Introducing a cat or kitten to the home

Before taking your new adoptee home and risking exposing her to any infectious disease, take her to a veterinarian for a thorough health check-up, including a test for feline leukemia, de-worming, inoculations and, if appropriate, neutering.

Plan on staying home with your new kitty for several days, helping her get over the stress of the visit to the veterinarian and the move from her previous home. Give her at least three weeks to adapt completely to her new environment. Keep her in the house during this three week period and give her a chance to investigate and get used to the household routine.

Put approximately three inches of litterbox filler in a plastic litterbox and position it in a private place where there is little traffic. Clean the litter every day and completely change it every third day. If you plan to use one of the new powdered clay litter products, you filter out only the "lumps" each day. Gently place your kitty in the box, and do not punish her for having an occasional accident. Punishment increases stress and, in turn, increases the likelihood of your cat not using the litterbox.

During the housebreaking period, feed your new kitty a dry kibbled food and water. The change in the kind of food, going from the previous home to the shelter, and then to your home, may cause bowel problems for a few days. Be patient, and do not feed her tablescraps no matter how much she begs!

Provide playtoys like ping pong balls, paper tied to the end of a string hanging from door handles, rubber balls, wands with ribbon on the end, and paper bags into which she can crawl. Also, make sure she has a place, preferably up high, to sit and look out the window during the daytime.

Most cats will want to sleep with you, which is fine. If you do not want this, place a soft bedding material in a warm place and dial the radio to an easy listening music station.

Teach your kitty to use a scratching post.

If your kitty is left for long periods of time by herself, adopt another kitty for companionship and exercise. Two cats are better than one.

To lengthen your cat's life, get her neutered and keep her inside away from outside hazards like dogs, cars, and ticks.

Never physically punish your kitty by hitting or chasing her. Even screaming will produce a scared kitty that will run and hide when she sees you. If you want to teach her, catch her doing something right and reinforce the behavior with a scratch under her chin followed by "Good Kitty!"