November 24, 2025
Congratulations! You’ve Adopted a Cat/Kitten.
Get essential care tips for your newly adopted cat or kitten, including housing, vaccinations, disease prevention, and safe introductions.
What an exciting time! Adopting a new friend can be a big responsibility, and we want to help ensure each animal is set up for success in their new home. We encourage you to keep the following tips in mind when you bring home your new cat or kitten.
A check-in with your family veterinarian within the first week after adoption is critical to ensure continuity of care for your new friend, and to create a preventative health care plan tailored to their specific needs and to your lifestyle. The goal is to prevent future disease and illness, which will ideally also help reduce future costs of care.
Environment
Creating a safe space for your new cat is very important. Remove any toxic plants and hide any electrical cords that the cat might have access to. Set up your cat’s litter box, bowls, scratching post and toys in a quiet, safe place for the first week or two. Once home, adopters are encouraged to reassemble the cat cabin from the animal centre, as it has the cat’s scent on it and helps ease their transition into their new home by offering a familiar place to perch, sleep, hide and rub. We recommend keeping cats indoors.
Vaccines
Vaccines play a vital role in protecting your new cat or kitten from diseases, as well as keeping other furry and human family members safe. Core vaccines for cats include FVRCP (feline herpes virus, calicivirus & panleukopenia) and rabies. Rabies vaccination is a legal
requirement. All cats adopted from the Ontario SPCA have received their rabies vaccination, provided they are old enough to receive it at the time of adoption.
Disease Testing
Retroviruses like Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are transmitted between cats. If you have a multi-cat household, testing prior to introducing your new cat should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Internal and External Parasites
Your new furry friend has received routine deworming and flea prevention prior to adoption, but further doses may be required. Talk to your veterinarian about future testing and prevention. We also recommend that other family pets be tested and treated for internal and
external parasites prior to bringing your new furry friend home.
Cat-to-Cat / Dog Introductions
Retroviruses like Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are transmitted between cats. If you have a multi-cat household, testing prior to introducing your new cat should be discussed with your veterinarian.