it will usually hide. That's normal. Check that it:

• Has access to food and water
• Knows where the litter tray is
• Is in a calm environment (TV low, no loud noises)

The 3-3-3 settling-in rule

This rule is taught at many rescues and describes the 3 phases an adopted cat goes through:

• 3 days — surviving: it hides, eats little, comes out at night. It wants to reduce its exposure and work out whether the environment is safe. Don't pressure it. Let it take the initiative.
• 3 weeks — starting to understand: routines emerge. It recognises your voice, mealtimes, the spaces. It still startles at loud noises but by now lets itself be stroked sometimes. It's a good time to open up the rest of the house.
• 3 months — trusting: it now feels "at home". Its real personality appears. It marks its territory (scratching, rubbing against your legs). It may lie down beside you or ask for attention.

If your cat is very young (3-5 months) or very sociable, the timescales may be shorter. Adult rescue cats with a traumatic history can take 6+ months to feel fully comfortable. That's normal and it's not your fault.

What if it hides and won't come out?

This is the most common thing during the first 3-5 days. Follow this protocol:

• Do NOT drag it out of its hideaway. It creates extra trauma.
• Make sure food, water and a litter tray are easily accessible nearby
• Spend time in the room without looking at them: read, work, use your phone. Let them get used to your presence.
• Talk in a soft voice. Read aloud to it if you like (yes, it sounds silly but it works).
• When it comes out, do NOT rush towards it. Stay still and let it approach.
• Reward it with a small piece of wet food if it comes close.

Warning sign requiring a vet: if they go more than 24 hours without eating or drinking, there is a risk of hepatic lipidosis (especially in overweight cats). Call your vet.

Introducing a resident dog/cat

If you already have pets, do NOT introduce them on the first day. The correct process:

If there's another cat:

• Days 1-7 · complete isolation in a separate room
• Days 7-14 · scent swapping: run a blanket from the new cat around the old cat's area, and vice versa
• Days 14-21 · meetings under the closed door (they smell and hear each other)
• Day 21+ · first visual meeting with a gate or barrier
• Day 30+ · supervised direct contact, short sessions with an escape route

If there's a dog:

• Days 1-7 · isolation + scents
• Day 7+ · first meeting with the dog on a lead and the cat up high (scratching post, shelf)
• Reward the dog for staying calm. If it gets too close, redirect it without shouting.
• Safe retreat spots for the cat (high places) always accessible

Mistakes you must NOT make

1. Dragging it out of the carrier or hideaway · creates trauma
2. Inviting lots of people over on the first day · sensory overload
3. Changing the food brand · diarrhoea + digestive stress
4. Letting it loose all over the house at once · it loses its bearings and gets frightened
5. Bathing it · stressful and unnecessary in the first few days
6. Introducing it to other animals without prior isolation · territorial conflict
7. Punishing it if it has an accident outside the litter tray · a sign of stress, not bad behaviour
8. Allowing access to the balcony without a safety net · "high-rise syndrome" (fatal falls)

First visit to the vet

In the first week (ideally 3-5 days after arrival), visit the vet for an initial check-up:

• FIV/FeLV test if not done previously
• General check (weight, teeth, ears, skin)
• Review of outstanding vaccination schedule
• Parasite control plan (internal + external)
• Advice on a diet for your specific cat

If you adopted through Mizuu, the cat's health record is already in your digital passport — the new vet can read it without needing to repeat unnecessary tests.

In summary: have everything ready before arrival, isolate them for the first 1-2 weeks, be patient with the 3-3-3 rule, introduce them gradually to other animals, and take them to the vet during the first week. Adopting a cat is a long-term commitment (12-18 years): invest in a good initial adjustment.