Bringing Your New Cat Home: What to Buy, What to Do, and What to Expect

You've chosen the cat. The breeder or the previous owner has a date. Now there's a week of nervous list-making, and the internet is full of lists that either sell you forty products or skip the things that actually matter on day one.

This is the version we'd want as a buyer: what to have ready before you pick up, what to do in the first hours, what the first two weeks look like, and the paperwork nobody mentions until it's a problem.

Before pickup: what to have ready

You don't need everything. You need these, set up before the cat walks in.

A carrier. Hard-sided, with a top opening if you can find one; it's far easier to lift a nervous cat out from above than to pull them out of a tunnel. Put a towel or washable blanket inside. If the breeder or foster can send a small blanket that already smells like the cat's current home, even better.

Litter box and litter. Ask what the cat is using now and buy the same litter, at least for the first weeks. A new home is enough change; a new litter on top of it is how accidents start. One box per cat plus one extra is the usual advice, and for a kitten, a low-sided box they can climb into easily.

The same food. Same brand, same formula, same wet-or-dry as they're eating now. Ask the breeder or shelter for a small supply to take home and for the exact name. If you want to change food later, do it over a week or more by mixing.

Water bowl, food bowl. Ceramic or stainless steel are easy to keep clean and are good default choices. Keep water away from the litter box.

A place to hide. A covered bed, a box on its side, a cat tunnel, the space under a bed. New cats hide first and explore second, and a cat with a safe hiding place settles faster than one that's coaxed out.

Scratching post. Tall enough to stretch on, stable enough not to tip. Sisal or cardboard. Put it where the cat will actually be, not in a corner nobody uses.

A few toys. A wand toy is the one that matters; it lets a nervous cat play with you at a distance. Skip anything with small parts, string or ribbon that can be swallowed.

Nail clippers and a brush. You'll want both within the first month, and it's easier to start when they're small.

Cat-proof the house

Cats get into everything, kittens more so. Before pickup, walk the house and deal with:

Lilies. Get true lilies and daylilies out of the house entirely. Easter, tiger, Asiatic, Oriental and stargazer lilies, as well as daylilies, are extremely dangerous to cats. The leaves, flowers, stems, pollen and even the vase water can cause potentially fatal kidney failure. Other plants to check against a toxic plant list include sago palm, oleander, azalea and pothos.

Cords and strings. Blind cords, phone chargers, dental floss in an open bin, sewing thread. Swallowed string is a surgical emergency.

Windows and balconies. Screens that aren't secure, balconies with railings a kitten can slip through. Cats fall.

Washer and dryer. Keep the doors closed and check before running them. This one is real.

Small spaces. Behind the fridge, inside the recliner, in the gap behind a dresser. Block what you can't check.

Medications, cleaning products and essential oils. Keep medications and cleaners secured. Some essential oils can be toxic to cats through ingestion, skin contact or inhalation, so don't assume an oil or diffuser is cat-safe because it's marketed as natural.

Human food. Onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes and raisins, alcohol, xylitol (in sugar-free gum and some peanut butters) are the common dangerous ones.

Day one: less is more

Pick a quiet time and, if you can, a couple of days when you'll be home.

Set up one room first. A bathroom or spare bedroom with the litter box, food and water (apart from each other), the hiding place and the carrier with its door open. Bring the cat in, open the carrier, and let them decide when to come out. Sit on the floor, talk quietly, don't reach in.

Let that room be home base until they're eating, drinking, using the litter box normally and beginning to relax around you. That may take a day for one cat and considerably longer for another. Then open the door and let them expand the territory at their own pace.

Keep other pets and children out for now. Everyone wants to meet the kitten on day one; the kitten does not want to meet everyone on day one.

Don't panic if they eat less than usual or hide the entire first day. But if your cat is repeatedly trying to urinate and producing little or no urine, treat that as an emergency and call a vet right away; it can be life-threatening, especially in male cats. Call your veterinarian for persistent vomiting or diarrhoea, marked lethargy, or a kitten that isn't eating.

