What Supplies Do You Need Before Getting a Cat?

Is your first cat moving in with you? With initial cat equipment, you are guaranteed to create a safe home for your four-legged friend, where he stays healthy and feels completely comfortable. The checklist for basic equipment helps you to keep your cat species-appropriate and safe and to create a home that is lovingly and diversely furnished.

For an optimal acclimatization phase – initial equipment for the cat.

Before a cat moves into your own four walls, various preparations should be made. It doesn’t matter whether you get a small kitten or an older male cat. The four-legged friend should feel comfortable from the beginning. Perhaps you have already looked around on the Internet and in pet stores? The selection of possible utensils and accessories is large. Some things are not even necessary, while others are indispensable. With our checklist on the subject of initial equipment for the cat, you can select everything necessary and distinguish important from unimportant.
Basic cat equipment checklist – 10 things you should think about!

When you prepare your home for your new roommate, the basic cat equipment takes an important place. Now you need to consider things like food, toilets or even beds and places to rest and retreat. In any case, you should consider the tips listed below before the cat comes to you. Whether basic equipment, accessories or extras – with this list you are guaranteed well prepared:

Cat food Drinking and feeding bowls

Transport box

Cat tree

Cat toilet and cat litter

Sleeping places

Toys combs and brushes, as well as if necessary further fur care products

Accessories for safety in the living area

Observe vaccination recommendations

the right cat food for the initial cat equipment

Cats are choosy: continue feeding food from the previous owner for now.
Feed preferably wet food with a high meat content

At the beginning you should not buy too many products of one type of food. Let your cat test for itself. Some cats are very picky and only eat certain types. If necessary, it is advisable to start with the food that the breeder or previous owner fed.

In principle, it is recommended that you inform yourself in advance about the correct cat nutrition. Cats are carnivores. You should always avoid products with grain or sugar. Also, make sure that you feed your cat wet food and not dry food. Cats that eat dry food drink little additional water. By feeding your cat wet food, you will encourage water intake and prevent urinary tract problems.

With high-quality wet food, which has a high meat content and neither grain nor sugar, you are always on the safe side. Perhaps you are interested in the topic Barfen (from BARF: Biologisch Artgerechte Roh Fütterung). By feeding raw meat, you want to come as close as possible to the natural diet of the cat. In this way, it should be supplied with all the important nutrients.

drinking and feeding bowls

Use easy-to-clean stainless steel or porcelain water and food bowls

Provide fresh and clean water at all times.

For the food you need appropriate bowls. The same applies to water, which must be available at all times. In general, stainless steel or porcelain models are preferable because they are easy to clean.

For the regular water supply, there are various drinking fountains that you can place in various places in the living area. They encourage the cat to drink extra. Please do not forget to change the water regularly, even if the bowl is not empty yet. Fresh and clean water tastes better and does not contain pathogenic germs.

Keep in mind that cats are actually desert animals. With proper feeding, you’ll be amazed at how little water your pelt-nose needs.

transport box for the trip home

Look for a sturdy and cleanable box
Often practical: boxes with access from the top

A transport box must not be missing in any case. When buying the transport box, it is important to consider the size of your cat when it is fully grown. On the one hand you need the box for the first trip home, on the other hand you will need it regularly over many years for trips to the vet.

Remember that even if your cat is healthy, you should still take him to the vet for regular deworming, vaccinations and check-ups.

Nice-looking wicker baskets are impractical for cat transport because you can’t keep them hygienically clean. In addition, cats can get stuck in the wicker. Plastic boxes, on the other hand, can be cleaned very well and it is impossible for them to get stuck. They are available in many different designs. Models with access from the top ensure that you can easily lift even a timid animal out of the box. Doors made of metal mesh are much more stable than models with plastic doors. If your cat belongs to a large and heavy breed, you should choose a box made of high-quality plastic to transport it as safely as possible.

cat tree

– your cat’s favorite furniture Necessary utensil to protect furniture
Frequent favorite place for sharpening claws, romping and resting

In a cat home, a scratching post is inevitable – especially if your cat will not be an outdoor cat. Cats need to sharpen their claws regularly. If no scratching post is available, furniture such as sofas or even the wallpaper will suffer from scratching. On the market there are a variety of different scratching posts in various shapes and sizes. You will find scratching posts in many sizes, shapes, colors and designs, so you will certainly quickly discover the right one for your interior style.

Should you get a small cat to you, a smaller scratching post is sufficient in advance. With time, however, it is advisable to purchase a larger one, on which the cat can also play, romp and rest. Make sure that the scratching post is stable and your pet is safe. Recommended are scratching posts whose covers are removable and washable.

