Making your home suitable for a cat
Here's what your cat will need for a comfortable life in your home.
- Bed: provide a comfortable, dry, draught-free, clean and quiet place for your feline friend to rest.
- Toilet: cats need to visit the toilet easily. Give them regular access to a suitable toilet place – provide them with a litter tray and a deep layer of litter - kept seperate from their eating and sleepings areas.
- Somewhere to hide: cats need to have somewhere to hide away from things that scare them, so make sure they have safe hiding places in your home.
- Toys and space to play: a bored cat is an unhappy cat. Make sure they have plenty of things to do, with enough space to exercise, climb and play. Indoor cats need more to keep them entertained.
High places: cats are active and like to run, jump and climb. They often feel safest when high, so provide a suitable high place to climb and rest, for example shelves.
Cats are inquisitive, so make sure your home is safe, secure and hazard-free to stop them injuring themselves. If you have more than one cat, remember that they'll each need enough toys, cat beds and hiding places to allow them to get away from one another when they feel the need to be alone. Check out our online shop for some great ideas for your cats.
If you're going on holiday
Cats are territorial, so they become very attached to their home and environment. If you're going away, try to find someone to care for your cat at your home. If boarding, make things easier for your cat by taking their familiar things with them, such as their bed and toys.
Make sure your cat feels secure in cat carriers and, as with boarding, putting familiar smelling items in their carrier can help them feel more comfortable. Make sure the size and temperature of anywhere they are left (including vehicles) is comfortable for them.
If you move house
Cats need time to adjust and settle if you move house. They could get into serious danger trying to return to their previous home. To prevent this, keep cats indoors for two to three weeks after moving. This gives them time to settle into their new home and become familiar with where they live. Ensure your cat's behaviour has settled before letting them outside.
Here are some tips on helping them get used to going outside.
When it’s time to start letting them out, begin with short, supervised sessions. Avoid times when your cat is most active – usually dawn and dusk. Sit out with them. After they’ve had a good chance to explore, call them back in for some food.
When it’s time to start letting them out, begin with short, supervised sessions. Avoid times when your cat is most active – usually dawn and dusk. Sit out with them. After they’ve had a good chance to explore, call them back in for some food.
After a few of these sessions, you cat should be ready to go out on their own. A cat flap lets your cat go in and out – a microchip version means only your cat will come in. You could add potted plants around the cat flap, so it feels secure. If you don’t have a cat flap, you’ll need to let them in and out. It’s a good idea to provide a dry shelter in the garden where they can stay warm and dry.
To give your cat an incentive to come back in, shake a pot of treats and give one as a reward. It’s also good to add a verbal cue, like ‘home time’ that you can add each time you shake the treats.
Socialising your cat to a cat carrier
When you need to transport your cat, this should be done in a secure cat carrier. If a cat is used to their carrier, it’ll be less stressful for them.
Here are some tips:
- Take small and gradual steps and ensure it’s a positive experience.
- Leave the carrier out in your home at all times, in a place that your cat likes to use, so your cat doesn’t only associate the carrier with stressful experiences.
- Placing familiar smelling items in the carrier can help your cat feel more secure when being transported.
- Positive reward-based training methods, such as ‘clicker training’, can encourage your cat into their cat carrier. Never use punishment techniques, such as shouting.
- Learn how to teach more basic commands first – such as encouraging your cat to come when called and rewarding them with a healthy treat – before attempting anything more complex.
