diff --git a/pandas/core/dtypes/cast.py b/pandas/core/dtypes/cast.py
index 44650500e0f65..d0fa6239fc1cb 100644
--- a/pandas/core/dtypes/cast.py
+++ b/pandas/core/dtypes/cast.py
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
     pandas_dtype,
 )
 from pandas.core.dtypes.dtypes import (
+    CategoricalDtype,
     DatetimeTZDtype,
     ExtensionDtype,
     IntervalDtype,
@@ -1849,13 +1850,16 @@ def ensure_nanosecond_dtype(dtype: DtypeObj) -> DtypeObj:
     return dtype
 
 
-def find_common_type(types: List[DtypeObj]) -> DtypeObj:
+def find_common_type(
+    types: List[DtypeObj], promote_categorical: Optional[bool] = False
+) -> DtypeObj:
     """
     Find a common data type among the given dtypes.
 
     Parameters
     ----------
     types : list of dtypes
+    promote_categorical : find if possible, a categorical dtype that fits all the dtypes
 
     Returns
     -------
@@ -1876,6 +1880,24 @@ def find_common_type(types: List[DtypeObj]) -> DtypeObj:
     if all(is_dtype_equal(first, t) for t in types[1:]):
         return first
 
+    # special case for categorical
+    if promote_categorical:
+        if any(is_categorical_dtype(t) for t in types):
+            cat_dtypes = []
+            for t in types:
+                if isinstance(t, CategoricalDtype) and t.categories is not None:
+                    if any(~isna(t.categories.values)):
+                        cat_values_dtype = t.categories.values.dtype
+                        if all(
+                            is_categorical_dtype(x) or np.can_cast(x, cat_values_dtype)
+                            for x in types
+                        ):
+                            cat_dtypes.append(t)
+            if len(cat_dtypes) > 0:
+                dtype_ref = cat_dtypes[0]
+                if all(is_dtype_equal(dtype, dtype_ref) for dtype in cat_dtypes[1:]):
+                    return dtype_ref
+
     # get unique types (dict.fromkeys is used as order-preserving set())
     types = list(dict.fromkeys(types).keys())
 
diff --git a/pandas/core/dtypes/concat.py b/pandas/core/dtypes/concat.py
index 614a637f2d904..1e27b93e5abf1 100644
--- a/pandas/core/dtypes/concat.py
+++ b/pandas/core/dtypes/concat.py
@@ -17,11 +17,14 @@
     is_extension_array_dtype,
     is_sparse,
 )
+from pandas.core.dtypes.dtypes import CategoricalDtype
 from pandas.core.dtypes.generic import (
     ABCCategoricalIndex,
     ABCSeries,
 )
+from pandas.core.dtypes.missing import isna
 
+from pandas.core.algorithms import unique1d
 from pandas.core.arrays import ExtensionArray
 from pandas.core.arrays.sparse import SparseArray
 from pandas.core.construction import (
@@ -35,6 +38,16 @@ def _cast_to_common_type(arr: ArrayLike, dtype: DtypeObj) -> ArrayLike:
     Helper function for `arr.astype(common_dtype)` but handling all special
     cases.
     """
+    if isinstance(dtype, CategoricalDtype):
+        # if casting an array to a categorical dtype, then we need to ensure
+        # that its unique values are predefined as categories in that dtype
+        unique_values = unique1d(arr[~isna(arr)])
+        if any(val not in dtype.categories for val in unique_values.tolist()):
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Cannot setitem on a Categorical with a new category, "
+                "set the categories first"
+            )
+
     if (
         is_categorical_dtype(arr.dtype)
         and isinstance(dtype, np.dtype)
@@ -116,12 +129,18 @@ def is_nonempty(x) -> bool:
     all_empty = not len(non_empties)
     single_dtype = len({x.dtype for x in to_concat}) == 1
     any_ea = any(is_extension_array_dtype(x.dtype) for x in to_concat)
+    first_ea = isinstance(to_concat[0], ExtensionArray)
+    arr_index_expansion = (
+        first_ea and len(to_concat) == 2 and to_concat[1].shape[0] == 1
+    )
 
     if any_ea:
         # we ignore axis here, as internally concatting with EAs is always
         # for axis=0
         if not single_dtype:
-            target_dtype = find_common_type([x.dtype for x in to_concat])
+            target_dtype = find_common_type(
+                [x.dtype for x in to_concat], promote_categorical=arr_index_expansion
+            )
             to_concat = [_cast_to_common_type(arr, target_dtype) for arr in to_concat]
 
         if isinstance(to_concat[0], ExtensionArray):
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_categorical.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_categorical.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..9dba345c3db36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_categorical.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import pytest
+
+import pandas as pd
+from pandas import Categorical
+import pandas._testing as tm
+
+
+class TestCategoricalSeries:
+    def test_setitem_undefined_category_raises(self):
+        ser = pd.Series(Categorical(["a", "b", "c"]))
+        msg = (
+            "Cannot setitem on a Categorical with a new category, "
+            "set the categories first"
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=msg):
+            ser.loc[2] = "d"
+
+    def test_concat_undefined_category_raises(self):
+        ser = pd.Series(Categorical(["a", "b", "c"]))
+        msg = (
+            "Cannot setitem on a Categorical with a new category, "
+            "set the categories first"
+        )
+        with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=msg):
+            ser.loc[3] = "d"
+
+    def test_loc_category_dtype_retention(self):
+        # Case 1
+        df = pd.DataFrame(
+            {
+                "int": [0, 1, 2],
+                "cat": Categorical(["a", "b", "c"], categories=["a", "b", "c"]),
+            }
+        )
+        df.loc[3] = [3, "c"]
+        expected = pd.DataFrame(
+            {
+                "int": [0, 1, 2, 3],
+                "cat": Categorical(["a", "b", "c", "c"], categories=["a", "b", "c"]),
+            }
+        )
+        tm.assert_frame_equal(df, expected)
+
+        # Case 2
+        ser = pd.Series(Categorical(["a", "b", "c"]))
+        ser.loc[3] = "c"
+        expected = pd.Series(Categorical(["a", "b", "c", "c"]))
+        tm.assert_series_equal(ser, expected)
+
+        # Case 3
+        ser = pd.Series(Categorical([1, 2, 3]))
+        ser.loc[3] = 3
+        expected = pd.Series(Categorical([1, 2, 3, 3]))
+        tm.assert_series_equal(ser, expected)