I'm adopting a new cat

[annibale16]

Hi, my last experiences with an adopted cat were not good, he was an outside cat and he ran away after seeming to be happy with us for 3 weeks.
Now a friend wants me to take her persian 5 year old inside cat because of a new baby in the house( no time for the cat).
My question is will the cat at her age be able to adjust? How should I entroduce her to her new home and how do I "make friends" with a cat when we don't know each other?
Need help here.
Thanks

[Fuzzy317]

My cats, the ones that have adopted me, are ages 11, 10, and 2. So, I have not seen an adjustment problem due to age.

I started to give some tips on introducing her to your house, but decided not to send them since I am not a pet expert. There are many others on this BBS, which can give much valuable information.

------------------
Recently adopted by 3 cats: Jackson, Rosie, Fluffy; a dog: Eli; some fish, and my fiancee: Lynn (Vi Co Bi)

[margaret]

Yay! I'm glad you are willing to give it another go after your first adopted cat disappeared. I imagine things will be much better this time with the new cat, especially because it is used to being an "indoor" cat.

I honestly don't think it will matter that the cat is a 5 year old. Unless it was incredibly attached to its previous owner, I think it will make the adjustment to your home just fine.

When you first bring the cat home, I think the best thing is to just let the cat explore on its own. It will probably want to sniff EVERYthing it sees, just to check it all out. If you just let the cat do its own thing for a while, without giving it too much attention, that will help the cat with the transition.

I'll bet after the cat has looked around for a while, it will come to you. And I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually rubbed itself against your leg, signifying that you belong to it! It may also jump in your lap and want to be held sooner than you think. Then the bonding begins!!! I would be very interested to know how things go when you bring this cat into your house for the first time. Please be sure to post here after that happens and let us know!

--Margaret

[wolflady]

Many purrs to annibale16 for taking in an older cat that needs a home I definitely don't think age will be a problem. I took in a 7 year old siamese when I was living in college and she adjusted just fine. For every cat that I've taken in, this is what we would do:
Put the cat into a small room (laundry room, bathroom, basement etc.) when it first moves in. Let it become accustomed to that room, so that it feels comfortable. We would do this because our house was so big at the time that having it all at once may be overwhelming. Once the cat seems comfy with it's room, gradually let it out for exploration of the house. It will know that "it's room" is it's safety spot, and will return there if it becomes uncomfortable. Margaret is right in that, you may be surprised at how quickly the cat bonds with you. Once it's comfy in its new home, your bonding will begin and I'm sure you'll have found a great friend! Let us know how it works out!

------------------
"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

[cprince]

I, too, think it's great that you're adopting an older cat. My best advice to you is to give her patience and love -- you'll be overwhelmed by what you will receive in return ! Good luck and congratulations! Let us know how it goes.

[4 feline house]

anni-

if her first owners had so little regard for her that they would just dump her off as soon as a change in the household occurs, instead of making the effort to adapt, she may not be too attached. And when she sees that you will love her unconditionally, she will be so happy to be in her new home that she's soon forget she's a "newbie".