You can spend a fortune on cat gear or almost nothing. The list below is what a cat actually needs in the first week. Buy these before pickup day so you're not opening boxes around a stressed animal. (I made that mistake with my first cat. The unboxing of a litter mat at 9pm made her hide for two days.)
Litter setup
- Litter box. One per cat, plus one extra. Open trays work for most cats. Covered boxes trap smell for humans but trap it for the cat too. Get a box at least 1.5 times the length of your adult cat.
- Litter. Unscented clumping clay is the default. Most cats prefer fine-grained, low-dust litter. Skip the scented or pellet litters until you know what your cat likes.
- Scoop and a small bin with a lid for daily waste.
- Mat under the box to catch tracked litter.
Put boxes in quiet corners. Not next to food bowls. Not next to noisy appliances. My cat refused her box for a week because I'd put it near the washing machine. Moved it. Problem solved.
Food and water
- Stainless steel or ceramic bowls. Plastic scratches, harbours bacteria, and causes chin acne in some cats.
- Wide, shallow food dish so the cat's whiskers don't touch the sides.
- A separate water bowl, placed away from the food. Cats prefer it that way. They evolved drinking from puddles, not the stream next to the dead bird.
- A bag of the food the shelter or breeder was using. Switching food on day one upsets stomachs. Transition over a week.
A pet water fountain is optional. It encourages drinking, which matters because most cats don't drink enough. Skip if you don't want one more thing to clean.
Scratching
- One tall vertical scratching post, taller than your cat at full stretch (at least 75 cm for adults). Sisal rope is the standard surface. Cardboard works too and is cheap.
- One horizontal scratcher for cats that prefer flat surfaces.
A wobbly post teaches a cat that the post is bad and the sofa is good. Get a heavy base or wall-mount it. I'd skip anything under $40. The cheap ones tip and your couch pays the price.
Carrier
- A hard-sided carrier with a top-opening hatch. Top-loading saves a fight at the vet, where you can lift a reluctant cat out instead of tipping the carrier upside down.
- Soft carriers are fine for short, calm cats, but they sag and offer less protection in a car.
Buy the carrier early. Leave it open in the living room with a blanket inside so it stops being a vet-only object. (Mine sleeps in hers most afternoons now. Vet days are uneventful.)
Sleep
- A soft blanket in a quiet corner is enough. Cats often ignore expensive beds in favour of a cardboard box.
- A cave-style bed suits cats that like to hide. Open round beds suit cats that like to sprawl.
Watch where the cat naps the first week and put a bed there.
Grooming
- A soft brush or rubber grooming mitt for short hair.
- A wide-toothed comb plus a slicker brush for long hair.
- Cat nail clippers. Small scissor-style or guillotine. Human clippers crush the nail.
- A toothbrush and cat-safe toothpaste if you plan to brush teeth. Worth doing. Never use human toothpaste, fluoride is toxic to cats.
Toys
Cats hunt. Toys that move like prey beat toys that sit still.
- A wand toy with a feather or fabric lure. Daily ten-minute play sessions are the single best behaviour tool you have.
- Small kicker toys for solo play.
- A few crinkle balls or catnip mice. Rotate them weekly so they stay interesting.
- A puzzle feeder or two. Slows eating, adds enrichment, costs almost nothing.
Skip laser pointers as the main toy. Cats find pure-light prey frustrating. End any laser session by letting them catch a real toy.
Identification and safety
- Breakaway collar with an ID tag. The collar releases under pressure so it can't strangle a stuck cat.
- Microchip. Done at the first vet visit if not already.
What you don't need yet
Skip the cat tree, the wall shelves, the elaborate harness, the second carrier, the matching everything. Watch the cat for two weeks. See what they actually use. Then buy.