Essential Things to Buy for Your Cats
Before bringing home a new cat, you should get all essential items prepared first. Below is a list of essentiai things you can get for your cat:
1. Cat Food
Picking the right food for your cat is important. You should bring your cat in for a checkup as soon as you get your cat. And that’s a good time to discuss food options with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may suggest a specialty food for your cat's specific needs， which may include kitten food, senior food, or food for cats that need to lose weight. You will get some ideas that will fulfill the nutritional needs of your cat.
If you are bring home a new cat, find out what food the cat is currently eating. You should begin feeding your cat the same brand of food as it has been eating before coming home with you. This will help assure that it does not get an upset stomach from a sudden change to its diet.
Once you pick a brand and type of cat food, you can compare the prices at your local stores and online. The same exact product may be a very different price at different stores.
2. Food & Water Bowls
Your cat will need to have at least two bowls - one for food and one for water. These bowls should be made of stainless steel, ceramic, or glass as these materials are the easiest to clean. A bowl made of ceramic is safe and dishwasher safe, but it’s easy to break. And if you prefer decorated ceramic dishes, make sure the glaze is lead-free. Don’t use plastic dishes for cats, as some cats develop a chin rash from plastic.
In general, cats prefer a water bowl that is spaced away from a food bowl. Avoid tandem bowls that have food in one half and water in the other. These can cause both the water and food to become soiled by one another.
Besides, adding a rubber bottom to the bowl makes sure that the bowl doesn’t move around too much when your cat eat from it. You can also find a number of non-tip stainless steel bowls in the market.
3. Cat Litter, Litter Box & Scoop
Cat litter - There are many types of cat litter, such as clay litter, corn litter, crystal litter, pine litter, recycled paper litter and so on. If possible, give your cat the same type and brand of cat litter as it has been using before coming home with you. Besides, you can talk to your veterinarian if you have no idea which tpye of litter will be good for your pet.
Litter box - Litter box is alaos a must-have for every inside cats. Veterinarians suggested to get one litter box per cat, plus an extra one. So for two cats, you should prepare three litter boxes in your house. If you don’t have that kind of space, you can get a big litter box to make it less likely for them to miss. A litter box with a high edge will prevent your cat from peeing over it.
Litter scoop – This is to scoop out the cat litter. Just choose the a practical one according to the type of the litter.
4. Bed
To make your new cat feel at home, you can get you cat a soft bed. The bed could be very simple. It could also be relatively fancy, such as a heated cat bed that plugs into an outlet.
Of course, no one can guarantee that the cat will love the bed that you buy for it right away. In many cases, cats will choose a pillow or an area on the carpet over the bed you chose for it. Then you can lure the cat towards the bed by putting a few toys and some cat nip on the bed. Or you just place the bed in a warm and sunny spot!
5. Cat Carrier
A cat carrier is to get your cat safely to the vet or the cat hotel. This is a must. A simple cardboard carrier that available from your vet is fine for bringing a new cat home, but you'll need to replace this eventually with a solid-bottomed fiberglass or tough plastic carrier with secure latch and a screened opening the cat can look through. With such a solid and practical carrier, nothing can fall on your cat while he/she is in there. If you need to travel with your cat in the future, a heavy-duty cloth airline-approved carrier will be a good alternative.
6. Cat Cage
Caging a cat is sometimes necessary. Cage can be intensely useful, especially in the muti-cat household, to pinpoint which cat is having a problem. Let's say one of your cats has diarrhea but you don't know which one. By using a cage you can determine who is having the problem by taking them one at a time and waiting for them to show you what you need.
Other times cages can be useful if you need to collect urine (to see stones, crystals, blood, strange coloration, or PH levels for diabetes testing). You can keep your cat in a cage with a grated bottom and wait for your cat to pee so that it can be collected by the tray underneath. This method is quite practical to cats that are less than cooperative. And make sure they have food and water!
Besides, if you need to clean a broken glass on the floor or other items that may injure your cat, caging your cat until you cat-proof the house can avoid injuring your cat.
7. A Collar & ID Tags
It is important for you to put a collar with ID tag on your cat as soon as you get it. This will assure that if your cat gets lost anyone that finds your cat will be able to return it to you.
Select a collar that has a quick-release catch for safety concern. If your cat is ever caught by the collar, this important release allows the cat to safely escape without harm. And make sure the collar is the right size for your cat. It should be snug but not so tight. Or it may restrict the cat's breathing or swallowing.
Besides, the information on your cat's tags should include your name, address, and a telephone number.
8. Micro-chip
A microchip is a small chip placed under your cat's skin. Breakaway collars and ID tags are helpful, but these can easily come off. A microchip provides a more secure and specific method than relying on the kindness of strangers to return your cat, and it can never fall off. If your cat is taken to a shelter or vet's, your cat's microchip can be scanned to find out your contact information.
Just remember to update your contact information in the microchip if you changes information.