Does your cat need a new home?

It is not always easy to find homes for adult cats, and it will not happen overnight. But it is definitely possible with some time and patience, and a good effort on your part. Just mentioning it to friends and acquaintances is not enough. You have to make the entire town know of your cat’s existence and it’s need for a new home.

FIND YOUR CAT A NEW HOME Behaviour Advice

Steps to Find Your Cat a New Home

Because our shelter is a ‘no-kill’ facility, we are in high demand. On average we receive over 100 requests for help each month. Our shelter is small and we can only accommodate approximately 6 new cats per month, depending on our rate of adoption. Please follow the steps below and you should be able to find your cat a new home without having to resort to a shelter situation. Although our shelter is very comfortable and home-like, it is still very stressful for any cat to live in a shelter environment. Do your cat a favour and take the time to advertise.

Step 1 – Advertise

Advertising in the local paper – run an ad every week or two. It is usually very inexpensive in the local paper and we often have very good success with this. It is very important to be honest about your pet when advertising.

It is very important to be honest about your pet when advertising. If you hope to find it a new forever home, then you need to make
sure you find the right match. Otherwise it will be disastrous and
stressful for everyone involved, especially your cat. Indicate what
type of household the cat prefers – is your cat ok with other cats?
Dogs? Children? Does your cat have health concerns?
Aggressing issues? Does your cat like to go outdoors? Search for
the right match and if you know that your cat would not be happy
in a particular setting than don’t even entertain candidates with
that setting.

Step 2 – Posters

Put up posters all around town – one with a picture really helps. Colour photocopies are quite reasonable these days. Go to surrounding towns too. The more people you reach the better. Most pet food stores and vet clinics have adoption boards and most libraries and grocery stores have bulletin boards too.

Step 3 – Advise Local Vet Clinics

Advise all the local vet clinics that they are available for adoption. Most clinics have a bulletin board or a list they keep of cats for adoption.

Step 4 – Check Out Internet Adoption Sites

We are on www.petfinder.com. You can post your cat there for adoption. They also have a listing of other private shelters and rescue groups that you can contact.

VISIT PETFINDER

What do I do if Nobody Will Want my Cat?

Many surrender requests come to us because their cat is not using the litterbox faithfully, their cat is senior, their cat has health issues or their cat has aggressive tendencies. While these situations may take a little longer to secure new homes for, it is still possible. Often behavioural issues are a result of the cat being unhappy in their current home and proper rehoming often resolves the issue. In fact, as long as the medical results are clear, once the cat is rehome into a more suitable environment, the behaviour will likely never occur again. These are reasons to be open and honest with the new adopter prior to the arrangement so they are aware of what to watch for and be proactive about it. It is also a key reason as to why you need to be particular about the new home environment. For example, if your cat doesn’t like dogs but you send it to a new home that has a dog, your cat will likely pee out of the box and the arrangement will fail. There are people who will gladly take on a senior animal or a special needs animal and help it to live happily through the remainder of its time.

Tips on Screening Adopters

How do I Know These People are Right for my Cat?

Many people are concerned about screening potential adopters
and ensuring that their cat goes to a good home. Start by talking
to them over the phone. Texts and emails can be quite
misleading, you need to have a real conversation with anyone
interested. Often you can get a real sense of people within the
first 10-15 minutes of talking with them.

What do I Ask When I’m Interviewing?

Have you ever owned a cat before? What became of that cat?
Why do you want to adopt my cat? What will happen to my cat if
your lifestyle changes and you can’t care for this cat anymore?

What if I Don’t Like Them?

It’s hard to tell someone no without them being offended. If you
don’t get a good feeling about the potential adopters, or their
references leave you feeling unsure, tell them that you have other
applications pending and that you will let them know within 48 hrs
if they are accepted, or if they are the right fit for your cat.

What if They’re Not Good Pet Owners?

You can ask a potential adopter for animal related references
such as their vet, groomer, pet-sitter, etc. These people can give
you an idea of what kind of pet owner the person may be.

What if it Doesn’t Work Out?

