Food: get the exact current routine
Smooth transitions start with sameness. Ask what she is eating right now in precise terms: wet, dry, or a mix, the texture she prefers, and the flavors she reliably finishes versus the ones she walks away from. Ask portion size and schedule, because a cat fed two measured meals behaves differently at your food cupboard from a cat used to grazing all day. Ask whether warm water is added, whether food is served at room temperature from the fridge, and whether she eats from a bowl, a plate, or a puzzle feeder, since presentation alone can decide whether a nervous cat eats on her first night.
Appetite history and quirks worth knowing
Beyond the menu, ask how her appetite behaves. Does she eat eagerly in company but only pick when alone, or the reverse? Has she ever gone off food when stressed, during a house move within the shelter, or after a vet visit, and what tempted her back? Ask about treats and toppers honestly, including any human-food habits you will need to manage kindly rather than continue. Also ask about water: many cats prefer a bowl away from food or a running tap, and knowing her preference prevents a quiet first-day dehydration worry.
Litter: type, depth, placement, and cleaning rhythm
Litter refusal is one of the fastest ways a good adoption unravels, and it is usually a change problem, not a behavior problem. Ask the exact litter type she uses now, scented or unscented, how deep the tray is filled, whether the tray is open or covered, and where it sits relative to her bed and food. Ask how many trays the home or foster setup provides and how often they are scooped and fully changed. A cat accustomed to a large open tray in a quiet utility room may reject a small covered box beside a noisy washing machine even with the same litter inside.
Ask about history, not just current setup
Ask whether she has ever missed the tray, urinated outside it, or been fussy during past changes, and what solved it. Ask the same for food: has a switch ever been tried, over how many days was the new food mixed in, and did it cause loose stools or refusal? Those answers tell you how sensitive her stomach and habits are, and therefore how slowly your own later changes should go. As a rule, replicate everything for the first couple of weeks, then change one variable at a time, food first or litter first, never both together.
Bring the details home in writing
Verbal handovers blur by the second day, especially the small numbers that matter, like portion size and tray depth. Ask the rescue to write the diet and litter notes down, photograph the food packaging if that helps, and take a small supply of her current food and litter home if they offer it. Keeping those notes with her vaccination and microchip paperwork gives your vet the full picture at her first check. KinsLe Pet Passport gathers exactly those records into one portable packet, so her feeding routine, litter preferences, and health documents travel together wherever she needs them.