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A tabby kitten steps out of an open carrier into a quiet room set up with kitten supplies: a low-sided litter box, scratching post, hiding box, bed and separate food and water bowls

New Kitten Checklist: What You Need Before Day One

Before your kitten comes home, have the kitten supplies ready: a low-sided litter box, kitten food, separate food and water bowls, a scratching post, toys, a carrier and hiding spots. Kitten-proof one quiet room, and book a vet visit for her first days home.

That's the short version. The checklist below explains why each item matters, so you can shop once and skip what you don't need.

What kitten supplies do I need before day one?

Here's the list, drawn from the Cornell Feline Health Center and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). Print it, or keep it open on your phone at the store.

  • A litter box with low sides
  • Unscented, fine-textured litter and a scoop
  • Food made for kittens
  • A food bowl and a separate water bowl
  • A scratching post, plus one other scratching surface
  • Toys she can chase and pounce on
  • A cat carrier
  • A high-sided bed and a cardboard box or two for hiding
  • Something to climb, such as a cat tree or a cleared shelf
  • Your vet's number, and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control line: (888) 426-4435

The litter box

Cornell's advice is specific. Young kittens need boxes with low sides so they can climb in easily, and most cats prefer a simple box without a hood.

Fill it with one to two inches of unscented, finer-textured litter, which is what most cats prefer. Put it somewhere quiet and private, away from where she eats, and reachable day and night.

Have more than one cat? Cornell and the AAFP agree on the rule: one box per cat, plus one extra. Our guide on how to litter train a kitten covers the first few days in the box.

Food and water

Buy a food made for her life stage. Cornell recommends a complete, balanced food formulated for kittens, in the right amount for her age and size.

How much to give, and how often, is its own topic, covered in our guide on what to feed a kitten.

Keep the food and water bowls apart from each other, and well away from the litter box. Cornell and the AAFP both make this point.

Scratching, play and places to hide

Scratching is normal cat behavior, and Cornell notes most cats can be taught to use a post. The AAHA/AAFP life stage guidelines suggest a post plus other surfaces, since cats have individual scratching habits.

For toys, the same guidelines recommend ones that use her strong prey drive: things she can stalk, chase and pounce on. If you use a wand toy on a string, put it away after play, because the AAFP lists dangling strings as a hazard.

Hiding spots matter more than they look. The AAFP lists safe places, meaning hideaways, high-sided beds and raised perches, first among the five things every cat needs. A cardboard box counts.

The carrier

Buy the carrier before you need it, and don't hide it in the garage. The AAFP suggests leaving it in your living area so your kitten can wander in and out.

Drop a toy or a tasty morsel inside now and then. The aim, in the AAFP's words, is for her to develop positive associations with the carrier before it ever goes to the vet.

How do I kitten-proof my home?

Kittens explore with their mouths and squeeze into small spaces. Start with the room she'll live in first, then work outward.

  • Pick up small things she could swallow. The ASPCA names hair ties, rubber bands, coins, board game pieces and plastic bags.
  • Trim, bind or cover electrical cords.
  • Close cabinet doors, and consider child-proof latches. The ASPCA points out that kittens seek warm, quiet spots such as dryers, laundry baskets and dresser drawers.
  • Put all medicines away in a closed cabinet.
  • Use a baby gate to block rooms you can't make safe.
  • Tidy away string, ribbon and dangling blind cords. The AAFP lists dangling strings among the things to remove from a new cat's room.

Three hazards worth knowing by name

Lilies. This one surprises people. The ASPCA warns that every part of a true lily or daylily is toxic to cats, including the pollen and even the water in the vase. Small amounts can cause severe injury to the kidneys.

Speed matters. The ASPCA notes that a lily exposure is often fatal if treatment is delayed longer than 18 hours. The simplest rule is no lilies in a home with a cat.

Human painkillers. The ASPCA lists ibuprofen, naproxen and acetaminophen as hazards for cats. Acetaminophen can damage a cat's red blood cells.

Dog flea products. Permethrin, found in some flea and tick products for dogs, is dangerous to cats, the ASPCA warns. If there's a dog in the house, read every label and use only products made for cats on your kitten.

When should my kitten see the vet?

Soon. Cornell advises that any new cat be checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible after coming home. If you already have cats, the AAFP suggests the check happen before the kitten meets them.

At that first visit, expect a full exam and a check for internal parasites, such as intestinal worms, and for fleas, ticks and mites. Kittens with an unknown history may also be tested for common contagious viruses.

Vaccines, step by step

Kitten vaccines come as a series, not a single shot. This is the schedule Cornell describes:

Vaccine First dose Then
FVRCP (the core combination vaccine) 6–8 weeks Every 3–4 weeks until 16–20 weeks
Rabies 8–12 weeks Again one year later

The 2021 AAHA/AAFP guidelines add one more booster of the core vaccine at about 6 months. The aim is to close a possible gap in protection for kittens whose mother's antibodies were still present late in the series.

Two other items to raise at the first visit. Cornell notes that cats are usually spayed or neutered at six months or older, and the AAHA/AAFP guidelines say all cats should be microchipped.

What should the first week look like?

Quiet, and mostly in one room. The AAFP calls it a transition room: a calm space with food, water, a litter box, a scratching surface, toys and somewhere to hide.

Carry her in, set the carrier down and open the door. The AAFP's advice is to let her choose when to come out. Hiding at first is normal, since cats are often fearful of changes around them.

She's ready for more space when she stops hiding all the time and explores the room with confidence. The AAFP says that can take a few days, and longer for some cats.

Keep your time with her regular and predictable, which the AAFP counts among a cat's five core needs. Keep play sessions short, and stop before she loses interest.

If you already have a cat

Go slowly. The AAFP recommends swapping bedding or toys between the cats first, so they learn each other's scent before they meet.

Next come play on either side of a closed door, then short supervised sessions where they can see each other. The AAFP puts the whole process at anywhere from a few days to a few months.

Why the first weeks matter so much

Here's a fact worth knowing. The AAHA/AAFP guidelines say a kitten's sensitive socialization period starts as early as 2 to 3 weeks and may be closing by 9 to 10 weeks.

If your kitten is younger than 10 weeks when she arrives, that window may still be open. Gentle handling, new sounds and calm visitors now all count. Our guide to signs of happiness in cats shows what a relaxed kitten looks like.

Call your vet or ASPCA Poison Control promptly if your kitten:

  • chews, licks or drinks from anything that has touched a lily
  • gets into human painkillers or other medicines
  • was given a flea or tick product made for dogs
  • swallows string, ribbon, a hair tie or a small object

Questions new kitten parents ask

What is the most important item on the new kitten checklist?

A low-sided litter box in a quiet spot, set up before she arrives. Food, water and a hiding place come close behind.

Do I need a litter box in every room?

No. For one kitten, two boxes follows the one-per-cat-plus-one rule. Start with one in her first room while she settles.

When should a new kitten first see the vet?

As soon as possible after she comes home, Cornell advises. Vaccines usually start at 6 to 8 weeks.

Can my kitten have the run of the house on day one?

Start with one kitten-proofed room. Open up more of the house once she's exploring confidently rather than hiding.

Are newborn kitten supplies different?

Yes. A kitten too young to wean, and without her mother, needs kitten milk replacer and frequent feeds, overnight too. Our guide to kitten milk replacer walks through it.

Sources

This article is for general information and is not veterinary advice. Talk to your vet about your own cat — they know the animal in front of them.

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