Pre-Adoption Class to ADD a
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Give your new cat the homecoming they deserve

A step-by-step guide for first-time and returning adopters — covering everything from supplies and safe rooms to vet visits and smooth introductions, so day one feels like the beginning of something wonderful instead of a scramble. I created this class, having worked in Animal Rescue since 1978. I have been witness to animals being given up for many reasons. Almost all of those reasons could have saved a pet from being given up, if the person thought long and hard BEFORE bringing a pet into their home.
Always bring a pet into your home with the fact that you will keep that pet for the life of the pet.
Once a pet becomes part of your family, as life brings trials and tribulations, solutions should include keeping that pet for the remainder of its life. Because of that, one should always think of everything possible and have solutions to those possible problems BEFORE even looking for a pet. To be successful, really think about each lesson. Waiting to bring a pet into your home may be the best solution for you, your family and especially for the pet. It is heartbreaking for all involved if a pet must be removed from a home. For the pet is can be devastating, as they do not know anything other than they miss you. NOTE TO YOU - These classes virtual or in person, are to help and educate YOU. We can not make you do the lessons or truly think through each question. Because of this, We can not guarantee your best outcome.
Once purchased, all lessons are non-refundable.
Disclaimer - Courses are AI enhanced to give the student an experience tailored to each person. AI always has the possibility of giving wrong information. Courses are created by the author but AI may state something not by the author. If something seems questionable, ask the course to give more information or to clarify.

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Pre-Adoption Class to ADD a Cat or Kitten to your family

A cat who feels safe on day one trusts you for a lifetime — and that doesn't happen by accident.

— Dorinne Whynott

What you'll learn

What you'll be able to do

  • Confidently decide whether a cat or kitten — and how many — is the right fit for your household before you adopt.
  • Assemble a complete supply checklist and prepare a safe, kitten-proofed home before your new pet arrives.
  • Execute a proven safe-room protocol that reduces stress and builds trust in the critical first weeks.
  • Navigate your new cat's first vet visit with confidence, knowing exactly when to go and what to ask whether adopting from a rescue or a private home.
  • Introduce your new cat or kitten to children and dogs using low-stress, step-by-step techniques that protect everyone involved.
  • Successfully introduce a new cat or kitten to a resident cat at home, avoiding common mistakes that lead to lasting conflict.

How it works

A school that adapts to you

This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.

We learn your level

A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.

Lessons adapt as you go

Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.

Your AI coach keeps you moving

Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.

The curriculum

What's inside your school

6 modules · 24 lessons

1

Is a Cat Right for Your Family?

Helps prospective owners honestly evaluate their lifestyle, household, and expectations before committing to adoption.

  • 1.1Counting the Real Costs — Time, Money, and CommitmentIncluded
  • 1.2Kitten vs. Adult Cat — Choosing the Right MatchIncluded
  • 1.3One Cat or Two? The Case for Adopting a PairIncluded
  • 1.4Rescue, Shelter, or Private Home — Where Should You Adopt?Included
2

Preparing Your Home Before Adoption Day

Covers everything owners must gather, set up, and pet-proof before their new cat or kitten walks through the door.

  • 2.1Your Complete Supply ChecklistIncluded
  • 2.2Setting Up the Perfect Safe RoomIncluded
  • 2.3Kitten- and Cat-Proofing Your HomeIncluded
  • 2.4Food, Litter, and Routine — Planning for Day OneIncluded
3

The First Weeks Home — The Safe-Room Protocol

Guides owners through a structured, low-stress safe-room approach that builds trust and confidence in a new cat or kitten.

  • 3.1Why the Safe Room Works — Understanding Feline StressIncluded
  • 3.2Day-by-Day: What to Expect in Week OneIncluded
  • 3.3Building Trust Through Play and Positive InteractionIncluded
  • 3.4Expanding Access — Knowing When Your Cat Is ReadyIncluded
4

Your New Cat's First Vet Visit

Prepares owners for a thorough and timely first veterinary visit, with specific guidance based on adoption source.

