Guides
Almost everything that goes wrong with a first cat traces back to three things: a room set up badly, an introduction rushed, or a signal misread. These guides deal with all three, in the order you will meet them.
Setting Up Before the Cat Arrives
Most first-cat problems are configuration problems — the wrong litter box in the wrong place, no scratching post where it is needed. All of them are cheaper to prevent than to fix.
The First Two Weeks — Why Going Slow Works
New cats hide, refuse food, and ignore you. That is the process working, not failing. Rushing it is the one thing that reliably makes it take longer.
Reading a Cat — Body Language, Play, and Problems That Are Not Problems
Cats signal clearly and consistently. Most complaints about cat behaviour are complaints about signals that were missed, and about needs the cat had no other way to meet.