The first two weeks

Vet visit. Book a check-up within the first week even if the cat came with a recent health certificate. Many breeder contracts and shelter agreements require it within a set number of days to keep the health guarantee valid, and it establishes a baseline with your own vet. Bring every document you were given.

Vaccinations. A kitten from a breeder or shelter will usually have started a vaccine series and may still need more doses; two kitten shots does not mean they're finished. Current feline vaccination guidelines recommend core kitten vaccines at intervals through 16 to 20 weeks of age, depending on the vaccine and the individual situation. Rabies vaccination timing follows local law and the vaccine label. Bring the vaccination record and let your veterinarian determine what's due next.

Parasites. Ask the vet about deworming and flea prevention appropriate for the cat's age and your area.

Litter box. Keep it very clean for the first weeks; scooping daily is the single easiest way to avoid a cat deciding your rug is better.

Play. Two or three short sessions a day with the wand toy, including one in the evening. It's exercise, enrichment, and the fastest way to build trust with a cat that isn't ready to be held.

Handling. Gentle, short, and stop before they've had enough. Touch paws, look in ears, open the mouth briefly. A cat that's used to this at 14 weeks is a cat the vet can examine at 14 years.

Introductions. Other cats: separation first, then scent (swap bedding), then controlled visual access through a secure barrier, then short supervised meetings over days or weeks. Rushing this is the most common mistake. Dogs: on a leash, with the cat able to leave at will, and never alone together until you're certain. Children: sitting down, cat comes to them, no grabbing, no chasing, always supervised with small kids.

The paperwork

Contract and health guarantee. Read it again now that you're home. Note the deadline for the first vet check and what the guarantee covers.

Registration papers. If the kitten is registered with a cat registry, many breeders release the registration or transfer slip after proof of spay or neuter, as the contract states. Keep everything, and follow up when it's done.

Microchip. Ask whether the cat is chipped and, if so, get the number and make sure your own contact information is registered with the microchip database. If the breeder or rescue stays listed as a secondary contact, that's fine too; what matters is that a call about a found cat reaches you.

Pet insurance. Worth deciding in the first month, while the cat is young and before any condition becomes pre-existing. Some breeders include a trial policy.

Pet license. Some cities require cats to be licensed. Check your local rules.

What's normal, and what isn't

Common during adjustment: hiding, being quieter than usual, eating somewhat less on the first day, cautious exploration, crying at night, and sudden bursts of kitten energy.

Call your veterinarian: not eating, especially in a young kitten; not drinking; repeated vomiting or diarrhoea; difficulty breathing; marked lethargy; persistent or worsening sneezing or eye or nose discharge; and anything to do with urination: repeated litter box trips, straining, crying while urinating, or producing little or no urine, which is an emergency.

And call the breeder. A good one wants to hear how it's going, will answer questions for the life of the cat, and would far rather know about a problem early than find out later.

The one-line version

Same food, same litter, one quiet room, a place to hide, lilies out of the house, a vet visit in the first week, and patience. Many cats begin to feel at home within the first couple of weeks; others need considerably longer. The ones that take longer are worth the wait.

If you're still looking, every seller on Purry has verified their ID, and you can take a short quiz to find the breeds that fit how you live.

Find your match

Sources and further reading

• Cornell Feline Health Center, bringing home a new cat and kitten care resources: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control, Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants
• ASPCA, People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets
• AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines (2020): https://catvets.com/guidelines/practice-guidelines/feline-vaccination-guidelines
• FDA, Lovely Lilies and Curious Cats: A Dangerous Combination: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/lovely-lilies-and-curious-cats-dangerous-combination
• AVMA, Selecting a pet cat and new cat resources: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/selecting-pet-cat

Vaccination schedules, licensing and microchip rules vary by location and by the individual cat; your veterinarian's advice takes priority over anything here.