Bringing home a new cat is exciting. It’s also a little panic-inducing when you realize you have no idea what to buy.
I’ve put together this checklist to cut through the noise. No fluff, no unnecessary purchases — just the essentials that will make your cat’s transition into your home smooth, safe, and stress-free.
Bookmark this page. You’ll come back to it.
## The Quick Checklist
Before we dive in, here’s everything at a glance:
– [ ] Litter box (x2)
– [ ] Unscented clumping litter
– [ ] Food & water bowls
– [ ] Cat food
– [ ] Cat carrier
– [ ] Scratching post
– [ ] Cat bed
– [ ] Toys (wand toy + crinkle ball)
– [ ] Cat tree (week 2+)
– [ ] Grooming brush
Now let’s go through each one — what to look for, what to avoid, and my top picks.
## Before Your Cat Comes Home
### 1. Litter Box
Rule of thumb: one litter box per cat, plus one extra. For a single cat, that means two boxes.
I recommend starting with a large, uncovered box. Cats prefer space and airflow, and covered boxes trap odors that make cats avoid them entirely. The biggest mistake new owners make is buying a box that’s too small.
What to look for:
– At least 1.5x the length of your cat
– Low entry point for kittens or senior cats
– Easy to clean
→ See my top picks: Best Litter Boxes for New Cat Owners
### 2. Cat Litter
Go with unscented, clumping litter. Always.
Scented litters smell great to humans and awful to cats. Cats have 40x more scent receptors than we do — what smells like “fresh linen” to you is overwhelming to them. If your cat avoids the litter box, scented litter is usually the culprit.
Clumping litter makes scooping easy and keeps odors under control far better than non-clumping alternatives.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Litter for New Owners
### 3. Food & Water Bowls
This one matters more than most people realize.
Avoid plastic bowls. Plastic harbors bacteria in tiny scratches, which can cause feline chin acne — red bumps under your cat’s chin that are uncomfortable and stubborn to treat.
Stick to ceramic or stainless steel. Wide, shallow bowls are best — deep bowls force cats to bend their whiskers, which causes whisker fatigue and can make them reluctant to eat.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Food Bowls
### 4. Cat Food
Start with whatever the shelter or breeder was feeding your cat. Switching food too quickly causes digestive upset — not a fun first week.
When you’re ready to transition, I recommend a combination of wet and dry food. Wet food provides hydration (cats are notoriously bad at drinking enough water) and dry food helps with dental health.
Look for foods where a named protein — chicken, salmon, turkey — is the first ingredient. Avoid foods where the first ingredient is a grain or “meat by-products.”
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Food for New Owners
### 5. Cat Carrier
You need this before anything else — for the trip home.
I recommend a hard-sided carrier with both a front door and a top opening. Top-loading carriers are a game changer at the vet — you can lower your cat in gently rather than wrestling them through a front door.
Leave the carrier out in your home with a blanket inside. Cats who see the carrier only at vet time learn to fear it. Cats who sleep in it occasionally treat it as just another cozy spot.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Carriers for New Owners
## First Week Essentials
### 6. Scratching Post
Get this before your cat discovers your couch. Scratching is not bad behavior — it’s a biological need. Cats scratch to shed dead claw layers, stretch their muscles, and mark territory.
The key is getting a post tall enough for your cat to fully stretch — at least 28 inches. Most cheap scratching posts are too short and cats ignore them.
Sisal rope or sisal fabric posts are far more appealing to cats than carpet-covered ones.
→ See my top picks: Best Scratching Posts for Cats
### 7. Cat Bed
Cats sleep 12–16 hours a day. A dedicated bed gives your cat a sense of security in an unfamiliar environment.
New cats especially need a safe, enclosed space to decompress. A donut-style or cave bed works well for anxious cats. Place it in a quiet corner away from foot traffic for the first week.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Beds
### 8. Toys
A bored cat is a destructive cat.
Start simple: a wand toy for interactive play and a crinkle ball for solo play. Interactive play is important — it bonds you with your cat and burns energy before bedtime (preventing those 3am zoomies).
Aim for two 10-minute play sessions per day. It makes a significant difference in your cat’s behavior and happiness.
→ See my top picks: Best Toys for New Cats
## First Month Additions
### 9. Cat Tree
Once your cat is settled — usually after the first week — a cat tree becomes one of the best investments you can make.
Cats are vertical animals. They feel safer at height and need territory to call their own. A cat tree gives them a place to climb, scratch, sleep, and observe their kingdom (your living room).
You don’t need to spend a fortune. There are excellent cat trees under $100 that are sturdy, well-reviewed, and cats genuinely love.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Trees Under $100
### 10. Grooming Tools
Even short-haired cats benefit from regular brushing. It reduces shedding, prevents hairballs, and — most importantly — becomes a bonding ritual.
Start brushing early, even if your cat doesn’t need it yet. A cat that grows up being brushed tolerates it easily. A cat that first experiences a brush at age 3 does not.
A simple rubber grooming glove is the easiest starting point — most cats barely notice it and think they’re being petted.
→ See my top picks: Best Cat Grooming Brushes
## What You Don’t Need Right Away
Save yourself money by skipping these until later:
– Automatic litter box — great product, but learn your cat’s habits first
– Cat fountain — nice to have, not essential week one
– Calming supplements — wait and see if your cat actually needs them
– GPS tracker — only necessary for outdoor cats
## Final Thoughts
You don’t need to buy everything at once. Start with the Before You Come Home essentials, add the First Week items as you settle in, and build from there.
The most important thing you can give your new cat isn’t any product — it’s patience. New cats need time to adjust. Give them a quiet space, stick to a routine, and let them come to you.
They will. And it’ll be worth it.
→ Start with my full review of the best litter boxes — it’s the most important purchase you’ll make