Offer a return policy. For piece of mind, you can offer to accept
the cat back if things don’t work out in the new home. That way
the new adopter isn’t worried about getting ‘stuck’ with your cat if
it’s not a good match, and you aren’t worried that your cat may
end up dumped somewhere or euthanized shortly thereafter.
Many cats have a difficult time adjusting to a new environment, so
it is ideal to give your cat at least 2-3 weeks at the new home
before considering a return option.

How do I Show my Cat?

It’s not necessary to have all the applicants come to your house
and meet your cat. Only invite the people who you think are an
appropriate fit. Most cats don’t like visitors and will run and hide.
There’s no sense in subjecting your cat to that extra stress if you
don’t even think the adopters are suitable. Cats will show their
most natural behaviour if they are not forced into it. On the day of
the introduction, try not to overstimulate your cat. Let it go about
its normal day. When it comes time for the meeting, take the new
people to your cat, don’t bring the cat to them. Forcing or carrying
a cat to come and see a stranger will only upset and stress out
the cat. Sit calmly and quietly with the cat for the duration of the
meeting, and keep your voices calm.

Tips to Adjust Your Cat to its New Environment

Proper integrating of a cat into a new home is a critical step in making it work. You can’t just take a cat home and let it free in the house. It is terrifying to them and extremely overwhelming and will set your relationship off to a terrible start.

Here are some articles for a new owner that will help settle your cat into its new home. Please review these prior to introducing a new cat into the house:

By Jackson Galaxy

Congratulations on giving a homeless animal a new life in your home! You can bet on one thing; the cat you just adopted is in the midst of having her world turned upside down. Routine is a vital aspect of cat life; it’s key in how cats define territory. Things must look the same, smell the same, and so on in order for confidence in the territory to remain high. Now imagine the life your new companion was leading before he came to live with you. It makes no difference whether we are talking about a 7-year-old cat you adopted from the shelter or rescued from the street, or a 6-week-old kitten from a box in front of a supermarket. This cat’s sense of “stable-sameness” has been torn up by the roots. Knowing this (even if you know very little else about your new cat’s history), there is a very simple way of acclimating your cat to your home. You may not have time to plan ahead, since new feline additions tend to occur on the spur of the moment, but if you can give the cat an immediate sense of belonging to a space that is already set up, it will make him feel more secure. What does “set up” mean? Let’s start with the essentials:

Litterbox
Litter (if you know the previous home, make sure to keep the litter type consistent)
Dishes (glass or ceramic work best for both food and water; no plastic or steel)
Scratching surface—a condo/post combination would be a great start to get your cat’s scent thoroughly on a piece of furniture; but at least provide an inexpensive cardboard scratcher to begin with.
Assortment of toys— but “just say no” to catnip if introducing a kitten!
If you are adding a kitten to your home, please read our library article “Before You Get A Kitten” about kitten-proofing your base camp.

Now that you have the “what,” let’s focus on the “where.” If you are introducing an only cat to the home who is not a kitten (over 1 year old), your bedroom is an ideal base camp, because it will inevitably become the core of your cat’s territory. Your bedroom is where your scent is the strongest in the house, and this will give your feline friend a sense of belonging with the new social group. However, if you have an aversion to having base camp in your bedroom, what with the litterbox and all, that’s okay. Another room will work. Remember, however, that base camp is a temporary situation—the litterbox, condo, dishes and toys will all eventually be distributed throughout your home. In any case, if you choose another room, make sure it’s not in the basement or unused part of the house. You do want a space where your cat’s highly refined senses can pick up the normal household activities that he will eventually be immersed in. This is, after all, a process of desensitization, of gradually getting them used to the territory.

If your new arrival is a kitten, or if you are introducing a new cat to another pet, the bathroom is a great place to start. For kittens, it provides safety. There is the least amount of wires to chew on or get tangled in, sharp corners to injure, and small places to get stuck in (but don’t forget to keep the toilet lid down to prevent drowning). The smaller space will also comfort the smaller cat. The bathroom is also a more neutral site for the purposes of introducing one pet to another. It is also the only room in the house guaranteed to have a door—an important characteristic of the room!