  • 4.1Rescue or Shelter Adoption — Timing Your Vet VisitIncluded
  • 4.2Private Home Adoption — See the Vet Before You Bring Your Cat HomeIncluded
  • 4.3What Happens at a New-Cat Wellness ExamIncluded
  • 4.4Questions to Ask Your Vet and How to Find the Right OneIncluded
5

Introducing Your Cat to Children and Dogs

Provides safe, step-by-step protocols for introducing a new cat or kitten to the human children and dogs already in the home.

  • 5.1Preparing Kids Before the Cat Comes HomeIncluded
  • 5.2Supervised First Meetings — Children and the New CatIncluded
  • 5.3Introducing a Dog to Your New Cat — Before Day OneIncluded
  • 5.4Step-by-Step Dog and Cat IntroductionsIncluded
6

Introducing a New Cat to Your Resident Cat

Teaches a patient, scent-first introduction method that avoids territorial conflict and builds a lasting feline friendship.

  • 6.1Why Cat-to-Cat Introductions So Often Go WrongIncluded
  • 6.2Scent Swapping — The Foundation of a Successful IntroductionIncluded
  • 6.3Visual Introductions — Using a Door, Gate, or ScreenIncluded
  • 6.4Supervised Face-to-Face Meetings and Managing SetbacksIncluded

Who it's for

Is this you?

First-time cat adopters

She's never owned a cat and wants a clear, trustworthy roadmap from 'thinking about it' all the way through the first weeks home.

Parents of young kids

She needs to know exactly how to prepare her children and manage first meetings so the new cat feels safe and nobody gets scratched.

Dog owners adding a cat

He has a dog he loves and needs a step-by-step plan to introduce a new cat without chaos, stress, or a standoff in the hallway.

Multi-cat households

She already has a resident cat and knows introductions can go badly — she wants the scent-swapping, gate-and-screen, step-by-step approach done right.

Thoughtful researchers

He wants to understand the why behind every recommendation — feline stress, safe-room science, vet timing — before he commits to adopting.

Returning cat owners starting fresh

She's had cats before but it's been years, her life looks different now, and she wants to do this one right from day one.

Questions

Frequently asked

Your teacher

A note from your teacher

DW

Dorinne Whynott

If you're reading this, you're probably somewhere in that exciting, slightly nerve-wracking in-between — you've decided to bring a cat or kitten home (or you're very close to deciding), and you want to get it right. Maybe you're a first-time cat owner and everything feels like uncharted territory. Maybe you've had cats before but it's been a while, or this time there's a dog in the mix, or a toddler, or a resident cat who has some opinions about newcomers. Whatever your situation, I'm really glad you're here before adoption day rather than after.

I created this lesson because the information new adopters actually need — practical, specific, and honest — is weirdly hard to find in one place. You can spend hours reading forum threads and blog posts and still walk into adoption day without knowing how to set up a safe room, what to ask at the first vet visit, or why your cats are still hissing at each other three weeks in. I've seen that confusion play out over and over again, and I've seen how much smoother things go when families are prepared before the cat comes home.

Everything in this school is built around what I know actually works in real homes with real families — including the messy ones. The safe-room protocol isn't abstract theory; it's grounded in how cats genuinely process stress and new environments, and it works. The dog-cat and cat-cat introduction sequences are step-by-step because vague advice like "introduce them slowly" isn't actually useful when you're standing in your hallway wondering what to do next. And the vet visit section exists because the timing and preparation questions I see asked most often are ones that have clear, simple answers — you just need someone to give them to you straight.

I also won't pretend any of this is one-size-fits-all. That's why we start with the honest questions — is a cat right for your household right now, is a kitten or an adult cat a better fit, should you consider adopting a bonded pair — before you're already emotionally attached to a face on an adoption website. Those early decisions shape everything that comes after.

This school isn't about being the perfect cat owner. It's about being a prepared one — so your new family member gets the calm, safe, loving start they deserve, and you get to actually enjoy the process instead of white-knuckling through it. I can't wait to walk through it with you.

— Dorinne Whynott

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  • 6 modules, 24 lessons
  • AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
  • Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
  • Your own AI learning coach
  • Learn on any device, at your pace
  • Full access for as long as you're subscribed