Kitty time. The time it takes for a cat to do something is what I call kitty time. It is important to understand that cats do things at their own speed. When we try to force them to conform to our time frame we can create problems.
I heard from a new adopter that their new cat was very stressed. It turned out that the new cat was simply turned loose in the house and expected to adjust immediately to both the resident cats and dogs. Cats are not dogs. Even a new dog should be given an ajustment period before being thrown in with the rest of the animals. For cats this even more important.
When I explained that the cat needed to be slowly introduced into the household the adopter said that they would try. The new cat was returned only a few days later. They wanted a cat to adjust during their time frame and not the cat’s.
Even I have to remind myself they are cats and everything will be accomplished in kitty time!
To Life With Cats 