Take all of the items listed above and make sure they are placed in every available corner of base camp. Food dish should have ample space away from water; both dishes should be located in the furthest area from the litterbox. If you can provide a condo, place it where the cat can get to a window. Scatter the toys around the room (although if we’re lucky the cat will do that job for us very nicely, thank you!). If the room is not the bedroom, do make sure to provide articles of clothing, blankets, or towels, anything that carries your and your family’s scent—to give the cat that immediate sense of belonging we discussed.

Spend as much time with the new cat as you can during the first crucial days of base camping. Among the toys, you should have at least one interactive toy (a toy in which you are attached to one end and the cat to the other), to play with while you spend quality time. This will set up a routine of play to dispel stress, which is the basis of play therapy (you can read more about this in our article library article, “Play Therapy—Every Day!”). Also, take this time to set up a trusting relationship. Talk to your cat. Don’t necessarily try to pick him or even pet him, if he is acting fearful. Give it time.

Don’t crowd the base camp with every family member either. Cats on edge have a heightened sense of their already keen fight/flight response. Give everyone a turn, but let all family members know that quality time can be playing, or simply sitting and reading the newspaper aloud in a soft voice. Be aware of the small things like how your legs might be blocking what the cat perceives as an “escape route.” Make yourself as small as possible when sitting on the floor with the cat, especially in a cramped base camp like the bathroom.

It is not at all unusual for the new cat to seem extra-sensitive, fearful, agitated, or is just having a hard time adjusting. Flower essence formulas from Spirit Essences can be very helpful. We’ve actually developed a formula especially for the stress a newcomer experiences called “Changing Times.” This remedy not only helps adjustment into the new home, but eases anxiety from being in a rescue or shelter environment, and even helps to release emotional baggage from past abuse.

Introducing your new cat to other resident pets is another step taken from the base camp that’s discussed in another article, “Cat-to-Cat Introductions”.

The final element, and most tricky, involving base camp, is de-camping. When is it time to let the cat out and about the rest of the territory with confidence? We can’t tell you that. Only you will know when the cat is feeling strong enough to “spread her wings,” so to speak. There’s a fine line between territorially traumatizing a cat (especially one that’s been in and out of rescue situations), and allowing her to problem solve on her own.

Some cats are ready overnight, some in a few days; some—because of their history—can take a week or two. The more you can listen to what she has to say in those first crucial hours in camp, the clearer the answer will be for both of you. When it is time, keep the transition slow. We know you want that litterbox out of your room. Plan where its final destination will be and move it literally just a few feet a day. An ounce of slow-going is worth a pound of peeing-on-the-carpet prevention. Take all of the key elements from camp and begin to spread them throughout the house—the condo in a sunny window in the living room, the blankets to a couch, the toys in different rooms. This will allow your cat to recognize these objects, already claimed as his or hers, and transfer them to a new area of the territory.

Most of all, take your time! You only have one chance at introducing your new companion to your home and your life. What’s a few extra hours or days in the years you will spend together? Once again, congratulations and best wishes for a long and healthy relationship!

For personal assistance with your cat’s behavior problems, call Jackson Galaxy to schedule a consultation at 310-316-6618, or find out more at JacksonGalaxy.com.

By Jackson Galaxy

The common wisdom in introducing a newly adopted cat to a resident one in the past was to open the carrying case and “let them work it out.” We most definitely have a new way of looking at things; from the cat’s perspective. Cats are, after all, about territory. Bring a new, utterly alien scent of the same species into the house, and more times than not, we’re asking for chaos. Of course everyone has a story about introducing two cats that went smoothly doing the old fashioned technique. The point to stress is, if it goes poorly, this one meeting is the association that these two cats will hold onto for quite a long time and make a peaceable kingdom a difficult task. It is, ultimately, better to be safe than sorry.

