Cats will scent mark the new area to establish themselves in their environment. When you see your cat brushing their face or paws up against tables, chairs, sofas, or even your leg, they’re using the scent glands in their cheeks or paw pads to leave ‘happy’ scent markers.
Rehoming a cat removes all these things for them. They’ll need to re-establish their scent before they can be truly comfortable. Thankfully, there are six simple steps you can take to help make the transition to a new home easier for our cats.
1. Think ahead: Make sure their food, water, litter tray, scratching post and other essentials are already in place when they arrive so they can feel secure in knowing where everything is.
2. Use pheromones: You can also try a pheromone-dispensing product a few days before welcoming the cat, so that they are greeted with a calming scent.
3. Keep things familiar: If possible, try to bring objects from the cat’s last home with them – things that already have their scent. Similarly, you can leave an item of your clothing with them a few days before you collect them so they’re familiar with your scent, too.
4. Give them a safe space: They’ll probably be quite nervous when they first move. If there’s a quiet place they can hide until they’re acclimatised – with a blanket or bed, ideally – they’ll feel at home all the quicker.
5. Take it slow: Try to introduce them to one room at a time so they aren’t overwhelmed by all the new spaces and smells.
6. Try not to overwhelm them: It can be tempting to show them off to all your friends and family but try not to expose your new cat to big groups when possible as most will find it either frightening or overstimulating.
If you’ve rehomed from us and need more advice, contact our team on 0131 669 5331.
