How To Help a Siamese Cat Adjust to a New Home

Siamese cat hiding ina. box

Siamese cats are active, friendly, and beautiful cats. But with any cat, bringing them to a new home can be a stressful time for them.

You need to know how to properly introduce them to their new home if you want to keep them happy and comfortable. 

Here are six tips on how to help your Siamese cat adjust to a new home:

  1. Start your Siamese cat out in a smaller space.
  2. Give your Siamese cat attention.
  3. Make sure your Siamese cat knows where its things are.
  4. Slowly introduce other pets and kids.
  5. Do not pressure your Siamese cat.
  6. Reward your Siamese cat for good behavior.

The rest of this article will explore these tips in more detail and give you all the methods and tricks to help your Siamese cat adjust to its new home and family. 

1. Start our Siamese cat out in a smaller place

First, you should try to keep your Siamese cat in a smaller space, such as a bedroom or another room with a door.

Bedrooms work well since you will be in the room with them for most of the night. And if you work from home, try an office. Ensure you do not have loose cords or other items your cat can chew or break. 

By keeping them in a smaller space, they can start getting used to the smells and sounds of your home and you being there with them. 

Furthermore, keeping them in their own small space is especially important if you have other pets or small children who may startle them, which we will discuss later in the article. 

Two, maximum three days before they explore further

If you do not have other pets or kids, you will only have to keep your Siamese cat in its own room for two or a maximum of three days before it is to explore the rest of the house.

Siamese cats are active and need space to run around and play, so do not keep them in a small space longer than you have to. 

When to keep them separated longer?

However, introducing the cat to other pets and kids may take longer, and you might have to keep them in their own room for seven to ten days.

With other pets, especially larger ones like dogs, it is vital to be positive that the pet and your Siamese cat will not fight or hurt each other as soon as they are allowed in the same space. 

See our article right here for more info on how to introduce your Siamese to other cats.

Have a new Siamese cat in your home? Avoid doing these things….

2. Give Your Siamese Cat Attention

Keeping your cat in its own space at first is essential. However, please do not keep your Siamese cat holed up in one room without giving them time and attention.

Make sure they know you are there for them while they are adjusting to the space, and they have not been abandoned or trapped. 

Playtime is essential

Also, Siamese cats are pretty active, so take time to play with them. It may be challenging to play with them when you have them in one room at first, but you can still get cat toys that do not need a lot of space.

Some examples of cat toys are pieces of string, balls, feathers on a stick, or a motorized moving toy. 

Spending time with them will help the bonding process

And besides playing with them, you should also cuddle and pet them, especially if the cat has a friendly personality.

At first, your Siamese cat may seem shy or not active, but once they adjust to the space, they will start to show their personality more.

Therefore, do not feel startled if they avoid you or do not seem interested in toys. It does not mean they will still feel that way after a day or two. 

So, take things slow with your cat and each time you go into the room to spend time with them, try playing with them as they will slowly grow out of their shell and want to spend more time with you.

Siamese cats love attention, and your cat will appreciate any time you can spend with them during the initial adjustment phase to their new home. 

3. Make sure your new Siamese knows where their things are

Another critical step in introducing a Siamese cat to a new home is to ensure they know where their food, water, and litter box are.

Even though you will likely not keep all their things in one room once they adjust to the new home, you should ensure they have everything they need in the room you are starting them out in.

Your cat may initially hide, but if you can, try to pick them up and bring them to their water bowl so they know where they are and have food access. Do the same thing with the litter box if they can’t find it on their own.

And once you give your Siamese cat access to the entire house, you can move their things to where you plan to keep them permanently. Just be sure to show them where each item is once again and take them there a few times to ensure they remember. 

Give your new Siamese a comfy place to sleep

You should also make sure they have a comfy bed or even a box with blankets to sleep in, even though you may find them on a bed or closer to wherever you happen to be once they get used to you. 

However, remember that Siamese cats are active and may not sleep as much as other types of cats, so don’t worry if you don’t see them spending time in their bed.  

