Getting everything ready for a new cat or kitten to come home can be a big job. Whether you’re on a small budget or you have a bigger budget to spend, there’s a lot of decisions to make. You need food, litter, toys, and even a scratching post or furniture for them to play on. When you’re working with a bigger budget, you have a lot more options. It can be even harder to find the right products since there are more features and things to consider with the purchase.
This is everything that you’re going to need for a new cat or kitten if you have a bigger budget to work with when shopping.
The Best Things to Buy for a New Cat on a Bigger Budget
This is everything that you need to buy for a new cat, with some recommendations for the right products on a bigger budget. You have a lot more choice, but these are some recommendations to help you find the best out there.
Cat Food
Cat food is probably the most basic supply that you’re going to need for your cat! A lot of people just buy whatever is sold at their local store. However, cats have some specific dietary requirements so buying healthy food for them is a bit more complicated. A cat needs to be fed on something that is primarily protein. They can’t process other things as well, so food with as little filler as possible is better.
Grain is a good example of filler in cat food, this is ingredients that are put in by the manufacturer to bulk it out a bit. Essentially, filler and grain don’t give cats any nutritional benefit. They don’t actually add anything to the food, they’re simply included to make the food cheaper to produce compared with just using high-quality proteins. So food that has less filler in it might be more expensive, but your cat is getting more of the food that they like and can digest. Grains aren’t a natural part of a cat’s diet, so food without filler helps to keep their diet natural.
Kitten Food
If you’re getting things ready for a kitten, then you’ll need some kitten specific food to use at first. Hill’s Science plan is a good choice for dry food and it contains very little filler and mainly the good protein hat your kitten needs to grow.
Cat Food
For adult cat food, you’ll need a different type. If you’re adopting an adult cat then they’ll need to eat a mixture of the new food and their old food for a while to get them accustomed to it. After this, you can move fully onto their new type of food.
This MjAMjAM food is a good choice for their wet food. This food doesn’t contain any filler or grains, cereals, gluten, added sugar, or synthetic preservatives. This is about as natural as you can get with food. While this type only suits a higher budget, it will be very healthy for your adult. The adult version of Hill’s Science is a good choice for the dry food to top up your pet’s diet for similar reasons.
Food and Water Bowls
Cat food isn’t going to be much good if your cat has nothing to eat it from! Cat bowls for food and water can be a bit more complicated than they appear on the surface though. Those standard cheap plastic bowls aren’t actually much good for your cat. While you can get a nice cat bowl with a bigger budget, you don’t need to spend very much to get a great one.
Plastic bowls aren’t the best for your cat. If they get scratched at all, those scratches before festering spots for bacteria. This can be really unsafe for your cat. A bowl should also be low to the ground since cats are naturally crouch eaters. They do better without a raised bowl. Whisker fatigue is also a factor. Whiskers are very sensitive to some bowls. If whiskers bump things too often, then a cat can get sensory overload. It can lead to stress and pain when they go to eat. You need to go for a bowl that’s shaped right to avoid this.
A ceramic bowl like this is a good choice. They’re high quality and ceramic will avoid the health hazards of plastic. The shape also avoids whisker fatigue!
Litter Box
Litter boxes are an area where your budget makes a big difference. You can go for a simple plastic box at any budget. However, with a bigger budget when bringing a cat home you can go a bit further.
On a big budget, you can look at litter boxes that make things a lot easier for yourself. Most cats know how to use the litter box when they first come home. However, you can find a box that is covered to hide the smell. A covered litter box gives your cat more privacy and helps you to keep things sanitary around the house. You have a lot of different choices on a higher budget.
This Imac litter box is on the more expensive side but it has some extra features that make things a lot easier on you. It is covered, so the litter box will keep the smells contained a lot better. The cat gets in or out easily with a simple cat flap. The litter inside is separated into a tray, with a charcoal filter. This neutralizes the odors that are in the litter box. While this litter box is on the higher end price-wise, you do get a lot for your money.
Another option is this cat cabinet toilet. This is a small cabinet built to contain either a bed or a litter box, but they’ll have to pick one or the another! This litter box area isn’t even noticeable. So if you’re looking to contain the smells and not have a visible litter box, then is the best choice.
