The Ultimate Guide: What to Buy Your New Cat or Kitten
The Ultimate Guide: What to Buy Your New Cat or Kitten
Did you get a new cat or are you looking for items to spoil your cat?
It's so exciting to bring home a new friend! Perhaps you’ve adopted a new pet or want to do something special for your furry friend.
Cats can be really loving, loyal, & intelligent pets. They are also easy to care for because they are independent in many ways.
This list is perfect for what to buy your cat for Christmas, birthday gifts for cats, general gifts for cats, or if you want to get all the cat essentials. One of my favorite items on this list is actually a scoop-free litter box. It’s really a gift to yourself and definitely on the top of my list of cool things to get for cats. Keep reading for cat toys too!
I hope you enjoy your kitten or cat, & find these tips useful!
Cat Essentials You’ll Need:
The items included below are items a cat needs. If you already have a cat, take a look at the list to see where you could enhance certain items like getting a no-scoop litter box.
Litterbox
I truly love the Omega Paw Self-Cleaning litter box. It's a little bit more costly than a traditional litterbox, but it allows you to clean the litterbox without scooping. Yes, NO scooping!!! Basically, you tilt all the litter onto one side of the box and it filters out the mess. The filtered out portion, the mess, is then in a scooper that you can pull out.
Pros: no scooping, lid included, lots of space, slightly elevated so less mess when cat kicks litter
Cons: it's large & takes up some space, a bit more costly, can be hard to travel with
Don't want the fancy, no scooping OmegaPaw Self-Cleaning litter box? Alright. I still have a suggestion!
Choose a somewhat large litterbox that has the following:
a) Is a color that will match the room or a color you like.
b) Is slightly elevated because your cat will kick out litter & this will help avoid that a bit.
c) Allows a lid to attach to it. Buy the matching lid. This will also help contain litter as your cat kicks it around inside the litterbox.
Litter
There are fancy versions of litter, but I haven't tried them. I've tried a variety of brand-name litter options & super cheap ones from Walmart.
This Clumping Litter litter works great for me because it has an easy-to-carry and easy-to-pour container. Also, it includes scents by Glade so that smells aren't an issue!
I'd also suggest going to Pet Smart and purchasing their store brand litter. It comes this way or that way. If you keep your original container and bring it back, you get a discount on the litter.
Cons: it's large & takes up some space, a bit more costly, can be hard to travel with
Don't want the fancy, no scooping litterbox? Alright. I still have a suggestion!
Choose a somewhat large litterbox that has the following:
a) Is a color that will match the room or a color you like.
b) Is slightly elevated because your cat will kick out litter & this will help avoid that a bit.
c) Allows a lid to attach to it. Buy the matching lid. This will also help contain litter as your cat kicks it around inside the litterbox.
Bed
Any soft bed with a nice color will work. I really like this calming pet bed that can be used as a cat bed or dog bed. It's soft, super cute, and will match with most things. I also really like these indoor pet heating pads and cat beds that enclose around the cat. Cats love to feel secure and warm by staying in closed spaces.
You should also get a blanket to go on top of the bed. A really nice luxurious pet blanket will have you wanting to use it too!
A blanket or two
Blankets are great for the cat's bed, carriers, or any other travel totes that the cat would be in. Blankets fill empty space which makes the cat feel more secure & less alone.
Crate
You'll want a hard crate that you can place in a car. Below are airline-approved traveling carriers that are great for flying with cats. I've flown with cats and I think hard crates are boarded sort of like checked bags are. You never know if this may be your only option depending on the airline, so maybe check to see that your hard crate is TSA approved for travel.
The traveling carriers below could be used in the car, but I’ve found that it is sometimes nice to have a hard crate that is easy to buckle in.
Traveling carrier
A traveling carrier is really important for safely transporting your cat. Definitely get a traveling carrier that is TSA-approved for flights. This way you can use it for car trips, plane flights, or any other travel with your cat.
Usually, the traveling carriers are totes or soft crates. I recommend getting something that fits your lifestyle & existing luggage. Soft crates are nice because they close fully & offer your pet a bit of space.
Totes work better for dogs. Cats are permitted in them & I've done it while traveling on foot (never a plane or anything), but my cat did one day jump free from the tote. It was traumatic & it took forever to resolve the situation. All pets are different, so maybe it would work for yours, but I wouldn't gamble. Read my note below for more details!
Note:
I would not be frugal when it comes to buying your cat a traveling carrier or crate. Cats are really intelligent and most (if not all) do not enjoy being inside of carriers, so they will do whatever they can to escape. With cheaper carriers or fashionable carriers that aren’t designed for security (haha), your cat will succeed in escaping. I can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s always a disaster when they escape and sometimes it takes forever to get the situation back under control. You don’t want to be driving or on a plane when your cat escapes.
Food
Blue Buffalo pet foor! It's healthy & your pet will absolutely enjoy it! Other "wellness" or healthy brands have had ingredients that were great, yet I've found cats tend to not eat those brands. This typically means the food is not delicious to them.
