List of Supplies for Your Cat
Wet and Dry Cat Food
Please see the cat food section under General Cat Care
Food & Water Bowls
You will need separate cat bowls for wet food, dry food and water. Cat food bowls should be fairly shallow. Some cats don’t like their whiskers touching the edges of the bowl when they reach down to eat out of the bowl so most cat bowls are made to be shallow. Water bowls are often a little deeper since the water can be filled up to a higher level in the dish.
Cat food bowls should preferably be made out of metal or a ceramic material. Some cats get kitty acne (on their chins) from eating out of plastic bowls. Please make sure their food bowls are located a fair distance from their litter box.
Some cats intentionally or unintentionally spill their food or water dishes on a regular basis. If you have one of these cats, you will need bowls that are made of a heavier material or bowls that are weighted. Some bowls are wider at the bottom than the top and are much more stable and more difficult to tip over.
Some cats eat their food too fast and will vomit the food soon after eating. Slow feeder bowls will often help solve that problem. The bowls look like a maze and the cat has to work harder to get to the food. This naturally slows down the process of eating.
Litter boxes
There are a variety of different types of litter boxes. Some are uncovered while others have lids. Some covered litter boxes have an open doorway and some have a flap/door that the cat has to walk through to get into the litter box.
Some of the covered litter boxes have built in filters to help odor control. While cat owners may prefer a covered litter box to control odors and cover up the unsightly waste, some cats refuse to use covered litter boxes. While the lids do successfully contain some of the litter box odor which is a positive aspect for the cat owner, some cats find the concentrated odor inside the box too strong and it can be a drawback for the cat. Some cats feel that they are vulnerable in covered litter boxes because they feel cornered/trapped inside the litter box if they feel threatened for any reason while they are inside the litter box with no alternative way out but the one entrance. Other cats will not be willing to push through the flap covering the opening of the litter box. If you want to use a covered litter box, we advise to begin using the litter box without the top. After your cat is comfortably using the uncovered portion of the litter box, place the lid on and watch to see if the cat has any issues with the lid. If any issues occur, you might need to remove the lid permanently or switch to an uncovered litter box.
Litter boxes should be scooped out daily. Non-clumping litter should be fully thrown out and replaced weekly. If you are using clumping litter, continue to add litter daily so that it is always 2.5-3 inches deep so that the urine can clump into easily scoopable balls. If the litter is too shallow, the urine will spread out and stick to the bottom of the litter pan and make it more difficult to scoop out. Clumping litter boxes should be fully emptied and cleaned out anytime odor persists despite having enough clean litter in the box.
Cat Litter
We recommend unscented or very mildly scented cat litter. Cats have a sense of smell that is 14 times better than humans. Therefore, while many cat owners like the scented litter to help mask any odors from the cat’s litter box, many cats find the odor too strong or even offensive.
Litter Scoop
Don’t forget a litter scoop! Inexpensive plastic litter scoops tend to crack and break over time so a heavy plastic or metal one is recommended.
Litter mats
All cats track litter out of the litter box on their feet and some accidentally kick it out of the litter box. Litter mats can help contain some of the litter that is spilled from the litter box but that is totally optional..
Number and Placement of Litter Boxes
It is generally recommended to have one litter box per cat. However, if you have limited space, and have one large litter box for two cats, and scoop it daily, one might suffice.
Many people put their litter boxes in the basement or in a bathroom. Many people have one litter box upstairs and one in the basement. All of those locations are fine. If you decide to move a litter box, it is best to move it no more than five feet at a time until it reaches the new location.
Cat Carrier
It is essential to own a cat carrier to use when you first bring your cat home, to take it to the vet, to have a safe place to keep the cat temporarily confined, or anytime you need to transport the cat in your car or outside of your house. There are a variety of styles of cat carriers - some hard and some soft. Hard carriers are overall more protective of the cat while they are in a carrier. We recommend carriers that have both a top loading door as well as a front door. Some cats are more difficult than others to load into a carrier and it is often easier to load those cats into a top loading carrier. If your cat fights getting into a carrier and you only have a front loading carrier, you can try to stand the carrier on its end and load the cat through the front door with the cat’s hind end going in first. If you have a top loading carrier, place the hind end of the cat in the top door first. It can be helpful to cover the cat's face with your hand while you load it into the carrier. Most smaller carriers are suitable for young kittens but are too cramped for an adult cat. We recommend you buy a medium size cat carrier per cat.
