This is a “quick start” guide for someone who has just adopted a new cat or kitten. It is meant to be just the essential information that you need to know to get off to a good start keeping you and your cat happy and healthy. Most sections will have a link to more detailed information on that topic.
Note: I use “her” and “she” to refer to a cat. It’s just a personal idiosyncrasy that I think of cats as female.
Before the Cat
Essential supplies:
- Litter Box
- Litter
- Litter Scoop
- Food and water bowls
- Food
- Scratching post (or two)
- Toys (many)
- Cat bed (or two)
Bringing the Cat Home
It’s a really good idea to start your new cat or kitten in a small room rather than to immediately give her the run of your entire house or apartment. A spare bedroom or a bathroom will do fine. Obviously, with litter box and food and water.
Hiding
It is normal for a cat to hide when she finds herself in an unfamiliar place. It doesn’t mean that your new cat doesn’t like you, it doesn’t mean she’s sick, it doesn’t mean she’s abnormally scared or timid. Give her time; she may hide for an hour or she may hide for a few days, but eventually she will come out. If she hides for days, you will probably see evidence that she has come out at night, to eat and use the litter box.
While she’s hiding, spend time in the room with her, make eye contact with her if possible, talk to her softly whether you can see her or not. Do not ever grab her and pull her out of her hiding place, unless it’s a real necessity like an emergency or a vet visit.
Once the cat stops hiding, you can let her roam into the rest of your house.
Litter Box
Arguably the most important item for any cat — and her owner — is the litter box.
Almost all cats that you get from a breeder or shelter, even very young kittens, will be litter box trained. Kittens learn to use the litter box from their mother cat.
Get a good-sized box, at least 22 inches (56 cm) long. Cats need to be able to scratch around in the box, move the litter into a pile before they do their business, and/or pile it on top afterwards.
Don’t get a covered box, don’t get a fancy self-cleaning box, just a plain litter box.
Put the litter box in a place that is easily accessible by the cat.
Scoop out the waste regularly, at least once every day or two.
Food
Cats are carnivores, meat-eaters. Get a good quality food that says “Grain Free” on the label.
Wet vs. Dry
This can be a controversial topic, many people have strong opinions about wet vs. dry, free-feeding, etc.. I believe the most important thing is to feed your cat or kitten something that she will eat. Start by giving her both wet and dry. Keep feeding both if that works, or switch to whichever one your cat prefers.
Kittens
It is important to feed kittens food that is marked as “kitten food” until she is at least 10 months to a year old. Some brands of cat food indicate that they are for “all life stages”, this is also acceptable for kittens.
Play
Play with your cat.
I am going to repeat that because it is extremely important: Play with your cat!
Notice I said “cat”. Yes, kittens need play, but so do adult cats.
Get a variety of toys for your cat. Get some balls and fabric toys and drop them on the floor so that the cat can bat them around on her own.
But more importantly, get some wand or “fishing pole” type toys that you move around for the cat to chase and catch. Move it around in different ways, fast and slow, up and down, back and forth, round and round, move it like a bird, move it like a mouse. Find the movement that most attracts your cat’s attention. Make the cat work to catch it, keep the toy out of the cat’s reach for a while, but then make sure to let her catch it!
Laser Pointers
It can be fun to watch a cat or kitten frantically running to try to catch the red dot. Using a laser pointer as a toy for your cat is ok in small doses, to give her some high energy exercise, but always, always follow it with a physical toy that she can catch! Chasing the red dot can be frustrating to the cat because the dot can never be caught. Always end the play session by letting her catch and “kill” a physical thing.
Indoor vs. Outdoor
Another controversial topic. I am firmly in the indoor-only camp. It is a myth that cats “need” to go outside or that indoor cats won’t be happy. I have owned several cats that were 100% indoor-only for their entire twenty years of life and they were very happy.
Give your indoor cat scratching posts, lots of play time, things to climb, places to sit and look out the window and she will be happy.
Indoor cats cannot be hit by cars, they cannot get into fights with neighborhood cats or dogs, they cannot get eaten by coyotes, they won’t come into contact with cats with diseases, they won’t bring home fleas, they won’t come home covered in grease or dirt and will never need bathing.
Medical Care
Within the first week or two, take your new cat or kitten to a veterinarian for an initial health check-up. Bring whatever health records you were given by the place you adopted her from. Kittens need various vaccinations at different stages of their young lives, and it’s important for the vet to know which shots she’s already had and when.
Take your cat to your vet for a regular check-up at least once a year.
Scratching
Cats need to scratch, it’s an instinctual thing. If your cat scratches on your furniture, she is not “acting up”, she is not misbehaving, she is not getting back at you for something, she is not being bad, she is just being a cat.
Get a scratching post. Get more than one. Put the scratching post near where your cat is scratching. When she scratches on the furniture, gently take her front paws and move them over to the scratching post.
Cat Claws
Cat claws grow, just like your fingernails, and just like your fingernails the claws need regular trimming. You can do it yourself or have your vet do it, but it’s important to trim your cat’s claws regularly. Cat’s claws are curved, and if they are not trimmed then can grow around and into the flesh of the cat’s paws, which is obviously painful and dangerous.
Declawing
Never, ever consider getting your cat declawed. It is extremely cruel. “Declawing” is a misleading term and makes it sound rather benign. In fact, it is not a simple matter of removing the claws, it actually removes the ends of the cat’s toes. It is the equivalent of amputating your fingers at the first knuckle.
Bathing
Cats are self-cleaning. It’s natural for them to groom and to spend a lot of time at it. Under normal circumstances, especially with an indoor-only cat, you never need to give a cat a bath.
Petting and Touching
Some cats like full body, head-to-tail petting, but some don’t. Most cats like being scratched on the top of their head, and along their jawline, and under their chin, but some don’t. Even what she likes, she may not like all the time. When petting or touching a cat, especially a new cat, always be watching for signs that she’s getting annoyed or distressed. A very actively swishing tail is usually a sign of agitation.
Cat Tails
Cats express a lot with their tails.
When walking, if the tail is straight up, especially with a little curl at the end, it means the cat is happy, content, confident.
When laying down, a contented cat may slowly swish the tail a little, or gently flick the end. If the movement gets faster, it is usually a sign that the cat is getting agitated. If you are petting her and notice the tail swishing getting faster, stop petting her.