Kitten Food
Blue Buffalo Dry Food for your kitten
Blue Buffalo Wet Food for your kitten
Adult Cat Food
Blue Buffalo Dry Food for your adult cat
Blue Buffalo Wet Food for your adult cat
If you don't want to use Blue Buffalo pet food, consider checking the ingredients on your pet's food. you want a brand that uses real food. "Chicken Meal" and other substitutes are
Make sure you check the ingredients in your pet's food. You want a brand that uses real food & actual meat. "Corn", "by-product", flour", etc. should not be the first few ingredients. Those ingredients are like filler food instead of actual meat or other sources of protein. Your pet's food should have the first few ingredients be actual meat & vegetables. See examples below. I used the first four ingredients of popular cat food brands. Determine which ingredients look good & which you shouldn't purchase for your pet. Keep scrolling for the answers!
Examples:
Ingredients #1
Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Peas
Ingredients #2
Corn Meal, Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soy Flour
Ingredients #3
Chicken, Chicken meal, Peas, Chickpeas
Ingredients #4
Chicken, Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Gluten
Ingredients #5
Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Corn Grits, Ground Whole Grain SorghumAnswers
Ingredients #1 are good. Real ingredients are used & the first few are meat. Ingredients #2 aren't good. Corn isn't a great ingredient & you certainly don't want any by-products as the first few ingredients of your pet's food. Ingredients #3 are alright. Real chicken is used, but ingredients #1 are still better since the third ingredient is turkey. Ingredients #4 could be much better. More real meat would be ideal. Ingredients #5 are terrible.
Best ingredients: #1
You can also order organic cat food for your pet.
Food containers
You need 2 bowls or another type of container for food & water.
I like these pet food bowls because they match with most decor, are slightly raised from the ground, and the cat food bowl tilts towards your pet which is so helpful for them. Also, these pet feeding bowls aren't attached to each other and can be easily cleaned individually. Sometimes you may need to clean the food bowl more often than the water bowl or vice versa depending on if you use wet/dry food.
I'm not too picky about this, but I'll tell you what your options are!
This fancy pet food bowl is nice because it has a backdrop that can catch most food. In my experience, cats like to play around with their food or even make a little mess while eating. This pet food bowl may help reduce mess from pets eating.
There are also automated water & food bowls. They don't usually require electricity & simply allow the food or water to fall out once there is more room in the bowl. This is great if you are lazy or will be away for travel while your pet is home.
Another option is using something in your home. A regular bowl & plate will work great.
If you want more stylish options, visit the pet section of local pet stores. There aren't too many creative options that I've seen, but some food bowls are decorated in cute ways.
Nail clippers
Meh. Take your cat to the vet or buy some kitty nail clippers.
The latter is much more affordable, yet the experience may not be worth it.
Some cats don't put up a struggle when you try to groom them, but I've found that most cats do. It can be difficult to hold your cat & clip their nails at the same time. You may want to get the help of another person or make that trip to the vet.
Brush
Initially, I purchased a cat brush because I was told it would help reduce shedding. I'm not sure that brushing your cat's hair truly helps with shedding or not. I do know that it's good to brush your cat though. I've also found that some cats really enjoy being brushed.
Treats
Who doesn't love a treat?
Don't give your cat too many or too often, but they are good to have on hand.
I've used treats for fun, but also when trying to teach my pets new tricks. Cat treats are a good way to show your cat some extra love.
Usually, I use canned cat food as a treat. You can also use organic canned cat food if that’s important. There are also healthy cat treats for dental care. Lastly, you could use cheap canned food or individual treats. I prefer canned food because it lasts longer than treats that can be eaten within moments.
Fun Things for Cats
Check out this list of fun cat toys and share in the comments some of your favorites
What cool things to get for cats would you recommend?
Toys are so important. Toys keep cats entertained & healthy! Find your cats small balls, wands with dangling charms,& other toys that they can chase. This list is also great if you’re buying gifts for cats or even special birthday gifts for cats. Who doesn’t want items to spoil your cat?
Here are some toys that every cat is sure to love:
Cats love to play with balls and having 3 levels to choose from just keeps things super interesting for them.
Classic Ball Track with Scratcher
This is the traditional ball on a track that cats love, but it also includes a scratcher in the middle. Scratchers or scratch posts are crucial for cat nail care. If they don't have a scratcher then it's likely that your furniture will be their substitute.
This is really fun and interactive for cats. It's also great because the cat can play with it without your help. You could also buy a laser, but that would require you to use it with your cat.
This requires you to play with your cat, but it’s fun and good exercise for you both.
I’ve linked our favorite cat toy wand, but really they are all great. I love this one because it’s made ergonomically with humans in mind and I’m not sure what about the design that does this, but they have clearly done their homework to make cats obsessed with the look of it too. I honestly have to hide all the wands when it’s not playing time because my cats will hunt the wand down for those little trinkets at the end. We have the bird and the bumblebees.
I like to use wands to keep my cat sharp mentally and also physically fit. Place the wand behind different objects to play hide and go seek with your pet.
Be sure to also dangle the wand in the air and drag it along the floor too. All of these movements will force your cat to jump and run.
You can never have too many balls and small cat toys for your cat.
Cats absolutely love tossing around balls. This is an easy way for them to play for hours by themselves.
I usually place a small cat toy or ball in my cat's crate too so they have something they like in there. It’s also a familiar toy which should be nice.
What fun things for cats would you recommend?
Also...
BONUS Tip:
You'll also want to locate your nearest vet. Your cat may need shots now or in the future. You never know when emergencies may occur. Identify at least one reputable vet in your area. Some vets may even specialize in cat care!