A slow and steady introduction starts with the establishment of a base camp for the newcomer – a room of their own, with all their needs … food, water, toys, bedding, litterbox. Once you’ve set up his or her space, you’re ready to start letting the cats make positive associations between one another. This is key, and will be repeated ad infinitum; all associations between the cats during this critical period have to be as pleasing as possible to reduce possible friction when they finally have free access.

Let’s start with one of the most pleasing motivators—food! Feeding time will happen at the door of base camp until introduction is complete. If the resident cat is not on a scheduled feeding diet, it might be best to put him or her on one for now. Or, if you leave dry food out and supplement with wet food, greatly decrease the amount of dry so that wet feeding time is looked forward to more. Remember that the only time either cat gets wet food is during these “meet and greets” at the base camp door, which can be divided into two daily sessions. Place food bowls on either side of the door with a couple of feet of
breathing room for each cat. Ideally, there should be a family member on either side of the door to praise each cat as they eat. The idea is that they are rewarded with food for being so close to the scent of the unfamiliar cat, and also rewarded by you with praise for eating. At this initial point, the door should be closed; the cats can smell one another just fine. If they don’t devour their food at first, that’s okay. They will eventually eat. Don’t give in and move the food.

The next step is to open the door just a tiny crack, giving the cats limited visual access to each other. How soon do you move on to this step? As with all steps in introduction, pay attention to the cats; let their body language tell you when they are comfortable enough to move on. Remember that proceeding too quickly will force you to jump backwards by anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Slow and steady definitely wins this race. We need to remain safe, so use rubber doorstops on either side of the introduction door to prevent any more than visual accessibility. If the door is too high off the ground to use stops, or if one or both cats are muscling the door open, try using a hook and eye setup. Instead of using it to lock a door shut, you would employ it backwards, to give us just a couple of inches of cracked space between the door and the jamb.

Again, the time required in moving from step to step is determined by your observation and the cats’ level of comfort. Keep cracking the door further until each cat could, if they wished, bat at one another—first up to the elbow joint then all the way to the shoulder, just making sure not to leave enough room to let a head get through. The object of “the game” is to give them enough rope to succeed. If they fail, just go back to the previous step.

Other tricks to use during the introduction period are “scent swapping” and “site swapping.” In scent swapping, we take a washcloth per cat and rub them down with it, making sure to go across their cheeks, head, sides, and around the base of the tail. Then, present the other cat with the scent of the washcloth in a conspicuous part of their territory, perhaps near a favored sleeping spot or near (but respecting the space of) their food or water. This will start getting them accustomed to the new facts of life; their space will have to be shared with one another, and better to have this fact introduced by scent than sight.

Site swapping relies on more paws-on physical exploration of one another’s space. Once a day, switch the two cats. The new cat gets to explore the house while the resident cat is base camp to freely explore the scent of new arrival without the fear of retribution. This process is best done with a human partner just to make sure the cats don’t inadvertently get in each other’s way while trading places; but if you don’t have help, try putting the resident in, say, a bedroom. When the new cat heads for the kitchen or other area out of sight, move the resident cat into base camp. Both cats should get the praise and encouragement they need/deserve in bravely going where they have not gone before!

Don’t forget, during this entire process, to play with the cats! This may seem elementary, but remember, they are just energetic balloons naturally, and even more so during these intense times of stress. Of course, you will have separate play sessions during the introduction phase. Once they’ve met and cohabitated for a bit, group playtime will be another wonderful way of diverting aggression they might have towards one another into a positive route. Refer to our article on play therapy to learn the ins and outs of keeping them both as happy as possible during the period of adjustment.

When you think it’s time to let them be in the territory together at the same time, take precautions. If a fight breaks out, do not try to break it up with your hands! Unfortunately, this is most of the time our first instinct. You are almost sure to be clawed and bitten, and it will not be pretty. In the heat of the moment, the cats will not be able to distinguish between your arm and each other, and they will have no inhibition about attacking whatever is handy, even if it’s you. Instead, have an immediate barrier like a couple of large, thick towels or blankets at the ready. You can toss them over the cats to disorient them, and immediately relocate them by scooping them up inside the towel (to protect yourself). There is no need to follow this up with a scolding. That will not do anything except increase the cats’ agitation, which is just what you don’t need! Let the event pass with each cat in their own “time-out”, and start again fresh tomorrow—at the very beginning. Also make sure that when the two cats meet, they have escape routes from one another. Getting cornered is a sure recipe for a fight in the mind of a defense-minded animal like a cat.

