General guidance — not a diagnosis. When in doubt, call your vet.
Start With Eight Things, Not Eighty
A new kitten needs about eight things on arrival day: two litter boxes with plain unscented clumping litter, a growth-formula food, bowls, a rope scratching post with two or more levels, a carrier, a bed, a few toys, and a microchip booked at the first vet visit. Nearly everything else is preference, convenience, or upsell — and the few that matter are the ones first-time owners get wrong.
The list shifts with age and household: a nine-week-old just off the queen eats differently from a five-month-old, and a home with a resident cat needs resources duplicated, not shared.
| Buy before arrival | Buy later, or skip |
|---|---|
| Two litter boxes, unscented clumping litter | Self-cleaning boxes |
| Growth-formula kitten food | Milk replacer, unless the kitten is not yet weaned |
| Rope scratching post, upright, two or more levels | Oversized multi-room cat furniture |
| Carrier with a removable top | Stroller or backpack carrier |
| Microchip at the first vet visit | A collar tag as the only ID |
Litter Setup Is the One to Get Right
Buy two boxes, not one: AAFP/ISFM guidance is that a single-cat household should have two litter boxes in two separate locations, and that in multi-cat households the historical rule of thumb is at least one more box than the total number of cats, although this is not an absolute requirement [2]. Go bigger than looks necessary — about 1.5 times the cat's length from nose to tail base — and fill it with a fine, sand-like, non-scented, clumping material at least 1.25 inches (3 cm) deep [2]. Cats often find aromatic litter and litter deodorisers offensive [2]. Don't agonise over a hood either way — cats are equally divided in their preference for large covered boxes versus uncovered ones [2]. Scoop daily [2], and keep food and water away from the box [3].
What "Kitten Food" Has to Mean
One label check beats any brand comparison: the diet should carry an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement of nutritional adequacy [1], and for a kitten it should be a growth formula. A kitten at 10 weeks of age has a very high energy requirement of 200 kcal/kg body weight/day, against 80 kcal/kg/day at 10 months [1]. Kittens can be weaned onto commercially balanced kitten foods starting at 3–5 weeks of age [1], so buy milk replacer only if yours is not yet weaned.
Bowls are a matter of taste. If you already have a cat, buy a second set rather than sharing one: every cat within a household should have its own separate feeding station [3].
The Carrier, the Scratcher, and the Chip
Buy a carrier whose top half comes off: cat-friendly practice guidance has the veterinary team remove the top half so that examination and any diagnostics can be performed with the cat in the bottom half, and encourages caregivers to replace a carrier that gets in the way [5]. Then use it at home: teaching cats to voluntarily enter and calmly travel within their carriers using positive reinforcement benefits their welfare, and beginning cooperative care education in kittenhood gives the best chance of long-term cooperation [5].
Put a scratching surface out on day one; scratching posts and other scratching surfaces should be provided as soon as a cat enters the home [1]. In a survey of over 4,000 owners, cats 9 years old and younger most often preferred cat trees with two or more levels, followed by simple vertical posts; the post those authors recommend has rope as its substrate, is upright vertical, 3 ft or higher and has two or more levels [4].
Then microchip, and register it properly. All cats should be microchipped for permanent identification [1]; among 7,704 microchipped animals entering 53 shelters, owners were found for 63.5% of microchipped stray cats (298/469), and the commonest reason owners were not reached was an incorrect or disconnected telephone number [6].
When to See a Vet
Shopping can wait; these cannot. Contact a vet promptly if your new kitten:
- Refuses food, or stops eating or nursing altogether — kittens carry almost no energy reserve
- Goes limp, cold, unresponsive, or collapses
- Has watery diarrhoea or repeated vomiting, especially in a very young kitten
- Breathes with visible effort or an open mouth, or has a nose crusted shut
For cat owners
An article can't ask about your cat.
Describe what you're seeing. You'll get a few follow-up questions about your cat, then where it lands — vet today, watch closely, or no visit needed — and what to do at home meanwhile.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many litter boxes does one kitten need?
Two. AAFP/ISFM house-soiling guidance is that a single-cat household should have two litter boxes in two separate locations; in multi-cat households the historical rule of thumb is at least one more box than the total number of cats, although the guidelines add that this is not an absolute requirement [2].
What should I buy differently if I already have a cat?
Duplicate resources rather than share them. The AAFP/ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines say every cat should have its own separate feeding station, and that resources placed in different locations let cats avoid seeing one another and minimise competition, bullying and stress [3].
Is a full cat tree worth it, or will a plain post do?
The evidence points to the tree. In the 2016 Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery survey of over 4,000 owners, cats 9 years old and younger most often preferred cat trees with two or more levels, followed by simple vertical posts, and the recommended post has rope as its substrate, is upright vertical, 3 ft or higher and has two or more levels [4]. Placement alone will not save the sofa: 52% of those owners observed inappropriate scratching (2125/4105), and 69.3% of them already had a post in the same room as the scratched object [4].
Does an indoor-only kitten still need a microchip?
Yes — the 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines state that all cats should be microchipped for permanent identification [1], and indoor cats are the ones who bolt through an open door unprepared. Register the chip and keep its phone number current.
How much of this can I buy after the kitten arrives?
Most of it. Boxes, litter, food, bowls, a carrier and a scratching surface should be in first; beds, toys and grooming tools can wait. The 2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines put the sensitive socialisation period as beginning as early as 2–3 weeks and possibly closing by 9–10 weeks [1], so early handling beats early shopping.
References
- Quimby et al., J Feline Med Surg, 2021. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10812130/
- Carney et al., J Feline Med Surg, 2014. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11148882/
- Ellis et al., J Feline Med Surg, 2013. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11383066/
- Wilson et al., J Feline Med Surg, 2016. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11112215/
- Rodan et al., J Feline Med Surg, 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10845437/
- Lord et al., JAVMA, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19601734/