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Nails trimmers
A cat’s need to scratch is innate to the species and all cats will scratch items to some degree. Although there is a common misperception that a cat scratches it claws to sharpen them, it is quite the opposite. A cat scratches to dull its nails because they have become long and sharp. If their nails are trimmed regularly, about once a month, it will reduce the scratching. We will be happy to help demonstrate how to trim their nails. However, some cats are more cooperative than others when it comes to trimming their nails. If you are unable to trim your cat’s nails at home, please get their nails trimmed at your vet office or at a nail trimming clinic every month.
Scratchers and Cat Trees
A cat’s need to scratch is innate to the species and all cats will scratch items to some degree. Although there is a common misperception that a cat scratches it claws to sharpen them, it is quite the opposite. A cat scratches to dull its nails because they have become long and sharp. If their nails are trimmed regularly, about once a month, it will reduce the scratching. However, a cat with trimmed nails will still need some kind of scratcher.
Cardboard scratchers are widely available in many stores and are relatively inexpensive. Once your cat has heavily scratched the cardboard scratcher, some can be turned over. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and some can even be used by the cat as a bed. At some point, they will need to be thrown away and a new one purchased.
Many people purchase carpeted scratch posts or scratch posts covered with sisal rope. Please consider the size of your cat and try to pick one out that will be stable and not tip over if the cat reaches up to scratch them. Most cats enjoy these scratch posts. They are more costly than cardboard scratchers but last much longer. Eventually the carpet or sisal rope will wear out as well.
Most cats love cat trees and the taller the better! Cats like to be high up and like to sit, sleep, and play on cat trees. Cat trees are often partly carpeted and partly sisal rope to accommodate cats that prefer one type of material to scratch over the other.
Cat trees can also be very advantageous if you have a dog. It will allow the cat to climb up to a level that the dog can’t reach and feel safe. Cat trees can also be used as a place to feed your cat if you have a dog in the house that tries to eat from the cat food bowls on the floor. If you might want to feed your cat on the cat tree so the dog can’t get it, purchase a cat tree with sides around one of the highest shelves so the food bowls can’t be pushed off the shelf while the cat is eating.
Catnip can be spread on any cat scratcher to encourage the cat to scratch it.
Flea Comb
Hopefully your indoor cat will not ever be exposed to fleas but it’s always possible the cat might inadvertently get fleas from a facility such as a boarding kennel, groomer or a vet office. If you also have a dog, they can also spread fleas to your cats. If you see your cats scratching and want to check them for fleas, a flea comb comes in handy. If you find even one flea, there are more than one on the cat even if you can’t find them. If the flea comb shows little black flecks of “flea dirt”, then the cat either has fleas or recently had them.
Grooming Comb or Brush
Cats can benefit from being groomed with a cat brush or a comb. All cats shed their fur to some degree but brushing/combing a cat can help reduce the amount of hair that they shed. Long haired cats require regular grooming to ensure they don’t get matted knots in their fur. Mats are most common around the ears and legs but can occur anywhere. Using scissors to cut away mats can be dangerous and often results in cutting the cats skin. Small careful strokes with a fabric seam ripper is generally safer and more effective. If the cat’s fur is matted badly enough, a visit to a professional groomer may be required.
Cat Toys
Most cats (particularly kittens) love cat toys. Some cats are attracted to catnip while others have no reaction to it. Many cats love to play soccer with a small plastic ball on a hard floor. It can be a small plastic cat ball with a bell inside or a ping pong ball. Other cats love toys with feathers and such but you need to ensure your cat isn’t the type that will chew off and swallow the feathers. If your cat loves to play with toys with feathers, put the toy away when you can no longer supervise the cat’s play time with the toy. Eating and swallowing things such as feathers can cause gastric upset and may result in the cat refusing to eat until the feather passes or may result in the need for veterinary attention. There is a large variety of toys available for purchase at many locations.
Cats also love interactive toys that they can play with their owners. These are usually some kind of cord dangling from a stick with a toy at the end. Move the stick around and the cat will love to chase the toy at the end of the cord. Again, please do not leave the toy unattended if it has feathers or such that the cat may chew off and swallow while unattended.
Laser pointers are very popular interactive toys as well but great care and caution must be taken (especially with children) to ensure the laser is never pointed at the cat’s or another person’s eyes.
Cat Treats
Although certainly not required, many cats love cat treats and would enjoy some treats on occasion. There are many different varieties of cat treats such as soft, or crunchy treats in many different flavors. Many cats love tuna flakes as well. Try some for your cat!.