Methods How to Create a Safe Room for Your Cat

It may take your new cat or kitten some time to become used to their new home after adoption. Establishing a “safe room” in your home is one method to assist with this adjustment. Your new cat can hang around here while it adjusts to its surroundings.

The Need for a Cat Safe Room

Even under ideal conditions, cats can be timid animals. Kittens leaving stressful surroundings like shelters or rescues may still be stressed and anxious. Even extroverted cats can profit from having a safe area since it enables them to gradually acclimate to unfamiliar environments by exploring at their own speed. A cat may think a large house (or even a modest apartment) is enormous. One space is less threatening and can reassure a cat.

Because they enable the newcomer to be gradually introduced to your resident cats, safe rooms are especially beneficial if you already have one or more cats at home. Cats are territorial. They may become hostile or combative  if you try to force introductions. Most cats can eventually learn to get along, if allowed to get to know each other slowly on their own terms.

What to Put in the Safe Room for Your Cat

A litter box, food and water bowls, plush blankets or a comfy bed, a scratcher, and a selection of toys should all be present in the safe area. You may also give your cat some catnip to enjoy on a blanket or some cat grass to gnaw on. Cats don’t like to eat close to where they urinate and poop, so place the litter box and food dishes at opposite sides of the room.

You can think about including a tiny cardboard box with a blanket for your new cat to sleep in since having a hiding place can help a timid or nervous cat feel more at ease. This provides a home for the cat  hide but still allows you to access to it.

How to Use a Safe Room

Get your cat inside the room when you bring it home, and set it gently on the floor. Keep your distance if he cowers or attempts to hide. Instead, take a seat on the floor, watch your cat, and communicate with it. Speak in a calming, quiet voice. Once your cat has had some opportunity to explore on its own, leave it alone and shut the safe room door.

At regular intervals, visit your cat in the room, allowing it approach you at all times. Bringing some snacks or attempting to get your cat to play by waving a feather wand around can be helpful. If your residence is cat-free, you can leave the door open and let your cat come and go as it pleases, allowing it to explore the rest of the house on its own terms.

Duration of Use of a Safe Room

Some extroverted cats, particularly those who live alone, might only need to use a safe area for one or two days. Depending on how things go, it might be a good idea to keep your other cats apart for up to a week or even longer if you have them. It could be time to stop the confinement if your new cat is eating and drinking normally and appears happy and engaged in play and interaction with you.

You can try opening the door and observing the interactions to determine how well the various cats are getting along. As long as your new cat wants to venture outside and as long as none of the other the cats are engaging in aggressive or bullying behavior with the other cats, you can let the new cat integrate into the household at his own pace. If you feel your new cat is being bullied by your other cat or cats, go back to using the safe room for a few more days, then try again.