Give a new Siamese plenty of opportunity to explore their new home

4. Slowly introduce other pets and kids

Keeping your new Siamese cat away from other pets and kids is essential so they are not overwhelmed in the new space. It would be best if you kept them in a room where there are no other pets or kids at first. 

After that, as the cat adapts to the room you are keeping them in, you can bring in your kids for small amounts of time to let the cat know they are trusted people like you. 

Give your kids 15 or 20 minutes to spend with the cat twice or three times a day. Remind them that the cat is still adjusting to the space, and they need to be calm and gentle around their new fluffy friend. 

This helps because, when it is time to let your cat out of its room and into the rest of the house, they will be used to seeing the kids and having them around, and they will be less overwhelmed as they adapt to the larger space. 

And if you have other pets, you’ll need to be slow to introduce them to a Siamese cat too. 

Suggested reading: Do Siamese cats get along with dogs?

Tips to introduce a Siamese cat to other pets in your home: 

  • Have short meetings. Introduce the pets to each other through short sessions. As time passes and they become more comfortable with each other, you can increase the time. 
  • Swap living areas. Confine your other pets in other rooms while allowing your Siamese cat out of their living space. This will help your cat explore the home while getting used to the scent of the other pets. Similarly, change the process by allowing the other pets to roam the place while getting accustomed to your Siamese cat’s scent. 
  • Leave your cat in a room where you can crack the door. By placing your Siamese cat in a room where you can crack the door slightly or where there is a gap under the door, all your pets can get used to each other’s scent before they formally meet. 

5. Do not pressure your new Siamese cat

Another way to help your Siamese cat adjust to a new home is not to pressure them.

Some cats may take a month to adapt to a new home, so be patient. Every Siamese cat has a different personality and may feel safe sooner in a new home, or they may take more time than expected.

If you notice that your cat is slow to get used to the space, even when it is only in one room, keep them there until you see a change, and they feel more comfortable both around you and in the home.

The worst thing you can do if your cat is still feeling anxious is force them into a larger space where they will not feel safe.

Giving them time to adjust is especially important if there are children, other pets, you have a large home, or the pet seems to have a shy personality.

If the Siamese cat does not have enough time to adjust to the new home before interacting with pets and kids, it can be bad for their health, and they may start to feel even more anxious than they already do. 

What about the great outdoors?

Also, if you are going to let your Siamese cat be an outdoor cat, you should be patient and keep it inside for at least two weeks to a month before letting it out. It needs to adjust to its new home on the inside before it can start exploring outside.

The reason for this is that if the cat is not fully adapted to the home yet and you let it outside, it may try to run away and find its old home.

Siamese cat resting in blanket
Make sure your new Siamese cat has a soft and comfortable place to rest

6. Reward our new Siamese cat for good behavior

Finally, you can help your Siamese cat adjust to a new home by rewarding them for good behavior and using treats to help them feel comfortable. 

For example, if they are hiding under a bed or other furniture, you can lure the cat out with a reward or treat.

This reward system may help your cat realize that they do not have to hide and will be more willing to explore their new home. 

Another example of when you can reward your Siamese cat is after they spend time with children or a new pet.

As we discussed earlier, the introduction and time spent with kids can be stressful for the cat initially, but you can reward them after spending some time with the kids with a treat and some attention. 

Similarly, you can reward them if you plan to introduce them to other pets slowly. Remember that your Siamese cat may adapt to life with some pets easier than others.

f your cat seems scared of another pet in your home, reward them after each interaction you give them to soothe your cat and remind them that time with the other pet is good. 

Our final thoughts

Siamese cats are a fun addition to a family, but you must be patient when introducing them to a new home, especially one with kids or other pets. You must keep them isolated at first and show them plenty of affection. 

Start small with interactions with other pets and kids, and do not pressure the cat into anything before they are ready. If you help them adjust correctly, they can live a happy, active life in their new home. 

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