Keep a close eye on all interactions for the first week or so, not letting the cats have free access to one another when nobody is home. Finally, keep the food and litter setup established in the base camp room, at least for the next while. The accepted “recipe” is three litterboxes for two cats (to be precise, 1 box per
cat + 1), so bear that in mind. Also bear in mind escape routes from the boxes, as the last place we want a skirmish to erupt is while one of the cats is having a “private moment.” They should be able to see as much of the room around them as possible when in the litterbox, which is why uncovered boxes would be highly recommended.

This should pretty well cover the bases for the initial introduction between your cats. Of course there are always variables, but the broken record theme should get you going; do it slow—there’s always tomorrow to make another positive impression. They can, over time, learn that every time they view or smell the other, something good will happen. Do it too quickly and that negative first impression might very well be the one that lasts.

For personal assistance with your cat’s behavior problems, call Jackson Galaxy at Little Big Cat!

Dogs can kill a cat very easily, even if they’re only playing. All it takes is one shake and the cat’s neck can break. Some dogs have such a high prey drive they should never be left alone with a cat. Dogs usually want to chase and play with cats, and cats usually become afraid and defensive. Use the techniques described above to begin introducing your new cat to your resident dog. In addition:

Practice Obedience
If your dog doesn’t already know the commands “sit,” “down,” “come” and “stay,” you should begin working on them. Small pieces of food will increase your dog’s motivation to perform, which will be necessary in the presence of such a strong distraction as a new cat. Even if your dog already knows these commands, work with obeying commands in return for a tidbit.

Controlled Meeting
After your new cat and resident dog have become comfortable eating on opposite sides of the door, and have been exposed to each other’s scents as described above, you can attempt a face-to-face introduction in a controlled manner. Put your dog’s leash on, and using treats, have him either sit or lie down and stay. Have another family member or friend enter the room and quietly sit down next to your new cat, but don’t have them physically restrain her. Have this person offer your cat some special pieces of food or catnip. At first, the cat and the dog should be on opposite sides of the room. Lots of short visits are better than a few long visits. Don’t drag out the visit so long that the dog becomes uncontrollable. Repeat this step several times until both the cat and dog are tolerating each other’s presence without fear, aggression or other undesirable behavior.

Let Your Cat Go
Next, allow your cat freedom to explore your dog at her own pace, with the dog still on-leash and in a “down-stay.” Meanwhile, keep giving your dog treats and praise for his calm behavior. If your dog gets up from his “stay” position, he should be repositioned with a treat lure, and praised and rewarded for obeying the “stay” command. If your cat runs away or becomes aggressive, you’re progressing too fast. Go back to the previous introduction steps. If you cannot get a handle on your dog’s behavior, a good quality training class can put you back in control of your dog so that your cat can enjoy her home too! Do not allow your dog to chase ANY small animals. That will only undermine training your dog to leave your cat alone.

Positive Reinforcements
Although your dog must be taught that chasing or being rough with your cat is unacceptable behavior, he must also be taught how to behave appropriately, and be rewarded for doing so, such as sitting, coming when called, or lying down in return for a treat. If your dog is always punished when your cat is around, and never has “good things” happen in the cat’s presence, your dog may redirect aggression toward the cat. Allow your cat to approach your dog. By all means, allow your cat to walk up and investigate your dog but watch carefully so your dog does not attempt to chase your cat. By allowing this to happen, your cat will gain trust in you and your dog that nothing bad is going to happen to her. Your cat will begin to realize that sharing a house with a dog (who is not allowed to approach her) isn’t so bad at all!

