Adopting an adult cat: first-week checklist (India)

An adult cat may spend the first days in a new home hiding. Give it time. A single quiet room, a clean litter tray and a predictable routine help them settle; introductions to the rest of the home can wait. Tick items as you go; ticks stay in this browser only.

Adult cat: first-week checklist

15 items

Before the cat comes home

Ask for vaccination, deworming, FeLV/FIV test and sterilisation records, and the food and litter the cat uses now.
Set up one litter tray per cat in the home, plus one, in quiet places away from food.
Cornell recommends as many litter boxes as cats in the house, plus one, in quiet, private places separate from the feeding area.
Source: Cornell: house soiling (litter boxes). Checked 26 October 2026.
Litter tray criteria
Prepare a safe room with a hiding box, a raised perch, food, water and a bed.
Remove lilies and other toxic plants, and put medicines away.
All parts of true lilies, including pollen and vase water, can cause kidney failure in cats.
Source: FDA: lilies and cats. Checked 26 October 2026.
Foods and plants to keep away
Get a sturdy carrier, a scratching post and steel bowls.
Essentials list

Day one

Take the carrier straight to the safe room, open it, and let the cat come out on its own.
Keep the new cat apart from other cats until your vet has examined it.
Source: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat. Checked 26 October 2026.
Offer the same food as before in separate food and water bowls, away from the litter tray.
Cornell advises separate dishes kept away from the litter box and a gradual switch if you change food.
Source: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat. Checked 26 October 2026.
Keep noise and visitors low, and sit quietly in the room so the cat can watch you.

Rest of the first week

Have the vet check the cat, review vaccinations including rabies, and test for FeLV and FIV if history is unknown.
Sources: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat; WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.
First vet visit guide
Agree a deworming and flea and tick plan with cat-safe products only.
Some concentrated pyrethroid and amidine tick products are toxic to cats; Cornell advises using no topical product or tick collar on a cat without a vet’s specific recommendation.
Sources: TroCCAP tick and flea guidelines (tropics); Cornell: ticks and cats. Checked 26 October 2026.
Note appetite, water intake and litter use each day so you can describe them to your vet.
Brush the cat and look for ticks during the brushing.
Source: Cornell: ticks and cats. Checked 26 October 2026.
Introduce other pets slowly and only after the vet check.
Play daily with a wand toy and put it away afterwards.
Source: Cornell: safe toys for cats. Checked 26 October 2026.

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Common first-week questions

Should my new cat be tested for anything?

Cornell advises testing cats with unknown histories for feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), and checking for internal and external parasites.

Source: Cornell: choosing and caring for your new cat. Checked 26 October 2026.

Covered or open litter tray?

Cornell notes most cats prefer an uncovered box that lets odours escape. If you already have a covered tray, offer an open one too and see which your cat uses.

Source: Cornell: house soiling (litter boxes). Checked 26 October 2026.

Does an adult cat need vaccines every year?

WSAVA says core vaccines should not be given more often than necessary in adult animals, and recommends regular health checks, usually yearly. Your vet will set the schedule based on the cat’s history and lifestyle.

Source: WSAVA vaccination guidelines 2024. Checked 26 October 2026.

Sources for this page

House soiling, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center (updated January 2015). Checked 26 October 2026.
Lovely lilies and curious cats: a dangerous combination, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (content current as of 16 September 2021). Checked 26 October 2026.
Choosing and caring for your new cat, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center (updated May 2017). Checked 26 October 2026.
2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats, executive summary, World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccination Guidelines Group (2024). Checked 26 October 2026.
Guidelines for the control of ectoparasites of dogs and cats in the tropics, first edition, Tropical Council for Companion Animal Parasites (TroCCAP) (1 January 2022). Checked 26 October 2026.
Ticks, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center. Checked 26 October 2026.
Safe toys and gifts, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell Feline Health Center. Checked 26 October 2026.