Life With Your New Adopted Feline

What to Expect After Bringing Home Your Cat or Kitten.

There are lots of wonderful emotions new owners of adopted cats or kittens feel when they bring their new feline friends home. Remember that your new cat has been through multiple stressors in a short amount of time: They have lost their home (or been out on the streets), they have been in a shelter with many new people, animal scents and noises to which to acclimate and they are now in your loving care.

With all these stressors, some cats develop signs of upper respiratory tract infection (URI). Think of this as a “common cold” of cats, with sneezing, eye and nasal discharge and sometimes coughing. It’s important to know that if your new cat comes down with these clinical signs and symptoms, that the shelter hasn’t provided you with a “sick cat.”