Cats are easily stressed when it comes to moving to a new home. Learn how to ease the moving process for your cat.
Anytime a pet is forced into a new environment, it's bound to be stressful. If you add on top of that the thought that a cat is learning not only a new place to live but living with new people as well, that only creates anxiety that it wishes it didn't have to deal with.
You should bring your new kitten home with you as early in the day as possible. This is so that it can get used to its surroundings somewhat, before nighttime and it's forced to sleep in the dark in a strange place that it doesn't trust. And it's mother isn't even there! You should keep the introductions of other people to a minimum at first, while it gets used to the home. Take it to the room you'll expect it to sleep in, and close the doors. Be there with it while it investigates the room as much as it wants. It will sniff around a bit and roll around on the floor--checking out the "back-scratch-ability" of your carpet, and overall grow more accustomed to the new environment. Let it meet its bed and it's little private part of the world. At this point you should keep to a minimum the amount of times you pick up and handle your pet.
Once it's more used to it's locale, you can introduce it to the other family members. One person should serve as the person who makes the introductions. That person should be the main person who carries the cat. You should let each person hold the cat, but when that person is done, he or she should give the cat back to you. You then take it to the next person. If it appears as though one person is in charge, there will be less stress on your cat.
You'll then need to introduce your new cat to other pets you have in the house. Your pets will have to work out a relationship with one another, but that relationship may take time to develop. Whatever you do--don't throw your new cat in a room with your other cat or dog and expect them to get along. You need to watch your pets interact, so you can jump in if something unwanted should occur. An older cat or dog may take on a leadership or even "parenthood" role in your home. It will show the new cat the ropes around the house.
