Cats are territorial and sensitive to stress, so accommodating them requires special attention. Here’s how to ensure a smooth and safe care experience:

🛠️ Preparations

🔹 Step 1: Create a space for the cat

🛏️ Quiet room – For example, a bedroom or office, away from the busiest areas of the home
🐾 Basic supplies – Litter box, food, water, scratching post, hiding places
🧸 Familiar scent – Include blankets, toys, and a bed given by the owner
📚 Vertical spaces – Provide climbing and observation spots (e.g., shelves or cat trees)

🔹 Step 2: Make the home cat-safe

☠️ Remove hazards – Toxic plants, chemicals, small objects
🚪 Check exit routes – Close gaps, loose wires, small openings
🖼️ Protect valuables – Move breakable or easily tipped items to safety
🕳️ Block dangerous hiding spots – Prevent access to tight or hazardous nooks

🔹 Step 3: Gather essential information

💊 Medical needs – Medications, special diet, health issues
😼 Personality – Shy, social, territorial, favorite routines
🕒 Daily routines – Feeding times, play sessions, litter box preferences
🔊 Stress factors – Sudden noises, other animals, new people

🚪 Arrival of the guest cat

🔹 Step 4: Arrival day practices

📦 Arrival in transport box – Keep the cat in the transport box until it's in its own room
🚪 Immediate relocation – Place the box in a pre-arranged room and open the door calmly
🙅‍♂️ Avoid pressure – Allow the cat to explore at its own pace
🔕 Calm atmosphere – Keep noise and movement to a minimum during the first hours

🔹 Step 5: The first days

🕳️ Respect hiding – Allow hiding for 24–48 hours
🍽️ Regular feeding – Stick to the normal feeding schedule
🧘 Presence in silence – Be in the same room calmly, let the cat come to you
🙌 No forcing – Do not pet or pick up the cat unless it shows willingness

🐾 If you have other pets

🔹 Step 6: Calm introduction

🚪 Separate spaces – Keep the cats completely apart at first
👃 Scent introduction – Rub the cat with a towel and let the other smell it
👀 Visual access – A baby gate allows safe observation
👃 Supervised meeting – Only when both cats are relaxed

🔹 Step 7: Managing a multi-cat household

🍽️ Multiple resources – Separate litter boxes, food bowls, and water bowls
🪵 Vertical areas – High places for each cat
🚪 Escape routes – Hiding spots and exit options
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Individual attention – Set aside time for each cat separately

✅ Signs of successful adjustment

Good signs:
🍲 Eating normally
🚶‍♀️ Coming out of hiding
😽 Relaxed body language (slow blinking, tail up, purring)
🎾 Playing or showing interest in the environment

Concerning signs:
🚫 Staying hidden for more than 48 hours
🍽️ Refusing food for over 24 hours
🔊 Excessive meowing or complaining
🚫 Avoiding the litter box

🧼 Daily care routine

🔹 Step 8: Feeding and basic care

⏰ Regular schedule – Stick to the pet's normal rhythm
📊 Monitor eating and drinking
🧹 Litter box – Clean daily, keep tidy
💊 Medications – Follow the owner's instructions closely

🔹 Step 9: Socializing and enrichment

🐾 Respect boundaries – Let the cat decide the pace of interaction
🎣 Play – Use familiar toys
🌅 Enrichment – Rotate toys, provide window views
🧘 Calm company – Just being there often suffices

🎯 Special needs

Shy cats:
🕰️ Increase patience – Adjustment can take weeks
🔄 Reduce changes – Keep routines unchanged
🧍‍♀️ Gentleness – Move slowly, speak calmly
🚫 Give space – Do not force contact

Senior cats:
🛏️ Comfort – Provide soft and warm resting areas
🪜 Accessibility – Low boxes, easily reachable food
👀 Monitoring – Pay attention to changes in behavior or appetite
🤲 Gentle handling – May be sensitive or suffer from joint pain

🚨 Emergencies

🐾 Veterinary emergency: Not eating for over 24 hours, lethargy, vomiting
🚪 Escaping: Have a plan in case of escape
🕳️ Hiding: Safe way to retrieve the cat from hiding
📞 Contacting the owner: When to reach out, when to act independently

📸 Professional tips

📷 Documentation – Capture playtime, resting moments, feeding
📬 Daily updates – Keep the owner informed
😽 Respect the personality – Do not try to change the cat
🛡️ Safety first – If unsure, always choose the safe option

📦 Departure preparations

🔄 Gradual transition – Don’t change routines suddenly
🧸 Familiar belongings – Pack toys, blankets, food
📑 Summary – Written report of the care process
📞 Follow-up – Let the owner know how the adjustment to home is going