There is also the option of a self-cleaning litter box. This is a litter box kitted out with special crystal litter and an automatic rake. It rakes any solid waste into a tray and the litter absorbs and solidifies liquid waste. Once full, all you need to do is dispose of the whole bottom tray. This option can get expensive with its specific litter and is a bit wasteful, but if you really want to avoid having to change litter yourself then it’s the best option.
Litter
The litter inside of your cat’s box is just as important as the box itself! Cat litter is tricky to find since some cats have a certain texture or feel that they prefer. Your first consideration for cat litter should really be what your cat prefers to use. Beyond that though, you have quite a few choices when you’re getting litter for your cat.
The first option is something fairly standard like wood litter. This is absorbent and simple to use. You can also consider something more environmentally friendly like which is pine, so it’s absorbent, biodegradable, and neutralizes the smell.
If you’re using a self-cleaning litter box, then you need a specific type. Since they involve you throwing away a litter box’s worth of waste and plastic with every change you’ll need specific disposable bottoms for the tray. The ones that fit the self-cleaning litter box mentioned above are here.
This World’s Best Cat Litter variety is Lavender scented, which should help to mask the smells of your cat’s litter box! The scent only lasts a little while, but it’s still better smelling than a standard bag of cat litter!
The odor-neutralizing crystal litter used in those automatic boxes can be used in normal litter boxes too. It does a great job os keeping smells contained. It isn’t a particularly wallet or environmentally conscious product though.
Make sure to avoid clay clumping litters when setting things up for your new cat. They can cause irritation, and the particles that fly up can actually be breathed in by your cat and cause them health problems.
Toys
When you’re setting up your home to bring a new cat home, you need to think about toys. Kittens are a handful and will want to play quite a bit, so a number of toys are important! Adult cats are going to need some toys too though. There are a lot of different types. So at first, you should try to see what type of toy your cat enjoys playing with. Then you can figure out which toys they’ll enjoy in the future. These are some recommendations for toys to get for your pet on a bigger budget.
- Cat Teaser – Cat teasers are a fun way to play with your cat, giving themselves to chase and pounce on. This cat teaser is retractable and lets you play with your cat is fun ways.
- Mice – Little mice for your cat to chase are fun toys. These are plain and they’re fun for your cat to pounce on. There are also these which are filled with catnip. This can give them a treat while they play.
- Treat-Dispensing Toy – A treat-dispensing toy is a great choice for a cat of any age. These help to keep them occupied when you’re not home by giving them a motivation to play with a specific toy.
- Toys to Chase – A toy that your cat can chase could be fun for some cats. Something like this works great since it moves randomly on its own. This keeps a cat busy when you can’t physically throw a toy for chasing yourself!
Beds
The next most important piece of kit for your cat is a basket or bed for them to sleep in. If you have a bigger budget to work with then you can really push the boat out here. This needs to be a snug place for them to sleep. There are a few different options and ways you can go for a bed on a bigger budget.
A covered and enclosed bed like this and help to make your cat or kitten feel safe. This is important for them to be comfy, since coming to a new home isn’t easy. This one also works, It comes down to preference.
As well as enclosed beds, a large soft cushion bed like this one or this one might be a good choice for a new cat. You could also go for something like this, which attaches to radiators. This gives them a perch to sleep and it’ll be warm for them in the winter.
Scratching Post or Cat Furniture
Cats need access to something they can scratch to keep their claws in the best condition. A scratching post is a must when you’re bringing your new cat home. However, if you have a larger budget to work with then a scratching post as part of a cat tree or cat furniture could be a better choice. These are larger things for your cat that let them climb, play, sleep, and scratch.
This large cat tree is big enough for any cat to get a lot of play in. It also has quite a few places to sleep, like hammocks, hanging brackets and an enclosed area. This is a cat tree with a lot of platforms for climbing and scratching posts to play with.
There are slightly smaller options out there if that is too big. This is a more medium-sized cat tree if you’re looking for a cat tree that doesn’t take up too much of the room.
Everything Else
That is pretty much everything that you’re going to need when you bring your new cat home. There are some smaller things to consider though!
The first is a cat carrier to take your pet to vet visits or anywhere else outside of the house. Something like this works great on a bigger budget. You’ve also got flea and worm treatments for your pet. While a bigger budget is helpful, make sure you factor in the costs of vet visits and vaccinations before bringing your new pet home. That’s just about everything you’re going to need. You can get everything you need in a bigger budget, with a lot more choice available to you too!
