I'm hoping to bring a sweet 1 year old neutered male home from the shelter in the next couple of days. (There's been a delay because right as I was submitting my application he contacted a cold so we're not even able to see him.) My only experience with being a cat owner as an adult was with a 1 week old kitten in from the backyard--and the 11 happy years that followed. But I've never introduced a new adult cat who has lived elsewhere into our home.
I've been reading here and elsewhere that it's best to confine a new cat to a smaller area of the home, and I'm trying to figure out what would work out best for our situation. In the end the litter box needs to go downstairs in the laundry room, but I don't think that's the best place to confine a new cat. The washer and dryer and furnace are noisy, plus it gets walk-thru traffic but isn't a place where us humans hang out. We kept our kitten mostly confined to the kitchen at first, then added the living room/hall when he was able to breach the blockade, and eventually gave him access to the whole house. When I got tired of having the litter box in the kitchen I picked it up and moved it to the downstairs laundry room, showed him where it was, and he adjusted seamlessly.
The thought of having a litter box in my kitchen for any longer than a few days is not sitting well with me. The bathroom might be another possibility, but it's a small room and he's a big cat who will need a big, tall litter box.
Any advice on this, or anything else I need to think through in advance? Am I just overthinking this? There are no other pets in the home.
I've been reading here and elsewhere that it's best to confine a new cat to a smaller area of the home, and I'm trying to figure out what would work out best for our situation. In the end the litter box needs to go downstairs in the laundry room, but I don't think that's the best place to confine a new cat. The washer and dryer and furnace are noisy, plus it gets walk-thru traffic but isn't a place where us humans hang out. We kept our kitten mostly confined to the kitchen at first, then added the living room/hall when he was able to breach the blockade, and eventually gave him access to the whole house. When I got tired of having the litter box in the kitchen I picked it up and moved it to the downstairs laundry room, showed him where it was, and he adjusted seamlessly.
The thought of having a litter box in my kitchen for any longer than a few days is not sitting well with me. The bathroom might be another possibility, but it's a small room and he's a big cat who will need a big, tall litter box.
Any advice on this, or anything else I need to think through in advance? Am I just overthinking this? There are no other pets in the home.