Give your dog an outlet for his chase behavior. Teach your dog to chase a ball, Frisbee, tether ball or squeaky toy rather than your cat. Regular exercise can help your dog remain calm around your cat.

Directly Supervise All Interactions Between Your Dog And Cat
You may want to keep your dog on-leash and with you whenever your cat is free in the house during the introduction process. Be sure that your cat has an escape route and a place to hide. Keep your dog and cat separated when you aren’t home until you’re certain your cat will be safe.

Precautions
Dogs like to eat cat food. Eating cat food can cause kidney and liver problems in dogs because the protein and fat content in cat food is too high for dogs to digest appropriately. You should keep the cat food out of your dog’s reach (in a closet or on a high shelf). Eating cat feces is also a relatively common behavior in dogs. Although there are no health hazards to your dog, it’s probably distasteful to you. It’s also upsetting to your cat to have such an important object “invaded.” Unfortunately, attempts to keep your dog out of the litter box by “booby trapping” it will also keep your cat away as well. Punishment after the fact will not change your dog’s behavior. The best solution is to place the litter box where your dog can’t access it, for example: behind a baby gate; in a closet with the door anchored open from both sides and just wide enough for your cat; or inside a tall, topless cardboard box with easy access for your cat.

A Word About Kittens And Puppies
Because they’re so much smaller, kittens are in more danger of being injured, of being killed by a young energetic dog, or by a predatory dog. A kitten will need to be kept separate from an especially energetic dog until she is fully- grown, and even then she should never be left alone with the dog. Usually, a well-socialized cat will be able to keep a puppy in its place, but some cats don’t have enough confidence to do this. If you have an especially shy cat, you might need to keep her separated from your puppy until he matures enough to have more self-control.

When To Get Help
If introductions don’t go smoothly, seek professional help immediately (Call our Helpline at (916)383-PETS extension 9148). Animals can be severely injured in fights, and the longer the problem continues, the harder it can be to resolve. Conflicts between pets in the same family can often be resolved with professional help. Punishment won’t work, though, and could make things worse.

Stray Cats

It may be Difficult to Identify Whether a Cat is a Stray or Someone’s Pet. We are Here to Help Make it Easier!

Is This a Stray Cat?

If a cat has shown up on your property, don’t assume it is a stray. Many people allow their cats to roam outside.

If you find a cat, or a cat wanders onto your property please considering that this cat could be somebody’s pet and may not actually be lost. Before contacting your local shelter, ask your neighbours and neighbourhood if the cat is owned. Cats can roam fair distances and they have no problems with trespassing through many yards before maybe resting on your porch. The cat may not live right next door, you may have to do a further search in order to locate its home. If you put food out for the cat, expect the cat to return daily or even twice daily thereafter.

When Should I be Concerned?

Generally an owned cat has a more robust, healthier appearance.

If the cat looks well kept, is a good weight and has a healthy tidy hair coat, then chances are it is somebody’s pet who is allowed outdoor privileges. Sometimes they are friendly and social, sometimes they are standoffish.

If you find a cat that looks underweight, has a ratty, matted hair coat, or has obvious signs of health problems, then you are likely dealing with one that needs some help.

If you find a cat that is meowing loudly and excessively, then you likely have cat who has wandered too far from home and is lost. You should take this cat to your local vet to check for a microchip and search for its owners.

Should I Feed a Stray Cat?

It is difficult to see a cat outside and not put some food out for it. Cats love to eat and food means friendship and love!

It is up to you whether or not you decide to feed stray or outdoor cats, but do expect that you are setting yourself up for a lifetime friend.

Many people love to offer food to a stray cat all throughout the spring, summer and fall. Cats quickly begin to rely on their food sources and will routinely visit. When the temperatures start to drop, people begin to worry about the cat enduring the cold winter weather. This is when we become inundated with stray surrender requests. Before deciding to feed a stray cat, consider whether or not you will be capable of continuing to provide for the cat all year long.}

Stray Surrender Form

Questions About Surrendering Your Cat?

We can help to clarify the process and provide any assistance that you require.

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