If you place the cat tree in a central point in your home, your cat will like it especially. Cats love to observe what is happening around them.

the right litter box and cat litter

Very important for the cat as a clean animal
Decide according to the preferences of your cat: open or closed

Similar to the scratching posts, there are also various litter boxes in different shapes. For kittens, the toilets should have an appropriately low entrance. Larger cats can also use toilets whose entrance is at the top. Many quadrupeds prefer closed models, while others prefer open ones. In any case, your model should be big enough to scratch and turn around. Which model is right for your cat, you should just try. It is important that your cat can reach the place of the toilet at any time. A room that is occasionally locked is out of the question.

If you have more than one cat, the rule of thumb is always: at least one more toilet than cats. For one cat, you should optimally set up two litter boxes, as some cats like to separate their business. The litter boxes should not be placed next to each other, but in different locations.

It is best to use the same litter as the breeder or previous owner. Your cat knows this litter and it will probably accept the toilet well. Cat owners often praise clumping litter because it binds and clumps urine. For easy cleaning of the litter box, a perforated special scoop and a hand brush should not be missing.

sleeping places, cuddle caves and Co.

Cats need a place of retreat
Make the cat comfortable where it likes to sleep

Many cats sleep up to 16 hours a day. At the same time, they prefer to choose their sleeping places themselves. The cat pillow, cat cave or cat bed should be placed where your cat likes to sleep. Sometimes your cat will refuse soft sleeping places. This may be due to the fact that many cats prefer hard sleeping places such as window sills.

toys for the cat

Promote the fitness of your cat with games
Every cat has its preferences

Especially indoor cats need a lot of variety. Playing with species-appropriate cat toys promotes the natural hunting instinct of the cat and keeps it physically and mentally fit. In addition, you strengthen the relationship between you and your cat in this way.

Rustling, crackling or squeaking toys are especially fun for many cats. Also at bells or fishing rods cats do not come past. Also recommended are various fiddly boards that are filled with treats, for example, and present cats with a real challenge.

Every cat has special preferences when it comes to playing. It will be fun for you to find out what your cat likes most. You can equip their toy box accordingly.

TIP: If you put away and change the toys regularly, each one will stay interesting much longer and your cat won’t get bored of them so quickly.

In our guide “Intelligence toys for cats – Keep your cat fit and healthy!” you will learn exactly which toys appeal to the cat’s intelligence and inspire him.

initial cat equipment for the right coat care

Regular coat care promotes cat health
Begin with the young animal with the fur care, so that it gets used to it early on

In general, cats are very clean animals that spend a large part of the day grooming and cleaning their fur. Nevertheless, especially for longhaired cats, it makes sense to comb the fur once a day. But also a short haired cat you should brush regularly and remove falling out hairs. When swallowing large amounts of hair, hairballs can form in the cat’s stomach, which the cat chokes out or vomits. In rare cases, the hairballs can cause digestive problems. In addition, you can detect possible skin parasites such as fleas or ticks at an early stage during grooming.

You also strengthen the relationship between you and your cat by grooming their coat in a comfortable atmosphere. Many cats like to be brushed and see gentle grooming as an additional cuddling session. However, it is advisable to start a grooming routine as early as possible. Combs and brushes should not be missing. Grooming sprays and other products are usually only needed for unruly fur and longhaired cats.

a safe home for your cat

Protect the cat especially from open windows and balconies.
Design your furnishings to be “cat safe

There are several significant dangers lurking in the home environment for your cat. These include, for example, falling from open windows or balconies and getting stuck in tilted windows. You must urgently secure these sources of danger before you take a cat into your home.

For balconies, there are various cat nets that are attached all around and serve as fall protection. Windows can be secured with appropriate fuses from the specialized trade. The fuses prevent cats from getting stuck in tilted windows.

In the home, make sure you have closed doors to ovens, washers, dryers, etc. Trash cans should also be locked. Cats are curious and want to know everything. Put the toilet lid down to prevent your cat from taking an involuntary bath. You should also effectively hide all electrical cords. Lock away fragile objects to prevent them from being broken by playing cat paws.

follow vaccination recommendations

Regular vaccinations keep your cat healthy
Talk to your vet about vaccinations for your cat To keep your cat healthy for a long time, make sure your cat is properly vaccinated. The Permanent Vaccination Commission for Veterinary Medicine (StIKo Vet) at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute regularly issues vaccination recommendations for cats, which practicing veterinarians follow when vaccinating their patients. Talk to your trusted veterinarian about immunizations. Some diseases a cat should always be vaccinated against, other vaccinations you decide together with your veterinarian – depending on the circumstances of the animal and the current epidemic situation.

TIP: If you want to inform yourself, visit the website of the veterinary association about the most important infections of the cat.

We hope that we could help you with our list of advice and tips for the first equipment for the cat, and wish you much joy and fun with your new four-legged friend.