Kitten Checklist: Everything You Need Before Homecoming
Key takeaways
- Buy and set everything up before your kitten arrives: food and water bowls, a complete kitten food, a litter tray and litter, a bed, a scratching post, safe toys, and a sturdy carrier.
- Each item earns its place: a complete growth food fuels rapid development, the scratching post protects your furniture, and the carrier makes vet trips (the first within the first week) far less stressful.
- Set up one quiet base room with everything in it; kittens settle faster in a small, predictable space before they explore the whole home.
- Spend a little more on the few items your cat lives with for years (carrier, scratching post, sturdy bowls); you can economise on toys and bedding.
The kitten checklist comes down to a small set of essentials bought and set up before homecoming: food and water bowls, a complete kitten food, two litter trays and litter, a bed, a scratching post, safe toys, and a sturdy carrier. Get those in place in one quiet room and the first day is calm rather than chaotic. Below is each item, what it is actually for, and how to arrange the base room your kitten settles into. For the wider picture of that first month, start with our new kitten guide.
The complete supply list
Everything a new kitten needs falls into seven groups, and you want all of them ready before homecoming, not bought in a rush afterwards:
- Feeding: two bowls (food and water) plus a complete kitten food
- Toileting: two litter trays and cat litter
- Rest: a bed and a safe hiding spot
- Claws: a tall, stable scratching post
- Play: a few safe toys
- Transport: a sturdy carrier
- Upkeep: a soft brush and a couple of cleaning supplies for accidents
When I brought my first kitten home, I made the classic mistake of buying a beautiful covered bed she completely ignored; she slept in the cardboard delivery box it came in for a fortnight. The lesson stuck: kittens decide what they like, so keep the bedding cheap and the carrier good.
Feeding: bowls and a complete kitten food
Buy shallow, sturdy bowls and a food labelled complete and formulated for growth. Cats are obligate carnivores and require taurine, an amino acid that plant-only diets cannot supply, so a complete kitten food is not optional. Kittens are fed little and often, several small meals a day, because their stomachs are tiny relative to how fast they grow. If you switch from the brand the breeder or shelter used, transition gradually over about seven days to avoid an upset stomach. For how feeding changes as your cat matures, see our kitten feeding guide.
Toileting: litter trays and litter
Provide two litter trays for one kitten: International Cat Care recommends one tray per cat plus one spare. Choose open, low-sided trays a small kitten can climb into without a fight, and a plain unscented litter to start, since strong scents put many cats off. Place the trays in separate quiet spots, always away from food and water, and scoop at least once a day. A clean, easy-to-find tray is the single biggest factor in quick litter training; most kittens already have the instinct and simply need the setup to cooperate.
Rest: a bed and a hiding spot
Offer a soft bed and, just as important, somewhere to hide. International Cat Care advises giving a new kitten access to a hiding place from day one, because a nervous kitten will often retreat to a covered box or a corner before it trusts an open bed, and that is healthy: a hiding spot lowers stress in the first days. Young kittens also sleep a great deal, often around 16 to 20 hours a day, so put the bed somewhere warm, quiet, and slightly out of the main traffic of the room. Do not be surprised if your kitten picks its own spot entirely; mine certainly did.
Claws: a scratching post
Buy a tall, stable scratching post before, not after, your kitten discovers the sofa. Scratching is normal, healthy behaviour that maintains the claws and marks territory, so the question is never whether your kitten scratches but where. International Cat Care recommends a post tall enough for a full stretch, ideally at least 60 cm or so, and heavy enough not to topple, which redirects the instinct from day one. Starting a kitten on a post is far easier than retraining an adult that has already chosen your furniture, a problem we cover in why cats scratch furniture.
Play: safe toys
Keep a few simple, safe toys on hand and rotate them. Play is how kittens burn energy, learn to use their claws and teeth gently, and bond with you, so short, frequent play sessions matter more than a big toy box. International Cat Care suggests several short bursts of play a day, roughly 5 to 10 minutes each, rather than one long session. Avoid anything with small parts a kitten could swallow, and put string and wand toys away after play so they cannot be chewed unsupervised.
Transport: a sturdy carrier
Invest in a solid carrier with a removable top or front-opening door. This is the one item your cat will use for years, and an easy-open carrier turns a wrestling match into a calm lift in and out, which matters because the first vet visit should happen within the first week. That visit starts vaccinations, parasite control, and microchipping. Leave the carrier out at home with a familiar blanket inside so it becomes a normal piece of furniture rather than a signal that something stressful is coming.
Setting up the base room
Pick one quiet room and put the whole checklist in it before your kitten arrives, then kitten-proof it. Tuck away or cover cables, remove small objects that could be swallowed, secure blind cords, and block any gap a kitten could squeeze into or fall behind. Keep food and water at one end of the room and the litter trays at the other. A small, predictable space lets a kitten build confidence before it meets the rest of the home, and it makes those first nights easier on everyone. Our kitten-proofing your home guide walks through the room-by-room hazards in detail.
This guide is general information, not advice for your individual kitten. Your own vet can recommend the right food, vaccination timing, and neutering plan for your kitten’s age, breed, and health.
References
- Kitten care and advice, International Cat Care.
- Cornell Feline Health Center: Bringing a New Cat Home, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
- AAHA Feline Vaccination Guidelines, American Animal Hospital Association.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to buy before bringing a kitten home?
The essentials are food and water bowls, a complete kitten food, a litter tray and cat litter, a bed, a scratching post, a few safe toys, and a sturdy carrier for the journey home and vet trips. Grooming basics and a few cleaning supplies for accidents round out the list. Have it all set up in one quiet room before your kitten arrives so the first day is calm.
How many litter trays does one kitten need?
International Cat Care advises one tray per cat plus one spare, so one kitten needs two trays. Place them in separate, quiet spots away from food and water. Use an open, low-sided tray a kitten can climb into easily, and scoop daily; a clean, easy-to-reach tray is the single biggest factor in quick, reliable litter training.
What kind of food should I buy for a new kitten?
Buy a food labelled complete and formulated for kittens or growth, because kittens have very different needs from adult cats and need feeding little and often. Cats are obligate carnivores and require taurine, which plant-only diets cannot supply, so a complete kitten food matters. If you change brands from what the breeder or shelter used, transition gradually over about seven days to avoid stomach upset.
Do I really need a scratching post for a kitten?
Yes. Scratching is normal, healthy feline behaviour that maintains claws and marks territory, so the choice is not whether your kitten scratches but where. A tall, stable post the kitten can stretch up fully redirects that instinct away from your sofa from day one. It is far easier to start a kitten on a post than to retrain an adult cat that has already chosen the furniture.
What should I set up before the kitten arrives?
Choose one quiet room as a base and put everything in it: food and water (away from the litter), two litter trays, a bed, a hiding spot, a scratching post, and a few toys. Kitten-proof the room by tucking away cables, removing small swallowable objects, and blocking gaps. A small, predictable space helps a nervous kitten build confidence before meeting the rest of the home.
How much does it cost to get set up for a kitten?
The starter kit of bowls, food, two litter trays and litter, a bed, a scratching post, toys, and a carrier is a modest one-off outlay, and several items last for years. Budget separately for the early vet costs, since the first vet visit in the first week starts vaccinations, parasite control, and microchipping, with neutering usually from around four months.
Written by Hannah Reeves. Reviewed by Dr Sarah Whitfield, BVSc MRCVS.
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